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This paper highlights the results of a technological analysis carried out for the first time on nine lithic assemblages belonging to three Iberomaurusian sites in Algeria (Tamar Hat rockshelter, Rassel cave and Columnata open-air site). The purpose of this paper is to identify the technical system adopted for the production of lithic artifacts in e...
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Context 1
... (Table 4). These are largely dominated by the lamellar blanks often transformed into backed bladelets. In this case, the sought lamellar blanks mainly belong to plein debitage, while bladelets from the rejuvenation process as well as burin spalls were rarely selected. The total number of backed bladelets is 6142 of which 3988 pieces are fragments (Fig. ...
Context 2
... from the cores of which the volume is reduced by removal of successive rejuvenation products ( Fig. 4A, n 1). In this scheme, the natural convexities are often exploited thus avoiding an elaborate roughing out operation. The alternate lamellar debitage is rarely attested and is expected to be devoted to yellow pinkish fl int coming from farther away (Fig. 4A, n 2). Moreover, the debitage conducted on burin-cores, performed along the edge of the blank-core, is systematically prepared on a plain striking platform (Fig. 4A, n 3). Unlike those at Tamar Hat and Rassel, the occupants of Columnata adopted different reduction core strategies for speci fi c blanks. For each objective, an independent chaîne opératoire was implemented. The presence of an autonomous debitage of blades and fl akes is in stark contrast with methods known at the other sites. Lamellar debitage was applied according to various schemes, some of which are reserved for a particular type of raw material. The exploitation of the prismatic and sub-pyramidal cores on a broad surface debitage was done as at Tamar Hat and Rassel (Fig. 4B, n 1). The burin-cores are mostly dihedral (Fig. 4B, n 2), while alternated lamellar debitage is absent. Carinated and globular debitage are two new schemes of debitage, without roughing out processing, appearing for the fi rst time in this site. The former is only applied to bladelet cores on fl int pebbles to produce short and wide lamellar blanks from a carinated debitage surface with a single striking platform in direction of the greater width of the block (Fig. 4B, n 3), while the latter is devoted to globular bladelet cores knapped without visible organization on large blocks of chalcedony. The striking platform position is in direction of the greater length of the block (Fig. 4B, n 4). Autonomous debitage of blades is shown by the presence of a few cores on chalcedony blocks. The blades were obtained with hard-hammer percussion, indifferently from a broad or narrow debitage surface bounded by a lateral or posterior crest (Fig. 4B, n 5). As well, the autonomous debitage of fl akes was frequent and restricted to large blocks of chalcedony knapped in three main schemes. The facial scheme provided fl akes from large blocks in direction of the greater length of the block (Fig. 4B, n 6). Blanks were removed with hard-hammer percussion from one or two opposed debitage surface used alternately. The use of roughing out is not attested and the blanks obtained were relatively short. The multipolar scheme allowed removal of thicker fl akes from large blocks without visible organization of debitage (Fig. 4B, n 7), while the centripetal scheme provided short and thin fl akes. In the latter case, the back opposite to the debitage surface had a rounded and shaped appearance trimmed by small splintered removals (Fig. 4B, n 8). The intention of the core reduction processing can be under- stood when examining the different tool groups (Table 4). These are largely dominated by the lamellar blanks often transformed into backed bladelets. In this case, the sought lamellar blanks mainly belong to plein debitage , while bladelets from the rejuvenation process as well as burin spalls were rarely selected. The total number of backed bladelets is 6142 of which 3988 pieces are fragments (Fig. 5). Metrical data for backed bladelets provide valuable information for comparison: all complete and regular bladelets from plein debitage ( n 1⁄4 1214), except for those from roughing out were measured (Fig. 6, Table 5). The mean lengths, widths, thicknesses of unbroken backed bladelets from plein debitage have been compared by the means of t-distribution with a level of signi fi cance equal to 0.05 (Table 6). The mean lengths are signi fi cantly different with the test mean (25.64 mm), except for the two sectors of Columnata; moreover, samples from zones IV to I of Tamar Hat are much longer than those from previous zones. The mean widths are signi fi cantly different with the test mean (7.08 mm), except for samples from Zones IV to I of Tamar Hat; however, samples from the two sectors of Columnata are larger than the ones of the other assemblages. Finally, the mean thicknesses are also signi fi cantly different with the test mean (2.85 mm), except for zones IV to I of Tamar Hat where backed bladelets are thicker than those from the underly- ing zones, but not as much as those from the two sectors of ...
