Year: 2022
Type: article
Abstract: North African coastal Middle Stone Age (MSA) sites are key to study the development and expansion of early H. sapiens. El Mnasra cave on the Atlantic coast of Morocco (Témara region) is a crucial site associated with MSA archaeological materials considered advanced cognitive hallmarks of behavioural innovation, such as numerous Nassariidae perforated shells, hematite pigments, bones industry and coastal resources exploitation. We provide new trapped-charges dates (OSL and combined US-ESR ages). Our Bayesian modelling strengthens the new lithostratigraphic interpretation of the cave stratigraphic units (US) and we propose an updated chronostratigraphic model for the Middle Stone Age archaeo-sequence of El Mnasra Cave. We confirm a human presence between 124-104 ka, earlier than what the previous OSL and US-ESR data showed. Our time range intervals allowed us to also extend the age of the MSA occupations considerably to the MIS 4/3 (~62-30 ka), marked by the disappearance of the Nassariidae perforated shells. Outstandingly, our model pushed back the age of the largest record of Nassariidae perforated shells and placed the age of their use by the Aterian groups at El Mnasra from the MIS 5d-5b (~115-94 ka).
Source: PLoS ONE
Institutions: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Sorbonne Université, Histoire Naturelle des Humanités Préhistoriques, Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Institut de Paléontologie Humaine, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Laboratoire de Mathématiques Jean Leray, Université de Nantes, Nantes Université, Nanjing Normal University, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Université de Bordeaux, De la Préhistoire à l'Actuel : Culture, Environnement et Anthropologie, Université Bordeaux Montaigne, Institut de Recherche sur les ArchéoMATériaux, University of Tübingen, Archéozoologie et Archéobotanique, Institut National des Sciences de l'Archéologie et du Patrimoine
Language: English
Subfield: Anthropology
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,805
OpenAlex ID: W4211075416