The Upper Palaeolithic Lithic Industry of Nazlet Khater 4 (Egypt): Implications for the Stone Age/Palaeolithic of Northeastern Africa

Abstract

Between Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 4 and 2, Northeast Africa witnessed migrations of Homo sapiens into Eurasia. Within the context of the aridification of the Sahara, the Nile Valley probably offered a very attractive corridor into Eurasia. This region and this period are therefore central for the (pre)history of the out-of-Africa peopling of modern humans. However, there are very few sites from the beginning of the Upper Palaeolithic that document these migration events. In Egypt, the site of Nazlet Khater 4 (NK4), which is related to ancient H. sapiens quarrying activities, is one of them. Its lithic assemblage shows an important laminar component, and this, associated with its chronological position (ca. 33 ka), means that the site is the most ancient Upper Palaeolithic site of this region. The detailed study of the Nazlet Khater 4 lithic material shows that blade production (volumetric reduction) is also associated with flake production (surface reduction). This technological duality addresses the issue of direct attribution of NK4 to the Upper Palaeolithic.Résumé Entre les MIS 4 et 2, l'Afrique du Nord-Est est le théâtre de migrations d'Homo sapiens vers l'Eurasie. Dans le contexte d'une aridification importante du Sahara, la Vallée du Nil a probablement joué le rôle de corridor très attrayant. Cette région et cette période sont donc clés dans la (pré)histoire des peuplements extra-africains de l'Homme moderne. Cependant, très peu de sites du début du Paléolithique supérieur les documentent. En Égypte, Nazlet Khater 4, site d'occupation lié à des activités d'extraction de matière première est un de ces très rares gisements. L'assemblage lithique révèle une composante laminaire importante, qui, associée à sa position chronologique, en fait le plus ancien site Paléolithique supérieur de la région. Néanmoins, son étude détaillée montre que la production de lames est aussi associée à une exploitation de surface. Et cette dualité technologique de poser la question de son attribution directe au Paléolithique supérieur.

The Earliest Dated Pictures in the Dispersal of Psychologically Modern Humans: A Middle Paleolithic Painted Rock Shelter (C. 45KA) at Wadi Defeit, Egypt

“…Somewhat further south, but still along the Red Sea coast, the site of Taramsa Hill 1, datable to c. 55 ka, yielded the burial of an anatomically modern human child "similar in appearance to the [later] Mechtoid populations of the north African Epipaleolithic" (Vermeersch et al 1998;Van Peet et al 2010), possibly manifesting a cultural expression of the same peoples who painted the Hunter's Shelter c. 45 ka. At the chert-quarrying site of Nazlet Khater 4 in Middle Egypt c. 34-31 ka (Leplongeon and Pleurdeau 2011;Vermeersch et al 1990), a man was buried along with a bifacial axe (of a type "hitherto unattested in 'Upper Paleolithic' industries which occur from 20 ka onwards" (Midant-Reynes 2000, 43)). Though said to have certain "archaic" features including a thick mandible (Thoma 1984), this "experienced quarrier" was an anatomically modern human with a cranial capacity of at least 1400 sq.…”

A tentative tale of Stone Age human dynamics in Pleistocene south-western Libya (central Sahara)

“…Katerian and Shuwikatian) of the Nile valley (e.g. Leplongeon and Pleurdeau 2011;Vermeersch 2010), where core-reduction strategies and specific predetermined blanks and by-products seem to be comparable, including the non-microlithic character, the use of the crest technique and the strict volumetric concept of laminar reduction and of core maintaining.…”

“…Bar-Yosef and Kuhn 1999;Johnsons and McBrearty 2010;McBrearty and Brooks 2000). Nevertheless, blade technology unquestionably continues as one of the distinguishing features of North African LSA, dominating the lithic assemblages of all over the area (Leplongeon and Pleurdeau 2011).…”

“…Some North African sites testify to human occupation during late MIS 3 and MIS 2 in areas rich in lithic raw materials. The Nile valley, which acted as a refugium in the harshest phases of the late Pleistocene (Leplongeon 2021), witnessed specialized human activity at one of the oldest LSA quarry contexts at Nazlet Khater 4, in Middle Egypt (Leplongeon and Pleurdeau 2011). Perennial water sources presumably allowed human occupation MIS4 to MIS2 also outside the Nile valley, like e.g.…”