Undated
Central Tunisia
The Horizon Collignon is a poorly dated Epi-Palaeolithic assemblage first identified at Sidi Mansour near Gafsa in central Tunisia. It is also reported at nearby Lalla East and possibly Ouchtata in northern Tunisia. The industry consists mainly of small backed blades with Ouchtata retouch and unretouched, often splayed tips. Its relationship to the Iberomaurusian remains debated: it may be an early blade industry, a Proto-Iberomaurusian precursor, or a distinct localized tradition.
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The Story
The Horizon Collignon is one of the lesser-known Epi-Palaeolithic variants of the Maghrib. It was identified in 1887 at Sidi Mansour near Gafsa in central Tunisia and has also been reported at nearby Lalla East, with a possible occurrence at Ouchtata in northern Tunisia. Despite its importance for regional chronology, the industry has not yet been precisely dated by stratigraphic or isotopic methods.
Its assemblages are dominated by small blades with backing or Ouchtata retouch along the right margin. The tips are often left unretouched and may be splayed. Large backed blades, burins, microburins, and typical geometric microliths are absent, giving the industry a technological profile that distinguishes it from the better-known Capsian assemblages.
Some researchers have regarded the Horizon Collignon as the earliest blade industry in the Maghrib or as an early stage of the Iberomaurusian, using the terms Proto-Iberomaurusian or Iberomaurusian I. Others have suggested a date no earlier than about 9000 BC. Since its chronology and subsistence practices remain unresolved, its cultural significance cannot yet be securely defined.
Undated
Central Tunisia
The Horizon Collignon is a poorly dated Epi-Palaeolithic assemblage first identified at Sidi Mansour near Gafsa in central Tunisia. It is also reported at nearby Lalla East and possibly Ouchtata in northern Tunisia. The industry consists mainly of small backed blades with Ouchtata retouch and unretouched, often splayed tips. Its relationship to the Iberomaurusian remains debated: it may be an early blade industry, a Proto-Iberomaurusian precursor, or a distinct localized tradition.
Continue exploring
The Story
The Horizon Collignon is one of the lesser-known Epi-Palaeolithic variants of the Maghrib. It was identified in 1887 at Sidi Mansour near Gafsa in central Tunisia and has also been reported at nearby Lalla East, with a possible occurrence at Ouchtata in northern Tunisia. Despite its importance for regional chronology, the industry has not yet been precisely dated by stratigraphic or isotopic methods.
Its assemblages are dominated by small blades with backing or Ouchtata retouch along the right margin. The tips are often left unretouched and may be splayed. Large backed blades, burins, microburins, and typical geometric microliths are absent, giving the industry a technological profile that distinguishes it from the better-known Capsian assemblages.
Some researchers have regarded the Horizon Collignon as the earliest blade industry in the Maghrib or as an early stage of the Iberomaurusian, using the terms Proto-Iberomaurusian or Iberomaurusian I. Others have suggested a date no earlier than about 9000 BC. Since its chronology and subsistence practices remain unresolved, its cultural significance cannot yet be securely defined.