Abstract
New archaeological investigations have been carried out at the Oldowan site of Ain Hanech in northeast Algeria. The archaeological horizons are delineated and positioned relative to the regional stratigraphy. Preliminary palaeomagnetic analysis reveals normal polarity for the Oldowan occurrences that may be correlated with the Olduvai subchron on the indication of the vertebrate faunal biozonation. Broken up bones associated with stone artefacts and contained in a silty deposit mixed with sand and gravels were excavated from two archaeological sites. The bone assemblage includes equids, bovids, elephant, and rhinoceros, and dominated byEquus tabeti. Taphonomic patterns indicate that bones were buried rapidly over a period of years and while the site was occupied. The lithic artefacts are fresh and represent a coherent assemblage, including small debitage. The artefacts, made of limestone and flint, include flaked cobbles, whole flakes, various fragments, and retouched pieces. A microwear study, undertaken on pieces made of flint, indicates the use of two simple flakes and of one denticulate for meat processing. The stone artefact assemblage may be considered as a North African variant of the Oldowan.
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