Citations
... LSA assemblages in this region are characterized by microlithic tools with a high proportion of bladelets and backed points, often produced using the microburin technique, which are grouped under the label "Iberomaurusian." While dated MSA sites are predominantly found in Morocco, the chronology of the Northwestern African LSA has been established based on stratified Algerian and Moroccan sites, such as Tamar Hat (Sari, 2012(Sari, , 2014(Sari, , 2020, Ifri el Baroud, Ifri n'Ammar (Görsdorf and Eiwanger, 1999;Linstädter et al., 2012) and Taforalt (Barton et al., 2019). Recent AMS 14 C dating (see Boisard and Ben Arous, 2024 and reference therein) indicates early ages for the Northwestern African LSA ranging from $25 to 8 ka cal BP. ...
... Iberomaurusian lithic assemblages have been correlated with environmental changes that may have influenced behavioral changes, such as a potential shift toward more sedentary living and the storage of plant resources (Barton et al., 2019). Additionally, research at Tamar Hat, Rassel, Columnata (Sari, 2014(Sari, , 2020 and Afalou Bou Rhummel (Hachi et al., 2002) suggests diachronic cultural adaptations to different ecological niches. Coastal locations like Tamar Hat, Rassel and Afalou Bou Rhummel share common strategies for raw material exploitation. ...
This article provides an overview of the Upper Pleistocene archaeological records of North Africa, from the western Maghreb to the Nile Valley, spanning the period from 130 thousand-years-ago (or ka) to 12 ka ago. The objectives are to contextualize Homo sapiens occupations and dispersal dynamics. The paper broadly presents the hominin fossil record and discusses the
cultural and behavior changes from the Marine Isotopic Stage (MIS) 5 to 2, exploring their correlation with climate and
environmental changes.
... In Northwest Africa, distinctive culture trajectories have been recognized diachronically and regionally in stone tool technologies during the MSA [7][8][9][10][11] and the LSA [12][13][14][15][16][17][18], in personal ornaments [19][20][21], bone technology [22][23][24][25], subsistence strategies [26,27], including plants [28,29], and burial activities [30,31]. Traditionally, two MSA lithic taxonomic units (Mousterian and Aterian) specific to North Africa have been described based on the presence or absence of tanged tools in lithic assemblages (e.g. ...
The study of human evolution and cultural patterns relies on empirical evidence provided by the archaeological record. Accessing dependable archaeological data from scholarly publications can often be challenging due to the variability in site documentation and the diversity of academic practices in publication processes. This study presents a comprehensive synthesis of the published literature documenting dated and undated archaeological materials from the Middle Stone Age and Later Stone Age in Northwest Africa, notably Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. No previously published open-access database exists for these chronocultural periods in the region. Our dataset encompasses 993 sites and 1152 dates spanning approximately 370,000 to 8,000 years ago. Through a critical evaluation of the dates, we reveal qualitative and quantitative disparities and highlight the potential of the current archaeological record. While only ~10% of sites are dated and ~4.5% have reliable dates associated with a human occupation, this database holds significant potential for demographic and taxonomic meta-analyses as well as for methodological studies associated with chronological data in archaeology.
... The microlithic phenomenon has also been explored through the lens of the chaîne opératoire, which focuses on understanding the entire lithic production system (Sari, 2008(Sari, , 2012(Sari, , 2014. Accordingly, reanalysis of lithic raw material procurement suggests that the inhabitants of Rassel were less mobile. ...
