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Latifa Sari
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Augustin F. C. Holl
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Contents
Abstract 1
Introduction 2-9
Part I 10-99
African Studies: Agendas for the Future
Chapter 1 11-37
Emerging Themes in African Studies in China
Li Anshan
Chapter 2 38-65
Chinese Economic Engagement in Africa from the Perspective of
International Law: The Practice of Anti-Neocolonialism
Han Xiu Li
Chapter 3 66-72
Blue Economy, Challenges and Multilateral Cooperation in
African Coastal Countries
Zhenke Zhang and Yun Xing
Chapter 4 73-91
Sino-African Philosophical Conversations: Confucius and Black
Africa
Leon-Marie Nkolo Ndjod
Chapter 5 92-99
Ideological Cleaning: Why the New Brazilain Government
Combats the General History of Africa?
Valter Silvério
Part II 100-136
Cultural Heritage: Forms, Management, and Protection
Chapter 6 101-111
Managing the Diversity of a Continent: Balancing Africa’s Rich
Heritage with Development Needs
George O. Abungu
Chapter 7 112-119
Museum of Black Civilizations: Time is Running Out
Hamady Bocoum
Chapter 8 120-136
Cultural Heritage’s Value in African Sustainable Development
Pan Huaqiong
Part III 137-261
Anthropological Perspectives
Chapter 9 138-149
The Origin and Dispersal of Yamnaya Steppe Ancestry İnferred
from Ancient Genomes
Wang Chuan-Chao
Chapter 10 150-166
Genetics and African Historiography: Limitations and Insights
Shomarka O. Keita
Chapter 11 167-188
Early Human Lithic Technologies: Multiple Technical Histories
from Africa to East Asia
Louis de Weyer
Chapter 12 189-202
Late Pleistocene Societies of Northwestern Africa: Technology
and Lifeways
Latifa Sari
Chapter 13 203-224
Burial Protocols, Megaliths Production, and Ancestor-Hood in
Ancient Senegambia (ca. 1450 BCE – 1500 CE)
Augustin F. C. Holl
Chapter 14 225-250
Technological Innovation and the Emergence of the State in
Eastern and Southern Africa
Chapurukha M. Kusimba
Chapter 15 251-261
On the Antiquity of Southern Africa – China Interaction
Shadreck Chirikure
Chapter 12
Print ISBN: 978-93-5547-847-4, eBook ISBN: 978-93-5547-848-1
Latifa Sari a*
DOI: 10.9734/bpi/mono/978-93-5547-847-4/CH12
INTRODUCTION
During the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) which falls into the MIS2 Isotope Stage,
the archaeological record in Northwestern Africa has known a global tendency
toward microlithisation as was the case for the other Mediterranean
technocomplexes such as Upper Paleolithic of Europe (Strauss 2001), Late
Paleolithic of Egypt (Leplongeon 2017) and Early Epipaleolihic of the Levant
(Belfer-Cohen and Goring-Morris 2002). In Northeastern Africa, a number of
microlithic industries which are attested by the presence of small chipped stone
artefacts on diminutive blanks such as Kubbanian and Fakhurian appeared in the
Nile Valley and Nubia just before the Last Glacial Maximum around 21 ka BP.
These regional variants are characterized by the profusion of backed bladelets
notably with Ouchtata retouch, as well as the microburin blow technique used for
shaping geometric microliths. The climatic improvement between 16 ka BP and
10 ka BP lead to the appearance of other microlithic industries such as Sébekien,
Silsilien and Afian which have witnessed the emergence of a wide exploitation of
natural resources in particular wild cereals (Close and Wendorf 1986). Human
occupations are characterized by seasonal base-camps related to fishing and
mammal hunting activities such as auroch, hartebeest, dorcas gazelle, hare and
hippopotamus (Vermeerch and Van Neer 2015). The sites were probably
seasonally occupied by groups that already had a territorial and social
organization as evidenced by the presence of two large cemeteries dated
between 12 ka BP and 10 ka BP at Djebel Sahaba in Nubia.
concentrated at the coastal zone of the Maghreb and Cyrenaica in the period
between 25 ka and 12 ka cal BP (e.g. Barich et al. 2006; Barker et al. 2012;
Linstädter et al 2012; Barton et al. 2013; Douka et al., 2014), while Southern
Tunisian bladelets technology has proliferated in Southern boundaries of Tunisia
(Vernet and Aumassip, 1998).
