New chronometric data from Ifri n’Ammar (Morocco) and the chronostratigraphy of the Middle Palaeolithic in the Western Maghreb

Richter, Daniel; Moser, Johannes; Nami, Mustapha; Eiwanger, Josef; Mikdad, Abdeslam

doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2010.07.024

Cited by 99 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…This gives way, during the following postHowiesons Poort, to unifacial points on flakes (figure 1c), similar to the Mousterian points made by Neanderthals in Europe [23,24], and subsequently to unstandardized microlithic tools produced by the bipolar technique during the early LSA. A precocious emergence of technical innovation is also observed in north Africa, where new dating situates the earliest occurrences of the distinctive pedunculate point forms typical of the Aterian at 145 ka [25].…”

Section: Archaeological Evidence For the Origin Of Modern Cultures (Amentioning

confidence: 91%

Evolution, Revolution or Saltation Scenario for the Emergence of Modern Cultures?

d’Errico¹,

Stringer²

2011

Culture Evolves

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Crucial questions in the debate on the origin of quintessential human behaviours are whether modern cognition and associated innovations are unique to our species and whether they emerged abruptly, gradually or as the result of a discontinuous process. Three scenarios have been proposed to account for the origin of cultural modernity. The first argues that modern cognition is unique to our species and the consequence of a genetic mutation that took place approximately 50 ka in Africa among already evolved anatomically modern humans. The second posits that cultural modernity emerged gradually in Africa starting at least 200 ka in concert with the origin of our species on that continent. The third states that innovations indicative of modern cognition are not restricted to our species and appear and disappear in Africa and Eurasia between 200 and 40 ka before becoming fully consolidated. We evaluate these scenarios in the light of new evidence from Africa, Asia and Europe and explore the mechanisms that may have led to modern cultures. Such reflections will demonstrate the need for further inquiry into the relationship between climate and demographic/cultural change in order to better understand the mechanisms of cultural transmission at work in Neanderthals and early Homo sapiens populations.

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Section: Archaeological Evidence For the Origin Of Modern Cultures (Amentioning

confidence: 91%

Evolution, Revolution or Saltation Scenario for the Emergence of Modern Cultures?

d’Errico¹,

Stringer²

2011

Culture Evolves

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“…60e90 ka in the Sahara (Cremaschi et al, 1998) and ca. 85e 43 ka in the Gebel Gharbi mountains of Tripolitania, western Libya (Garcea, 2010c) to greater than 100 ka in the Maghreb Richter et al, 2010;Schwenninger et al, 2010;Jacobs et al, 2011Jacobs et al, , 2012Clark-Balzan et al, 2012). McBurney said at different times that the Aterian was both present and not present at the Haua Fteah, in part reflecting the continuing difficulties arising from the use of the term to describe the occurrence of either a few 'classic types' such as tanged pieces or a much larger repertoire of forms.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The chronostratigraphy of the Haua Fteah cave (Cyrenaica, northeast Libya) — Optical dating of early human occupation during Marine Isotope Stages 4, 5 and 6

Jacobs

Farr

et al. 2017

Journal of Human Evolution

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a b s t r a c tThe 1950s excavations by Charles McBurney in the Haua Fteah, a large karstic cave on the coast of northeast Libya, revealed a deep sequence of human occupation. Most subsequent research on North African prehistory refers to his discoveries and interpretations, but the chronology of its archaeological and geological sequences has been based on very early age determinations. This paper reports on the initial results of a comprehensive multi-method dating program undertaken as part of new work at the site, involving radiocarbon dating of charcoal, land snails and marine shell, cryptotephra investigations, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of sediments, and electron spin resonance (ESR) dating of tooth enamel. The dating samples were collected from the newly exposed and cleaned faces of the upper 7.5 m of the w14.0 m-deep McBurney trench, which contain six of the seven major cultural phases that he identified. Despite problems of sediment transport and reworking, using a Bayesian statistical model the new dating program establishes a robust framework for the five major lithostratigraphic units identified in the stratigraphic succession, and for the major cultural units. The age of two anatomically modern human mandibles found by McBurney in Layer XXXIII near the base of his Levalloiso-Mousterian phase can now be estimated to between 73 and 65 ka (thousands of years ago) at the 95.4% confidence level, within Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 4. McBurney's Layer XXV, associated with Upper Palaeolithic Dabban blade industries, has a clear stratigraphic relationship with Campanian Ignimbrite tephra. Microlithic Oranian technologies developed following the climax of the Last Glacial Maximum and the more microlithic Capsian in the Younger Dryas. Neolithic pottery and perhaps domestic livestock were used in the cave from the mid Holocene but there is no certain evidence for plant cultivation until the Graeco-Roman period.

