An Acheulean site was discovered in Morocco | It is the oldest in Africa

Archaeological expedition finds oldest Acheulean archaeological site in North Africa. This discovery “enriches” the debate on the emergence of the community on the continent, since the remains found would be humans who lived 1.3 million years ago near Casablanca. Until now, archaeologists believed that the Acheulean culture, one of the hallmarks of which is the invention of double-sided tools (in the Lower Paleolithic), was established 700 thousand years ago in this part of North Africa.

“With this new calculation, the country is positioned on the scale of the (African) continent, where the Acheulean is documented at nearly 1.8 million years in East Africa and 1.6 million years in South Africa “, explained Moroccan archaeologist Abdeluahed Ben Ncer. .

It is an “important” discovery which “contributes to enrich the debate on the emergence of Acheulean culture in Africa”, declared Abderrahim Mohib, co-director of the Franco-Moroccan program “Prehistory of Casablanca”, during a conference of press in Rabat.

This research, published in the British magazine Scientific reports, mobilized 17 Moroccan, French and Italian researchers. It is based on the study of lithic and geological tools, extracted from the site of the “Thomas I” quarry, not far from Casablanca, where research has been carried out since the 1980s.

At this approximately 1,000 square meter excavation site, archaeologists have discovered “one of the most complete Acheulean assemblages in Africa,” Mohib noted. “This is very important because it dates back to prehistoric times, a complex period with little data,” he added.

The prehistoric man who lived in this region assimilated “the concept of predetermination”, explained Mohib. “He designed the shape of the tool he wanted to have. It is a very important technological advance for this ancient Acheulean.“In addition to 5,000 cut stones, the researchers found some remains of the fauna: hippos, elephants, zebras, gazelles, and without exhumation for the moment, human remains.

The big question is whether the Acheulean migrated from the east to the north of the African continent due to possible climate change. According to the researcher, the question arises “because we have so much information about the Acheulean 1.3 million years ago in East Africa”. In addition, the geochemical study revealed the presence of dust from the Sahara “but at present it is premature to pronounce”. Research also revealed that the oldest inhabitants of Morocco were “variants of Homo Erectus”, according to Mohib.

The “Prehistory of Casablanca” program is the result of a collaboration between the Moroccan Institute of Archeology (INSAP), the University Paul Valéry 3, in Montpellier (France), and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. French and Italian laboratories also participated in the project.

In 2017, on the prehistoric site of Jebel Irhud (southwestern Morocco), archaeologists had discovered remains of 300 thousand years old “Homo Sapiens”, the oldest in the world. This discovery had changed the view of human evolution.