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The oldest occurrence so far recorded of the Iberomaurusian is from Tamar Hat
rockshelter in Northeastern Algeria ca. 25 ka cal BP (Hogue and Barton, 2016), a
deep stratified site which covers the entire duration of the Iberomaurusian culture
(Saxon et al., 1974). This is also the earliest appearance of the Late Pleistocene
microlithic technologies in North Africa during a period which follows a prolonged
aridity concomitant with the Greenland Stadial 3 or Heinrich 2 Event (Cacho et
al., 1999). Interestingly, the earliest known appearance of the Iberomaurusian is
close in time to the haplogroups U6a and M1 which are considered as markers
for autochthonous Maghreb ancestry and dated at ca. 24 ka BP (Van de
Loodrecht et al., 2018). Published results on ancient human DNA from Taforalt
(Morocco) dated ca. 15 ka cal BP provide evidence on the affinity of the Earliest
Iberomaurusian populations in the Maghreb with Early Holocene Natufians,
suggesting connection between Africa and the Near East (Van de Loodrecht et
al., 2018). Furthermore, these results reject the hypothesis of a potential
Epigravettian gene flow from Southern Europe. However, further systematic
comparisons based on detailed technological studies of lithic assemblages are
needed to strengthen the genetic results.
TECHNOLOGY
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while the techniques of bone shaping are little approached in the literature
(Merzoug, 2012).
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In all studied sites, the choice of human settlements depends on the proximity of
the natural resources which supply the lithic raw material and the game, while the
non-local lithic materials are accessory exploited and supplied during
displacement of task groups. The existence of parallel patterns in lithic raw
material procurement indicates relatively reduced mobility and greater resource
access to territories which are seasonally exploited by semi nomadic populations
who returned periodically to the same place (Sari, 2014).
As for the Late Iberomaurusian, the populations produced different blanks from
differentiated “chaînes opératoires” and the objectives were no more primarily
intended to produce regular bladelet blanks. The populations managed to
produce their toolkits using non standardized blanks ultimately saving energy and
time in raw material procurement. Besides, mineral soft hammer percussion, a
technique systematically used during early Iberomaurusian in the production of
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The microlithic industries in Northwest Africa appeared during a cool and arid
period which has witnessed an expanding steppe and declining forest cover;
average annual precipitation was not more than 500 mm and temperatures were
as low as 3-4°C (Lubell et al., 1984). The increase of temperatures and
precipitations from 15 k -14 ka BP and up to 12 ka BP has led to an
intensification of the forest cover to higher heights. The climatic improvement
witnessed a proliferation of the Iberomaurusian occupations which are well
preserved mainly in rockshelters along the coastal zones. The occurrence of
sheltered well-stratified Iberomaurusian sites which yielded an abundant
archaeological record within the same territory reinforces the assumption of
relatively sustainable seasonal occupations (Merzoug, 2005, Douka et al., 2014).
During the period between 12,5 ka and 11,7 ka BP corresponding to the recent
Dryas of Europe, the western Mediterranean experienced an arid and cold
climate during which human occupations become scarce. The industries are
peculiar to the terminal phase of the Iberomaurusian and the settlements are
usually open air sites in southern inland areas such as El Hamel (Tixier, 1954), El
Haouita (Estorges et al., Aumassip, 2001), Columnata (Brahimi, 1972), el Onçor
(Heddouche, 1977) and Es Sayar (Amara, 1977). These sites are small short-
term base camps lying on Aeolian formation near springs and steady flow which
favored the human installation (Rognon, 1987). This raises the question of
migration to the southern regions as already suggested by many authors (Lubell
et al., 1984; Barich and Garcea, 2008; Barton et al. 2013; Cancellieri et al.,
2016).
Up to now, very few modern studies provide detailed evidence for the animal
component of the diet. The major source of animal protein appears to have been
Barbary sheep, with evidence for a variety of other animals (eg., Klein et Scott,
1986; Merzoug, 2005). One modern study provides detailed evidence of
subsistence strategies from Tamar Hat rockshelter (Merzoug, 2005; Merzoug et
Sari, 2008) which is a butchering and consumption Iberomaurusian site regularly
frequented in late autumn and early winter. Human groups practiced selective
hunting directed primarily towards Barbary sheep, while the other taxa such as
Algerian Megaceroides (Megaceroïdes algericus), wild boar (Sus scrofa) and few
antelopes were seldom hunted. Whole carcasses were brought to be butchered
and eaten at the site. Overall, human groups observed the same subsistence
strategies and shared the same culinary practices (Merzoug, 2005, 2017).