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“…The bifacial component of Moroccan Middle Palaeolithic collections seems to be very reduced: apart from single bifaces, most bifacial formal tools are bifacial foliated ones, which remind feuille de laurier and pointes à face plane (Texier, 1986;Bouzouggar et al, 2002;Nespoulet et al, 2008;Barton et al, 2009;Richter et al, 2010;Dibble et al, 2012;Stoetzel et al, 2014;Kuhn et al, 2015;Ramos-Muñoz et al, 2016;Campmas et al, 2016 Tanged tools comprise a panoply of simple blanks with unmodified edges as well as retouched tools such as points and side-scrapers. The pedunculates were prepared through a bifacial thinning of the proximal end (Tixier, 1967).…”

Section: Formal Toolsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mostly local raw material with diverse forms and qualities were collected and integrated in the lithic reduction strategies (Bouzouggar et al, 2002). The list encompasses flint, quartzite, quartz, limestone, sandstone, chalcedony, lava, basalt, diorite, radiolarite and chert (Hublin et al, 1987;Barton et al, 2009;Richter et al, 2010;Dibble et al, 2012;Campmas et al, 2015;Ramos-Muñoz et al, 2016;Campmas et al, 2016). Some non-local raw material was additionally identified.…”

Section: Raw Materials Provision Strategymentioning

confidence: 99%

Cultural contact over the Strait of Gibraltar during the Middle Palaeolithic? Evaluating the visibility of cultural exchange

Tafelmaier¹,

Pastoors²,

Weniger³

2018

Munibe, Antropol.-Arkeol.

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Possible contacts between hunter-gatherers of Northern Africa and Europe via the Strait of Gibraltar during the Pleistocene are still object to discussions. In the absence of significant fossil remains, debates are mainly based on similarities and differences of singular aspects of material culture. However, a theoretical framework for these discussions was lacking. The first aim of this study thus has been the development of a theoretical base. We therein included Maslow´s pyramid of basic needs. The idea of our approach is that the presence or absence of so-called cultural tracers identify either contact or disparity. A large database on archaeological sites of Morocco and Southern Iberia dating between 160 ka and 40 ka years ago has been compiled, containing information about lithic technology and typology, lithic raw material acquisition, subsistence patterns and symbolic behaviour. We formulated three potential contact scenarios between the two regions. The presence and/ or absence of so-called cultural tracers within the data set, that covered all levels of Maslow´s pyramid, led us to conclude that -based on the present archaeological and anthropological data -no contact took place between Iberian and North African populations across the Strait of Gibraltar in the given time frame. RESUMENContactos entre grupos humanos del Pleistoceno superior entre África del Norte y la Península Ibérica cruzando el Estrecho de Gibraltar están siendo objeto de debates. Por la falta de fósiles humanos significativos el debate se centra básicamente en similitudes y diferencias en la cultura material. Pero todavía falta un marco metodológico para la discusión. Este trabajo intenta la presentación de una base teórica preliminar. La pirámide de Maslow con necesidades básicas forma parte de estas reflexiones. La ausencia o presencia de marcadores culturales indica según nuestro enfoque contactos o disparidades. En un banco de datos de yacimientos arqueológicos entre 160 ka y 40 ka de Marruecos y del sur de España hemos compilado información sobre tecnología de inventarios líticos, aprovisionamiento de materias primas, patrones de asentamiento y comportamiento simbólico. Se pueden formular tres escenarios de contacto entre ambas regiones. La aplicación de marcadores culturales in relación con la pirámide entera de Maslow indica que según la información actual no se pueden demostrar contactos entre ambos continentes. LABURPENAIparraldeko Afrikaren eta Iberiar penintsularen artean, Gibraltargo itsasartea zeharkatuta, Goi-pleistozenoan giza taldeen artean izan ziren harremanak eztabaidagai bihurtu dira. Gizakiaren fosil esanguratsurik ez dagoenez, eztabaidaren gai nagusia, batez ere, kultura materialean dauden antzekotasunak eta aldeak dira. Baina oraindik eztabaidarako testuinguru metodologikoa falta da. Lan honen helburua da aurretiazko oinarri teorikoa aurkeztea. Oinarrizko beharrak dituen Maslow piramidea gogoeta horien baitan dago. Gure ustez, markatzaile kulturalik ez izateak edo halakoak izateak harremanak edo desber...

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New chronometric data from Ifri n’Ammar (Morocco) and the chronostratigraphy of the Middle Palaeolithic in the Western Maghreb

Cited by 99 publications

References 22 publications

Evolution, Revolution or Saltation Scenario for the Emergence of Modern Cultures?

Evolution, Revolution or Saltation Scenario for the Emergence of Modern Cultures?

The chronostratigraphy of the Haua Fteah cave (Cyrenaica, northeast Libya) — Optical dating of early human occupation during Marine Isotope Stages 4, 5 and 6

Cultural contact over the Strait of Gibraltar during the Middle Palaeolithic? Evaluating the visibility of cultural exchange

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