100th century BCE
Central Sahara, Niger
Adrar Bous is a central Saharan archaeological locality in Niger with camp and workshop sites around a former swampy depression and lake. Its stratified Aterian deposits preserve Levallois flakes, points, and blades, large bifacial and lanceolate points, and distinctive double side-scrapers. The site also contains evidence interpreted as a possible game lookout and preserves a separate pre-Aterian Mousterioid assemblage above an Acheulian horizon.
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The Story
Adrar Bous is described as one of the most important Aterian localities in the central Sahara. Camp and workshop sites were situated around the margins of a large swampy depression and lake. The Aterian deposits occur within roughly two metres of silts associated with an old soil horizon and were later covered by ancient dune deposits, preserving a record of occupation followed by increasing aridity.
The assemblages include large bifacial foliate and even lanceolate points, as well as bifacial forms with tangs. Levallois production dominates the manufacture of flakes, points, and blades, although blades from non-Levallois cores also occur. Side-scrapers are the most common scraper type, with double, often constricted, side-scrapers on blades particularly characteristic; end-scrapers, burins, denticulates, and spheroids are comparatively scarce.
A feature on a hilltop overlooking one of the main sites and the swamp to the south was interpreted as a possible game lookout. The cleared circular area contained artifacts, while another hilltop produced a fine Aterian lanceolate. The site also yielded a stratified assemblage overlying Acheulian deposits that may predate the Aterian, but its classification as Mousterian awaits further excavation.
100th century BCE
Central Sahara, Niger
Adrar Bous is a central Saharan archaeological locality in Niger with camp and workshop sites around a former swampy depression and lake. Its stratified Aterian deposits preserve Levallois flakes, points, and blades, large bifacial and lanceolate points, and distinctive double side-scrapers. The site also contains evidence interpreted as a possible game lookout and preserves a separate pre-Aterian Mousterioid assemblage above an Acheulian horizon.
Continue exploring
The Story
Adrar Bous is described as one of the most important Aterian localities in the central Sahara. Camp and workshop sites were situated around the margins of a large swampy depression and lake. The Aterian deposits occur within roughly two metres of silts associated with an old soil horizon and were later covered by ancient dune deposits, preserving a record of occupation followed by increasing aridity.
The assemblages include large bifacial foliate and even lanceolate points, as well as bifacial forms with tangs. Levallois production dominates the manufacture of flakes, points, and blades, although blades from non-Levallois cores also occur. Side-scrapers are the most common scraper type, with double, often constricted, side-scrapers on blades particularly characteristic; end-scrapers, burins, denticulates, and spheroids are comparatively scarce.
A feature on a hilltop overlooking one of the main sites and the swamp to the south was interpreted as a possible game lookout. The cleared circular area contained artifacts, while another hilltop produced a fine Aterian lanceolate. The site also yielded a stratified assemblage overlying Acheulian deposits that may predate the Aterian, but its classification as Mousterian awaits further excavation.