However, this is tempered by the documented variability between coastal and
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inland assemblages. The diet also includes fish and both land and marine
mollusks (Saxon et al., 1974; Merzoug, 2017).
The presence of grinding stones most with ochre stains suggest that innovations
in subsistence getting technologies were underway in coastal sites to prevent
from food shortages when colder and drier conditions prevailed (Saxon et al.,
1974). Recent archaeobotanical study on paleobotanical taxa recorded at few
Moroccan sites reveals that following the climatic improvement of ca. 15 ka cal
BP, the Iberomaurusian populations tended toward a preference for thermal
processing of wild plants rich in carbohydrate and fats (Morales, 2018). Yet,
evidence of botanical exploitation is still relatively limited due to the lack of
systematic sampling and analysis of plant remains in other Iberomaurusian sites.
The subsistence pattern of the Iberomaurusian populations of Northwestern
Africa incorporated a significant component of wild plant foods which was
associated with high frequencies of oral pathologies. The analysis of the oral
pathology from occupational deposits dated between 15 ka and 13,7 ka cal B.P
at Taforalt in Morocco reveals an exceptionally high prevalence of caries (51,2%
of teeth in adult dentitions), comparable to modern industrialized populations with
a diet high in refined sugars and processed cereals (Humphrey et al., 2014).
Art might have played a crucial role in the social network of the Iberomaurusian
populations. The ornamental beads are mainly represented by shells naturally or
intentionally perforated such as scallop valves, dental teeth and lamellibranches
which are well represented at Rassel (Brahimi, 1970), while at Haua Fteah,
terrestrial molluscs were perforated with straight perforators (Hill et al., 2015).
Perforated pebbles and other engraved pebbles on schist or soft pebbles have
been found in the western part of the Maghreb (Collina-Girard et al., 1997).
Ochre stains are well attested on lithic and bone remains as well as on skeletons
which shows that this material was integrated into the domestic and symbolic
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These populations practiced tooth avulsion applied mainly to the upper central
incisors without discrimination by sex or age which would have modified cranial
and mandibular morphology (Hadjouis, 2002). According to Aoudia (2013), the
mortuary customs of these human groups testifies to the existence of true
collective burials in the bottom of the shelters or at the foot of the cliffs where
dozens of individuals were buried there in contracted position. In addition, the
development of a funerary structure of stones and the deposition of bony ankles
of Barbary sheep are all practices that characterize Iberomaurusian populations.
These populations would also have practiced complex funerary rites on a
minority by applying a complex treatment which requires a long apprenticeship
and is closely related to violent deaths involving cutting the corpse, staining and
covering the bone with a coating (Aoudia, 2013).
With the onset of the Holocene, the Iberomaurusian culture was supplanted by a
new techno-complex known as Capsian, during a period in which the climate was
favorable with an increase in temperatures, humidity and vegetation cover at high
altitudes (Lubell et al., 1984). Lubell has assumed the idea of the continuity of the
population and questioned the validity of the morphological approach carried out
on Iberomaurusian and Capsian human remains previously used in the
anthropological studies (Lubell et al., 1984). This author suggests that following
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This chapter benefited from a speaker honorarium and was presented in the
nd
frame of the 2 Belt and Road Development Forum held at Xiamen University in
th th
China from April 17 to 29 , 2019. I am grateful to Pr Augustin Ferdinand
Charles Holl for inviting me to give a conference and for accepting them for
consideration to publication.
COMPETING INTERESTS
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Biography of author(s)
Latifa Sari
Centre National de Recherches Préhistoriques, Anthropologiques et Historiques, Algiers, Algeria.
She received her Doctorate (PhD) in Prehistory with Honours in 2012 from the University of Paris X,
Nanterre, France. Currently, she is Senior researcher in Prehistory at Centre National de recherches
Préhistoriques, Anthropologiques et Historiques (CNRPAH) in Algiers, Algeria. Her fieldwork has
concentrated in Northern Algeria with a special focus on lithic technology. She worked on several
aspects related to Terminal Pleistocene-Early Holocene Hunter-Gatherers settlements and brought new
data on technology, subsistence, mobility, social organization and other areas related to human
behaviour. She is author and co-author of several peer-reviewed scientific papers published in
international journals.
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© Copyright (2022): Author(s). The licensee is the publisher (B P International).
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