In 2014, a mission in preventive archaeology is organized in the southwestern part of Tademaït. Archaeologists were able to confirm ancient traces of an important anthropisation of Saharan territories. The numerous discoveries of sites during the last century are confirmed by the new discoveries. The new surveys in the southwestern region of Tademaït conducted by the National Center for Archaeological Research and the GTIM oil group have led to the discovery of several prehistoric sites. Four zones (Zipper) have been selected to carry out a thorough prospection. Some sites have a rich concentration of lithic pieces on the surface, which, according to a preliminary assessment, can be attributed to the Paleolithic. The areas (Zipper 1, 2, 3 and 4) cover several km2 and provide an abundant lithic industry on the surface, the exposed face of which is highly patinated and the surface laid on the ground has kept its natural appearance. This observation suggests that these sites have been little disturbed since their establishment. Continued research in the field and the (future) programming of an excavation to study a site could provide new elements of understanding of the behavior of early hominids. For the moment, we propose a morpho-technological analysis of ancient pieces reported in the Lower Paleolithic (Oldowayen and Acheulean). The approach of all the sites studied in the southwest of Tademaït offers the first elements of reading to better understand the cognitive behavior of these hominids. Our study will shed light on the probable technical similarities with peripheral sites in the central Sahara and the first observations are presented in this text.
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