... It is tempting to consider the occurrence of Ouchtata bladelets and backed microliths in the same occupational unit as a fact likely related to the existence of different functions for these components (Sari, 2012(Sari, , 2020. This needs to be explored further with use-wear analysis; however, it seems that the bladelet blanks were mainly devoted to hunting weaponry as reflected by the high occurrence of damage patterns characteristic of hunting with stone projectile points (Sari, 2014(Sari, , 2020. ...
Rassel cave is c. 6 km west of the coastal city of Tipasa, a fews kilometers west of Algiers in northern Algeria. The cave opens north-northeast at an altitude of 20 m above sea level (asl) near the right bank of a small wadi that today is completely dry. The site may have attracted prehistoric human habitation due to its location at the confluence of two climate zones, which promote a wide range of predictable resources for humans and their prey species. The two zones are a coastal ecosystem to the north, which benefits from a maritime climate, and a mountainous landscape in the south, characterized by steep hills and mountains with the highest point at 905 masl (Chenoua massif), where arboreal and forest groups of Aleppo pine and cork oak are dominant. The cave was inhabited by people who were affiliated with a regionally distinct lithic technocomplex called Iberomaurusian, characterized by a high frequency of partially backed bladelets, microburins, and scaled pieces. The populations at Rassel were less mobile and were particularly invested in the production of microliths with fine (Ouchtata) retouch. These microliths are presumed to have been linked to composite tool-making. The excavation of the lower unit at Rassel cave concomitant with the end of Heinrich Event 1 yielded a large sample of faunal remains, comprising Bos primigenius, Equus mauritanicus, Ammotragus lervia, Gazella dorcas, and Sus scrofa. Although much remains uncertain about the site’s occupation history, based on the skeletal remains recovered from the Iberomaurusian upper unit, the inhabitants of Rassel Cave are identified as Mechta Afalou. The documented bone-tool technology as well as the profusion of numerous shell beads of local origin noticed at the lower unit of Rassel Cave is evidence for the Iberomaurusian populations taking a particular interest in their body ornamentation as a means of expressing social identity and status.
... Further analysis of the lithic collection from Saxon's excavation through the lens of the chaîne opératoire has helped shift research emphases away from artifacts' typology to the behavioral processes underlying their production, use and discard (Sari, 2012(Sari, , 2014(Sari, , 2020. The inhabitants of Tamar Hat collected large cobbles of opaque Liasic flint from local marine gravel deposits, while small cobbles of Eocene flint with better textural qualities were collected from the Oued Agrioun riverbed, c. 2 km from the site, and were intensively worked in the lower assemblages (Fig. 4). ...
... The initial shape of the blank likely became less significant as is reflected in the reduced preparation of the cores. Furthermore, the appearance of a new debitage scheme dedicated to the production of bladelets with irregular shape from dihedral cores on local cobbles signifies a change in economic patterns at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum (Sari, 2014(Sari, , 2020. This debitage scheme has already been reported from the neighboring site Afalou (Hachi, 1987(Hachi, , 1996; this might attest cultural continuity and regional peculiarities beyond chronological boundaries in the Babors region. ...
... Despite the changes seen in techno-economic patterns, the inhabitants of the site manifested a remarkable stability in their overall lifestyle throughout a long period of time, which is a strong indication of settlement continuity that allowed uninterrupted transfer of same cultural norms across generations. Other lines of evidence that support longterm cultural continuity and regional peculiarities can be seen beyond chronological boundaries over several millennia in the continued implementation of the dihedral core method at Tamar Hat and Afalou bou Rhummel (Sari, 2014(Sari, , 2020. Tamar Hat has yielded symbolic artifacts in the form of modeled clay interpreted as representations of bovids. ...
