Cᵉ siècle av. J.-C.
Ain Hanech, Algeria
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A Lower Palaeolithic site in Algeria whose sedimentary deposits yielded fossil animal bones and an unusual sequence of stone-tool assemblages. The lower horizons are dominated by faceted, battered spheroids, with core-choppers and flake forms, while overlying conglomerates contain rough bifaces. The fauna suggests a late Villafranchian age, broadly between two and one million years ago.
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Le récit
At Ain Hanech, outcrops of a major sedimentary formation preserve fossil animal bones alongside a distinctive sequence of stone-tool assemblages. The fauna gives the deposits a late Villafranchian character, placing the site broadly between two and one million years ago. This makes Ain Hanech an important point of reference for the earliest archaeological record of north-west Africa.
Three archaeological horizons have been identified. The lower two can effectively be treated as one occurrence and are dominated by faceted, battered spheroids. Core-choppers and flake forms are also present, and the fauna is associated with these levels. In overlying conglomeratic deposits, a separate industry with rough bifaces has been recovered, although that level received little attention in the literature discussed here.
The spheroid assemblage has been compared with the Developed Oldowan at Olduvai, where spheroid-rich material is interstratified with hand-axe-bearing assemblages. The comparison is technological rather than a fully demonstrated identity. Ain Hanech therefore illustrates both the diversity of early African stone industries and the difficulty of fitting regional assemblages into broad technological sequences.
Cᵉ siècle av. J.-C.
Ain Hanech, Algeria
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
A Lower Palaeolithic site in Algeria whose sedimentary deposits yielded fossil animal bones and an unusual sequence of stone-tool assemblages. The lower horizons are dominated by faceted, battered spheroids, with core-choppers and flake forms, while overlying conglomerates contain rough bifaces. The fauna suggests a late Villafranchian age, broadly between two and one million years ago.
Poursuivre l’exploration
Le récit
At Ain Hanech, outcrops of a major sedimentary formation preserve fossil animal bones alongside a distinctive sequence of stone-tool assemblages. The fauna gives the deposits a late Villafranchian character, placing the site broadly between two and one million years ago. This makes Ain Hanech an important point of reference for the earliest archaeological record of north-west Africa.
Three archaeological horizons have been identified. The lower two can effectively be treated as one occurrence and are dominated by faceted, battered spheroids. Core-choppers and flake forms are also present, and the fauna is associated with these levels. In overlying conglomeratic deposits, a separate industry with rough bifaces has been recovered, although that level received little attention in the literature discussed here.
The spheroid assemblage has been compared with the Developed Oldowan at Olduvai, where spheroid-rich material is interstratified with hand-axe-bearing assemblages. The comparison is technological rather than a fully demonstrated identity. Ain Hanech therefore illustrates both the diversity of early African stone industries and the difficulty of fitting regional assemblages into broad technological sequences.