Prehistoric Human Occupation in The Central Part of Burkina Faso

Abstract

From the outset, prehistoric research in Burkina Faso focused on the northern, eastern and western parts of the country. The central part that interests us in the present study was considered to be exclusively dominated by material traces from the Iron Age. This central part, located around the capital Ouagadougou, is characterized geophysically by its flat relief and is drained by the Massili, the main tributary of the Nakambé. The country’s security context, marked by terrorism, has made it one of the safest areas for the practice of field archaeology. As part of our resilience-based archaeology, we have uncovered hundreds of Iron Age and prehistoric sites on granitic outcrops. All the sites identified face a variety of problems, mainly linked to the consequences of uncontrolled urbanization and land development, which have transformed prehistoric sites, particularly into quarries. The urgency of the situation led us to carry out a rescue archaeology surface collection at three of the sites. Techno-morphological analysis of the hundred or so artefacts collected indicates the characteristics of three material cultures: Acheulean, Mousterian and Laminar. In a general context where prehistoric research is in its infancy, these new data redefine our understanding of the country’s prehistory and lay the foundations for understanding human dynamics throughout the Nakambé watershed.