Tamar Hat rockshelter (36.639° N, 5.363° N) is a deep stratified Iberomaurusian site in the city of Melbou, on the eastern coast of Bejaia Bay, Northeastern Algeria. The first excavations at the rockshelter took place in 1928–1930 by a team led by Camille Arambourg and led to the discovery of rich faunal and lithic remains. The C14 dates indicate a timespan of at least 5,000 years, beginning near the base at 25,85-25,27 ka Cal PB after the conclusion of the Heinrich Event 2 cold and arid climate and ending at around 20,12-19,63 ka Cal BP at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum. Access to preferred lithic raw material sources and greater diversity in the range of predictable food resources were key variables in making the site appealing for prehistoric human habitation. Iberomaurusian populations frequented the site during autumn and winter seasons and their subsistence was characterized by hunting-foraging economy favored by the availability of grazing land for the Barbary sheep. During the Last Glacial Maximum, toolkits were characterized by the prominece of small and narrow pointed microliths with Ouchatata retouch and pointed backed bladelets with semi abrupt retouch produced using an elaborate core reduction strategy. Microburin technique was rare and not consistently used. With the end of the Late Glacial Maximim, the lithic assemblages became further characterized by the abundance of partially backed bladelets, mostly produced from cores with reduced preparation and frequently obtained by the microburin blow technique. This coincides with the adoption of a broader subsistence spectrum wich combines intensive manipulation of ungulates and marine resources as the coastal zone and then the sea shore was brought closer to the rockshelter due to the sea rises. Bone industry is not developped and includes few items such as punches and needles, while the occurence of a fragmentary modeled fired clay in the form of barbary sheep testifies of the oldest testimony on the emergence of the ceramic technology in the Iberomaurusian of the Maghreb.
... The 14 C dates were calibrated using IntCal20 (Reimer et al., 2020) within the OxCal 4.4 program (Ramsey, 2009). All are within the range of known dates for the LSA Iberomaurusian in NW Africa (Bouzouggar et al., 2008;Hogue & Barton, 2016;Sari, 2014;Staff et al., 2019), although, as noted above, S-EVA 28248 is not reliable. The calibrated dates suggest that the LSA occupations at Contrebandiers occurred during the Iberomaurusian's earlier phase. ...
Grotte des Contrebandiers (Smugglers’ Cave) is one of several archaeology-bearing coastal caves in the Rabat-Temara region of Morocco. It lies c. 17 km south of Rabat and 250 m from the current Atlantic coastline. Archaeological work along the Atlantic littoral of Morocco began in the late 1930s. In 1956, J. Roche discovered Contrebandiers Cave where he excavated until 1976. In 2005, within the framework of a collaboration between the Institut National des Sciences de l’Archéologie et du Patrimoine (INSAP) and the University of Pennsylvania, M. A. El Hajraoui and the late H. L. Dibble directed new excavations of the cave. Contrebandiers contains Middle (upper layers with tanged pieces and lower layers without tanged pieces) and Later (Iberomaursian) Stone Age deposits, with lithic artifacts, vertebrate fauna (including bone tools), mollusks (including shell ornaments), and evidence for fire use. Extensive dating programs consisting of optically stimulated luminescence, electron spin resonance, thermoluminescence, and accelerator mass spectrometry 14C produced a series of absolute dates for the occupations. A hominin fossil was recovered from the Middle Stone Age deposits and will be reported elsewhere.
... No graves were found but a date of 10,800 ± 425 BP (Alg-97) was obtained on lacustrine shells (Brahimi, 1972). The calibrated date (Sari, 2014(Sari, , 2020 correlates with the Northern European Younger Dryas (12.9-11.7 cal BP) which corresponds to Greenland stadial 1 (Cambourieu Nebout et al., 2009, p. 514), a period of cold conditions during which North Africa Cadenat, 1966;Brahimi, 1972); (b) stratigraphic section of Columnata (Cadenat, 1966); (c) view on the excavated area at northern sector (Brahimi, 1972) experienced a relatively arid phase evidenced in part by lowered water levels in Lake Chad. However, this date should be taken with caution because the effect of old carbon in fresh water could have distorted the 14 C age of the shell (Délibrias, 1981, pp. ...
