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North Africa, Middle Stone Age, Lithics, Aterian, Nubian Complex
Abstract:
North Africa features some of the earliest manifestations of the Middle Stone Age (MSA) and
fossils of our species, Homo sapiens, as well as early examples of complex culture and the long distance transfer
of exotic raw materials. As they are elsewhere, lithics (i.e., stone tools) present by far the most abundant
source of information on this cultural period. Given the importance of North Africa in human origins,
understanding the character and distribution of MSA lithics is therefore crucial, as they shed light on early
human behaviour and culture. However, the lithics of the North African MSA are poorly understood, and
their technological variability is frequently obfuscated by regionally specific nomenclatures, often repeated
without criticism, and diverse methods of analysis that are often incompatible. Characterising dynamic
technological innovations as well as apparent technological stasis remains challenging, and many narratives
have not been tested quantitatively. This significantly problematizes hypotheses of human evolution and
dispersals invoking these data that extend beyond North Africa. This paper therefore presents a description
of the lithics of the North African MSA, including their technological characteristics, chronology, spatial
distribution and associated research traditions. A range of interpretations concerning early H. sapiens
demography in North Africa are then re-evaluated in the light of this review, and the role and power of
lithic data to contribute to such debates is critically assessed.
