Work

Oued Beht, Morocco: A new complex early farming society in northwest Africa and its implications for western Mediterranean interaction during later prehistory

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Knowledge of the later prehistoric Maghreb is critically slight yet, without it, explanations of long-term Mediterranean and African social dynamics and interactions remain incomplete. Least understood is the period 4000-1000 BC, following the introduction of domesticates, prior to Phoenician networks, and contemporary with dramatic changes elsewhere around the Mediterranean. New evidence from Oued Beht in northwest Morocco reveals a hitherto unknown farming society at ca. 3400-2900 BC, the earliest known in Africa beyond the Nile and with connections to Iberia. Surface investigations define pottery and lithics over 9-10 ha. Excavations identify numerous pits, one confirmed to contain remains of domesticated crops and animals.

Source: Apollo (University of Cambridge)

Authors: Broodbank, Cyprian, Lucarini, Giulio, Bokbot, Youssef, Benattia, Hamza, Bigoulimen, Aïcha, Farr, Lucy, Garcia-Molsosa, Arnau, Hachami, Hassan, Laoutari, Rafael, Lombardi, Lorena, Marsilio, Adelaide, Martin, Louise, Morales, Jacob, Radi, Moad, Rega, Francesco Michele, Wilkinson, Toby

Institutions: University of Cambridge, National Research Council, Institut National des Sciences de l'Archéologie et du Patrimoine, Universitat de Barcelona, Institut Català d'Arqueologia Clàssica, University of Pisa, University of Bari Aldo Moro, University College London, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Language: English

Topic: Archaeology and ancient environmental studies

Subfield: Paleontology

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Zero hunger

Open Access status: green

Funders: University of Cambridge, Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research

OpenAlex ID: W7005030284

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