Abstract
Abstract This research note presents evidence for the oldest Middle Pleistocene Eastern Saharan human activity from the area referred to as the Eastern Desert Atbara River (EDAR), Sudan, which is currently threatened by gold mining. Preliminary results of multifaceted analyses indicate the activity of Homo sapiens during MIS 5 as well as Homo erectus during MIS 7–11 or earlier.
Highlights
The search for gold in the Sahara has a long history, beginning as early as 4000 BC (Klemm & Klemm 2013), North African countries have recently experienced a new gold rush
The taxonomic affiliation of archaeological horizons from Eastern Desert Atbara River (EDAR) was based on the presence of characteristic lithic artefacts: Large Cutting Tools (LCT s) typical of the Early Stone Age (ESA) Acheulean, and Levallois products attributed to the Middle Stone Age (MSA)
EDAR 6, an Acheulean site where lithic materials are scattered on the surface over an area exceeding forty hectares, constitutes a central place in the EDAR area
Summary
The search for gold in the Sahara has a long history, beginning as early as 4000 BC (Klemm & Klemm 2013), North African countries have recently experienced a new gold rush. This new gold mining devastates the desert landscape. Sunk to the depth of several dozen meters, miners use mechanical equipment to search for gold particles in quartz One of these miners noticed stone tools in the walls of a mine in the Sudanese Eastern Desert, a discovery which provided evidence of Homo erectus and Homo sapiens groups subsisting in the Sahara during periods of favourable climatic conditions in the Pleistocene. The discovered Palaeolithic sites are located on a potential dispersion route of early hominins towards Eurasia and deposited in stratigraphic sequences that can be directly dated (Masojć et al 2019)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