... Single platform cores account for more than half of the total cores, while cores with irregular shape also are common. The reanalysis of the lithic collection from Brahimi's excavations (Sari, 2012(Sari, , 2014 confirmed that both excavated sectors have similar technological and typological characteristics typical of the Iberomaurusian, bringing into focus the regional peculiarities of these lithic assemblages. Overall, the human groups at Columnata were less selective of raw material qualities. ...
... More than a third of the backed bladelets (thickness equals or exceeds 4 mm) have the backing achieved by an abrupt-crossed retouch. In addition, metrical data of complete microliths show the high frequency of large and thick blanks, up to 8 mm wide and greater than 3 mm in thickness, in both excavated areas (Sari, 2014(Sari, , 2020. Interestingly, the mean lengths of complete microliths and of unretouched bladelets are quite similar (unretouched bladelets: 26.95 mm south, 25.86 mm north; retouched bladelets: 26.35 mm south, 25.6 mm north) which means that no specialized blanks were selected for making microliths. ...
Columnata is an inland open-air prehistoric site in the interior semi-arid plateau of Sersou, western Algeria. Named after the nearby Roman ruins, it lies at the foot of a rocky spur (35.458° N; 1.528° E; 915 m above sea level), which is a relic of a collapsed rockshelter oriented north north-west. The Columnata site was inhabited by people who were affiliated with a regionally distinct lithic technocomplex called Iberomaurusian, characterized by a high frequency of backed bladelets, notably arch-backed bladelets, while the remaining tools are related to endscrapers, notches, and denticulates. Burins, scaled pieces, and geometric microliths are rare. The inhabitants of the site adopted a broad subsistence spectrum, which combined big and small game as well as freshwater shellfish harvesting. People likely changed their subsistence focus between these resources in response to shifts in the local climate conditions. One of the hunted big game preys included Alcelaphus buselaphus (hartebeest), which was butchered and eaten on-site. Bone tools, comprising oblique chamfered (beveled) pieces, short and squat awls as well as a wide spatula with rounded end, some of which are covered with red ochre were recovered from the site. The existence of human burial in a cemetery involving distinct styles suggests territorially bounded burial customs built into people’s identity. The Columnata record plays a key role in understanding the economic and social organization of the late Iberomaurusian in a non-coastal environment during the terminal Pleistocene-Early Holocene transitional phase.
... The recent technological analyses carried out on Late Pleistocene microliths in North Africa, most of which rely on the concept of chaîne opératoire, provided a more accurate picture of the technical behavior in human groups and emphasized the leading role that climate change played in behavioral changes, lithic technology innovations, and territorial occupation (e.g., Hogue and Barton 2016;Lucarini and Mutri 2014;Potì 2017;Sari 2014). In the case of Algeria, a technological study was carried out for the first time on Tamar Hat, Rassel, and Columnata lithic assemblages which were assigned to the Iberomaurusian based on tool group variation (Arambourg et al. 1934;Brahimi , 1970Brahimi , 1972Cadenat 1948;Close 1977Close , 1978Close , 1981. ...
... In the case of Algeria, a technological study was carried out for the first time on Tamar Hat, Rassel, and Columnata lithic assemblages which were assigned to the Iberomaurusian based on tool group variation (Arambourg et al. 1934;Brahimi , 1970Brahimi , 1972Cadenat 1948;Close 1977Close , 1978Close , 1981. The sites were chosen based on their geographical, chronological, and cultural variations (Sari 2012(Sari , 2014. Tamar Hat and Rassel are early Iberomaurusian sheltered sites in a mixed landscape of mountain, forest, and coastal plains, while Columnata is a late Iberomaurusian open-air site, on a semi-arid plateau, about 200 km from the sea. ...
... The same collection was also studied by Close (1977) who emphasized the special significance of pointed partially backed bladelets at Rassel and the upper assemblages of Tamar Hat. The reanalysis of Brahimi's collection based on a technological approach (Sari 2008(Sari , 2012(Sari , 2014 sheds light on the core reduction strategies, the transformation of the produced blanks, and the débitage methods and techniques. The Rassel debitage, like the cores, reflects the production of a considerable number of bladelets. ...
