From 100th century BCE
Cyrenaica, Libya, west of Derna
Haua Fteah is a major cave archaeological site in Cyrenaica, northeastern Libya, whose deposits preserve occupations spanning roughly 70,000 years ago through the Neolithic and historic periods. Excavations revealed a long sequence including the Libyan Pre-Aurignacian, Mousterian, Dabban, Eastern Oranian, and Libyco-Capsian industries. Its stratigraphy has been central to reconstructing climatic conditions, subsistence practices, and the emergence of Late Palaeolithic traditions in North Africa.
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The Story
Haua Fteah lies in the Jebel el-Akhdar, or Green Mountain, of Cyrenaica, among limestone hills that contain several important caves. Its deposits extend from approximately 70,000 years ago through the Neolithic and historic periods, making it one of the most informative archaeological sequences between the Levant and the Maghrib. Excavations conducted by McBurney between 1951 and 1955 also provided evidence for reconstructing past climates and environments.
The cave preserves an unusually early blade industry known as the Libyan Pre-Aurignacian, found beneath Mousterian deposits. Its tools include heavy blades, burins, flake-scrapers, and utilized flakes and blades. The associated inhabitants hunted wild cattle, gazelle, zebra, and Barbary sheep, while also collecting land snails and exploiting marine molluscs when the cave was near the shore. No skeletal remains have established the physical type of these people.
After the Libyan Pre-Aurignacian, the Mousterian tradition occupied the cave for perhaps 30,000 years. Between approximately 38,000 and 32,000 BC, the Dabban replaced it and marked the beginning of the Late Palaeolithic in this area. The Dabban used blades detached from prismatic nuclei by indirect percussion, and its assemblage included burins, backed blades, backed bladelets, and chamfered blades. Its inhabitants principally hunted Barbary sheep, while also consuming bovids, zebra, gazelle, antelope, rhinoceros, birds, tortoises, and snails.
Around 12,000 BC, the Eastern Oranian replaced the Dabban at Haua Fteah. This industry is characterized by a strong emphasis on small backed blades, sometimes of microlithic size, and lasted until about 8,500 BC or slightly later. Around 8,000 BC, the Libyco-Capsian appeared, bringing more grinding stones, bone tools, decorated ostrich eggshell, shell beads, and possibly an engraved pebble. The first demonstrable signs of food production in Cyrenaica appear around 5,000 BC, with uncertain domesticated sheep or goats, pottery, and pressure-flaked stone tools.
From 100th century BCE
Cyrenaica, Libya, west of Derna
Haua Fteah is a major cave archaeological site in Cyrenaica, northeastern Libya, whose deposits preserve occupations spanning roughly 70,000 years ago through the Neolithic and historic periods. Excavations revealed a long sequence including the Libyan Pre-Aurignacian, Mousterian, Dabban, Eastern Oranian, and Libyco-Capsian industries. Its stratigraphy has been central to reconstructing climatic conditions, subsistence practices, and the emergence of Late Palaeolithic traditions in North Africa.
Continue exploring
The Story
Haua Fteah lies in the Jebel el-Akhdar, or Green Mountain, of Cyrenaica, among limestone hills that contain several important caves. Its deposits extend from approximately 70,000 years ago through the Neolithic and historic periods, making it one of the most informative archaeological sequences between the Levant and the Maghrib. Excavations conducted by McBurney between 1951 and 1955 also provided evidence for reconstructing past climates and environments.
The cave preserves an unusually early blade industry known as the Libyan Pre-Aurignacian, found beneath Mousterian deposits. Its tools include heavy blades, burins, flake-scrapers, and utilized flakes and blades. The associated inhabitants hunted wild cattle, gazelle, zebra, and Barbary sheep, while also collecting land snails and exploiting marine molluscs when the cave was near the shore. No skeletal remains have established the physical type of these people.
After the Libyan Pre-Aurignacian, the Mousterian tradition occupied the cave for perhaps 30,000 years. Between approximately 38,000 and 32,000 BC, the Dabban replaced it and marked the beginning of the Late Palaeolithic in this area. The Dabban used blades detached from prismatic nuclei by indirect percussion, and its assemblage included burins, backed blades, backed bladelets, and chamfered blades. Its inhabitants principally hunted Barbary sheep, while also consuming bovids, zebra, gazelle, antelope, rhinoceros, birds, tortoises, and snails.
Around 12,000 BC, the Eastern Oranian replaced the Dabban at Haua Fteah. This industry is characterized by a strong emphasis on small backed blades, sometimes of microlithic size, and lasted until about 8,500 BC or slightly later. Around 8,000 BC, the Libyco-Capsian appeared, bringing more grinding stones, bone tools, decorated ostrich eggshell, shell beads, and possibly an engraved pebble. The first demonstrable signs of food production in Cyrenaica appear around 5,000 BC, with uncertain domesticated sheep or goats, pottery, and pressure-flaked stone tools.