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Title The earliest human occupation of North Africa: a reply to Sahnouni et al. (2002)
Full text http://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-00003986/en/
Date 2006
Author(s) Geraads, Denis; Raynal, Jean-Paul; Eisenmann, Vera
Abstract In a series of papers, Sahnouni et al. (1996, 2002) and Sahnouni and de Heinzelin (1998) have reported the results of their renewed excavations at the important Algerian localities of Ain Hanech and Ain Boucherit, first studied by Arambourg (e.g., Arambourg, 1970, 1979). According to the latest paper by Sahnouni and co-workers (Sahnouni et al., 2002), Ain Hanech would belong to the Olduvai subchron, dated to 1.77-1.95 Ma. This would make it by far the earliest North African site with evidence of hominid presence, and the time-equivalent of Olduvai Bed I, circum- KBS tuff levels at Koobi Fora, and Omo Shungura Member H. However, a review of the evidence put forward by Sahnouni et al. (2002) casts doubt on their conclusions. This evidence consists of 1) paleomagnetism, 2) biochronology, and 3) archaeology. They are discussed in this order below, preceded by a review of the more continuous Moroccan Atlantic sequence.
Subject(s) Humanities and Social Sciences/Archaeology and Prehistory; Morocco; Algeria; North Africa; Early Pleistocene; Early hominids; Occupation site
Language EN
Publisher HAL - CCSD
Relation http://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/docs/00/03/19/31/PDF/manuscrit.pdf
Type of publication peer-reviewed article
Identifier HAL:halshs-00003986, version 1; DOI:10.1016/j.jhevol.2004.01.008
Repository France - Hyper Article en Ligne (HAL)
Added to C-A: 2008-12-22;01:23:47