The Iberomaurusian lithic industries in the Maghreb are known for their microlithization characteristics beginning ca. 25 ka cal BP. The analyses of the Iberomaurusian lithic assemblages in Algeria have mostly focused on typological and stylistic issues. These are good for distinguishing the various archaeological entities encountered in the region but inadequate for understanding the techno-economic behaviors that these industries supported. A technological approach to analysis allows for the recognition of the choices made by the knappers throughout the core reduction processes, the blank production, the transformation of blanks into tools, and the debitage methods and techniques. It has proven useful for understanding not only lithic production process but also the roles that lithic tools played in various subsistence economies. Hence, this paper uses a technological approach to reanalyze the lithic assemblages from Tamar Hat, Rassel, and Columnata. The lithic industries of these three sites are characterized by the tendency toward microlithization as attested by the presence of small chipped stone artifacts on diminutive blanks. The results suggest that the hunter-gatherer populations of the Maghreb produced microliths using a wide range of technological options during the Late Pleistocene. The study also reveals diachronic changes in the production modalities of the microliths. These changes are likely related to variations in hunting strategies in different ecological niches and as adaptive strategies to various paleoclimatic events of the Late Pleistocene.KeywordsIberomaurusianAlgeriaLate PleistoceneLithic technologyMicrolithic technologies
... Moreover, while the Iberomaurusian technocomplex is well known from a traditional typological point of view (Brahimi 1970;Camps 1974;Tixier 1963), its lithic technology, raw material sourcing, and functional features remain unexplored. As Sari (2014) put it: ...
... Although recent research has led to advances in understanding the characteristics of Iberomaurusian lithic industries and technical behavior (see, for example, Hogue 2014;Moser 2003;Nami 2007;Olszewski et al. 2011;Sari 2014;Sari and Kim 2017), there are still gaping holes to fill. In this paper, we present the technology of lithic assemblages from the Ifri El Baroud site (Gunpowder Cave), located in northeastern Morocco. ...
... Nevertheless, in the recent past, some detailed studies and re-examination of lithic assemblages from several reference sites have been published. This is the case, for example, of Grotte de Contrebandiers (Olszewski et al. 2011), Ifri n'Ammar (Moser 2003), and Taforalt (Barton et al. 2007(Barton et al. , 2013(Barton et al. , 2016 in Morocco; Rassel, Columnata, and Tamar Hat in Algeria (Sari 2014); and Haua Fteah in Libya (Lucarini and Mutri 2014). ...
The Iberomaurusian lithic assemblages from Ifri El Baroud (northeast Morocco) are discussed from techno-economic, typological, and functional points of view. The site preserves an archaeological sequence spanning the period ca. 23,000–13,000 cal BP. The analysis of the lithic materials from the sequence highlights the diachronic changes in human behavior. Results show a strong relationship between paleoenvironmental shifts and changes in settlement strategies and lithic production.KeywordsIfri El BaroudIberomaurusianLithic technologyMorocco
... The recent technological analyses carried out on Late Pleistocene microlithic technologies, most of which rely on the concept of "chaîne opératoire", provided a more accurate picture of the technical behavior of human groups and emphasized on the main role that climate change played in behavioral changes and territorial occupations (eg., Lucarini and Mutri, 2014;Sari, 2012Sari, , 2014Hogue and Barton, 2016;Potì, 2017). A recent technological study carried out for the first time on early and late Iberomaurusian lithic assemblages in Algeria focused on diachronic conceptual patterns in microliths production and shed light on inter-assemblage disparities between early (Tamar Hat and Rassel) and late Iberomaurusian (Columnata) lithic assemblages, notably in core reduction strategies and produced blanks (Sari, 2012(Sari, , 2014. ...
