L’Acheuléen saharien : Un constat et une perspective

Abstract

In this document we are going to update the old data on the Saharan Acheulean, although this data isn’t plenty and all dated from the 20th century. But to resume a new era of research on the subject, it is quite obvious to evoke it. Despite the fruitful discoveries in many lower Paleolithic sites in the Sahara, no scientific interest has been brought, in particular to the numerous lithic collections interposed in several scientific research laboratories. The new Acheulean site “Tehentawek” which was discovered in the region of Idelès, in the Ahaggar, right in the heart of central Sahara, and which was excavated using new research methods, revealed in 2008 and 2010 an interesting lithic material, very representative of the Acheulean industry. The steps adopted in the study of this site are considered renovative in Saharan prehistory. Appropriate and adequate exploration of the environment, the adaptation of field work to the rocky context of the Ahaggar region, allowed us to reconsider the Saharan terrain. The technological study of lithic material has provided a variety of tools containing choppers, hand axes and cleavers, as well as many raw flakes, sometimes compatible with the nucleus. The lithic raw materials used for shaping are local. The results of the analyzes carried out on the sediments collected can lead to a discussion on the Saharan palaeoenvironment.