Latest news with #Iberomaurusian
Ya Biladi
14-06-2025
- Science
- Ya Biladi
How forest growth shaped Iberomaurusian lifeways in northeastern Morocco
The Iberomaurusian, a prehistoric archaeological culture that flourished in North Africa between 25,000 and 10,000 years ago, underwent significant lifestyle changes during the Greenland Interstadial 1 climate phase, which favored the expansion of forest cover. In a groundbreaking study based on excavations at Morocco's Taforalt and Rhafas sites, a team of Moroccan and international researchers reconstructed these environmental and cultural shifts. Their initial findings reveal a close connection between forest expansion and altered land-use behaviors, profoundly impacting diet. Published on Thursday, June 12, 2025, the study, conducted by researchers from American, French, German, and British universities alongside Morocco's National Institute of Archaeology and Heritage Sciences (INSAP), notably identifies early exploitation of storable plant foods like oak and pine at Taforalt, coinciding with intensified site occupation. Amidst abundant local nut-bearing trees and a regional rise in human population density, social organization in the region likely became more complex, according to the research titled « Expansion of forest cover and coeval shifts in Later Stone Age land-use at Taforalt and Rhafas Caves, Morocco, as inferred from carbon isotopes in ungulate tooth enamel». This period, known as the Late Stone Age, featured distinctive stone tools, organic materials, and symbolic artifacts, but more importantly, it marked significant shifts in land use compared to earlier phases. There was a clear reorganization of resource exploitation and group mobility, reshaping usage patterns at sites such as Taforalt, Ifri el Baroud, and Ifri n'Ammar. The Late Stone Age also saw increased accumulation of anthropogenic sediments dominated by ash, reflecting higher occupation intensity and greater use of fire. Additionally, more cemeteries emerged, such as those at Taforalt and Afalou in Algeria, with at least 90 and 58 individuals buried, respectively. At Taforalt, evidence points to a growing reliance on plants in the human diet, supported by ground stone tools, abundant macrobotanical remains, stable isotope analysis of human teeth, and increased dental caries. Expanded diets in northeastern Morocco are also indicated by significant land snail remains found alongside ash layers at Ifri el Baroud, Ifri n'Ammar, and Taforalt. Samples from Barbary sheep and gazelles at Taforalt and Rhafas show a 1.5 to 2‰ decrease during the Greenland Interstadial 1. However, equids and alcelaphines, which prefer open grassy areas, did not show such changes, suggesting that wooded mountain and hill habitats were primarily affected by the GI-1 climate interval locally. Researchers argue this points to high-altitude forest expansion and canopy filling near Taforalt and Rhafas during this time. While the broader geographic extent remains unclear, similar changes are noted at Ifri el Baroud, 80 km west of Taforalt. These changes coincide with the start of the gray stratigraphic series at Taforalt, reflecting marked shifts in hunter-gatherer land-use behaviors. These shifts include intensive use of acorns and pine nuts, indirect evidence of plant processing and storage, high artifact and food waste concentrations despite heavy sedimentation, and the emergence of a cemetery at the cave's rear. Early Signs of Food Transformation and Storage The researchers interpret these archaeological indicators as evidence of stronger, more permanent ties to the site. Collectively, these features suggest longer stays at Taforalt, with plant food exploitation, especially storable forest resources, as a major activity, accompanied by an expanded diet and increased investment in food processing. The increased tree productivity during GI-1 likely contributed to the intensive use of the site. Coupled with rising regional human population densities and higher primary productivity, these factors supported stronger human presence not only at Taforalt and Rhafas but across present-day Morocco. The study also notes preliminary signs that these behavioral patterns emerged during the later, cooler, and drier Heinrich 1 phase, consistent with data from Taforalt's rich archaeological record. Notably, the increased forest productivity during GI-1 coincided with intense acorn consumption, which was processed and likely stored. These starchy foods are rich in fermentable carbohydrates, which can accelerate enamel demineralization, especially when ground or cooked, explaining the dental evidence in human remains from the period, alongside indications of food drying for storage. To further clarify landscape evolution and decisive changes in land use by hunter-gatherers during this critical interval, researchers emphasize the need for additional dating and paleoenvironmental analyses. These next steps will enable more precise timing of these developments.
Ya Biladi
03-04-2025
- Science
- Ya Biladi
7,000-year-old ancient DNA reveals a previously unknown North African genetic lineage
The ancient genomes from the African Humid Period, linked to the «Green Sahara», offer groundbreaking insights into North Africa's past, with findings intersecting those from Taforalt (Morocco) and Takarkori (Libya). Takarkori, in particular, sheds light on a lineage associated with the Iberomaurusian lithic industry, which is closely connected to discoveries in Morocco. A study published on April 2 in the scientific journal Nature describes these results as «an important first step» for «future genetic studies», which could offer more precise insights into human migrations and gene flow across the Sahara. Conducted by researchers from Libya, Morocco, South Africa, and several European countries, the study is based on ancient genomic data from two Neolithic pastoral women buried in the rock shelter of Takarkori in the central Sahara. The majority of their ancestry comes from a previously unknown North African genetic lineage that diverged from Sub-Saharan African lineages around the same time modern humans left Africa and remained isolated for much of its existence, the authors explain. The study also highlights the connection between the Takarkori individuals and the 15,000-year-old hunter-gatherers from Taforalt cave. While the Taforalt individuals exhibit half the Neanderthal admixture of non-Africans, the Takarkori genomes show significantly less Neanderthal ancestry—ten times less than Levantine farmers—but notably more than contemporary Sub-Saharan genomes. The researchers suggest that pastoralism spread through cultural diffusion in a deeply divergent and isolated North African lineage, likely widespread in North Africa at the end of the Pleistocene. These findings also support earlier studies, which suggest that ancient North African Neolithic genomes are derived from a Maghrebian genetic pool, linked to much older individuals from the late Stone Age site of Taforalt. Following the sequencing of a genome in Morocco, evidence from sites in Algeria and Tunisia has led to further questions about the movements between Asia, Europe, and the Maghreb during the development of local production cultures.