... The recent technological analyses carried out on Late Pleistocene microlithic technologies, most of which rely on the concept of "chaîne opératoire", provided a more accurate picture of the technical behavior of human groups and emphasized on the main role that climate change played in behavioral changes and territorial occupations (eg., Lucarini and Mutri, 2014;Sari, 2012Sari, , 2014Hogue and Barton, 2016;Potì, 2017). A recent technological study carried out for the first time on early and late Iberomaurusian lithic assemblages in Algeria focused on diachronic conceptual patterns in microliths production and shed light on inter-assemblage disparities between early (Tamar Hat and Rassel) and late Iberomaurusian (Columnata) lithic assemblages, notably in core reduction strategies and produced blanks (Sari, 2012(Sari, , 2014. ...
... In all studied sites, the choice of human settlements depends on the proximity of the natural resources which supply the lithic raw material and the game, while the non-local lithic materials are accessory exploited and supplied during displacement of task groups. The existence of parallel patterns in lithic raw material procurement indicates relatively reduced mobility and greater resource access to territories which are seasonally exploited by semi nomadic populations who returned periodically to the same place (Sari, 2014). ...
This book entitled ‘Studying Africa and Africans Today’ is derived from the
Second Meeting of Xiamen University Belt and Road Research Institute Africa
Regions Sub-Forum, that took place at Xiamen University in April 2019. The
different contributions triggered vivid and interesting debates in a collegial and
friendly atmosphere. The Africa sub-Forum debates lead to a series of
suggestions on how to strengthen the scientific, academic and cultural
collaboration and exchange between China and Africa in the context of the Belt
and Road Initiative. The strongest recommendation suggests a stronger
promotion of cultural, scientific, and academic collaboration and exchanges that
will open the way to better mutual understanding. The study is an inter�disciplinary research initiative with focus on Africa and people of African descent
worldwide. Scholars from different parts of the world, Algeria, Brazil, China,
France, Kenya, Senegal, South Africa, and the United States of America
contributed to the debates and discussion that took place at Xiamen university.
Keywords: Cultural collaboration; Africa; Xiamen University; China-Africa
Cooperation.
... The recent technological analyses carried out on Late Pleistocene microlithic technologies, most of which rely on the concept of "chaîne opératoire", provided a more accurate picture of the technical behavior of human groups and emphasized on the main role that climate change played in behavioral changes and territorial occupations (eg., Lucarini and Mutri, 2014;Sari, 2012Sari, , 2014Hogue and Barton, 2016;Potì, 2017). A recent technological study carried out for the first time on early and late Iberomaurusian lithic assemblages in Algeria focused on diachronic conceptual patterns in microliths production and shed light on inter-assemblage disparities between early (Tamar Hat and Rassel) and late Iberomaurusian (Columnata) lithic assemblages, notably in core reduction strategies and produced blanks (Sari, 2012(Sari, , 2014. ...
... The recent technological analyses carried out on Late Pleistocene microlithic technologies, most of which rely on the concept of "chaîne opératoire", provided a more accurate picture of the technical behavior of human groups and emphasized on the main role that climate change played in behavioral changes and territorial occupations (eg., Lucarini and Mutri, 2014;Sari, 2012Sari, , 2014Hogue and Barton, 2016;Potì, 2017). A recent technological study carried out for the first time on early and late Iberomaurusian lithic assemblages in Algeria focused on diachronic conceptual patterns in microliths production and shed light on inter-assemblage disparities between early (Tamar Hat and Rassel) and late Iberomaurusian (Columnata) lithic assemblages, notably in core reduction strategies and produced blanks (Sari, 2012(Sari, , 2014. ...
... In all studied sites, the choice of human settlements depends on the proximity of the natural resources which supply the lithic raw material and the game, while the non-local lithic materials are accessory exploited and supplied during displacement of task groups. The existence of parallel patterns in lithic raw material procurement indicates relatively reduced mobility and greater resource access to territories which are seasonally exploited by semi nomadic populations who returned periodically to the same place (Sari, 2014). ...
