Investigações arqueológicas recentes em grutas e sítios de ar livre do Holocénico Antigo e Médio do norte de Marrocos

É cada vez mais óbvio que os processos de neolitização de Portugal e do norte de África estão estreitamente relacionados. De um modo geral, ambas as regiões se integram na expansão do modo de vida neolítico, de oriente para ocidente, que ocorreu durante o VI milénio cal BC (Zilhão, 2001; Manen et al., 2007). Ambas eram povoadas por caçadores - recolectores em época pré-neolítica e o conhecimento, tanto das respectivas distribuições espaciais e temporais, como dos restantes aspectos arqueológicos, tem crescido notavelmente na última década. O quão importante terá sido o seu impacte na formação dos respectivos neolíticos é que é ainda objecto de debate. Em Portugal, parece provável um declínio da população mesolítica, apesar da permanência de alguns grupos, por exemplo em Muge, já durante o período neolítico (Carvalho, no prelo). O conhecimento deste processo no lado africano é ainda limitado, mas sítios como Hassi Ouenzga, no leste de Marrocos, mostram uma continuidade das sociedades epipaleolíticas com sucessivas adopções das inovações neolíticas (Linstädter, 2008). Uma segunda característica partilhada é o modo em como se instalam grupos plenamente neolíticos nas regiões consideradas

To the Point. The Bone Tool Industry of the Ifri n´Etsedda, NE-Morocco

Der Artikel beschäftigt sich mit den epipaläolithischen und neolithischen Knochenartefakten der Fundstelle Ifri n´Etsedda, östliches Rif, Marokko. Seit 1995 wird die Region durch ein marokkanisch-deutsches Team archäologisch erforscht, wobei ein Schwerpunkt auf der Untersuchung des Übergangs von aneignender zu produzierender Wirtschaftsweise sowie den hiermit einhergehenden kulturellen Entwicklungen liegt. Innovationen wie Keramikproduktion, domestizierte Tiere und die Kultivierung von Getreiden und Hülsenfrüchten konnten im Rahmen des Projekte ab etwa 7.6 calBP nachgewiesen werden. Die Ifri n´Etsedda, ein kleines Abri nahe des Unterlaufes der Moulouya, ist eine der wichtigsten Fundstellen des östlichen Rif, da hier sowohl epipaläolithische als auch neolithische Ablagerungen untersucht werden können. Während die hier gefundene Keramik auf externe Einflüsse hindeutet, die während des Neolithikums auf die kulturellen Entwicklungen der Region eingewirkt haben, verweisen sowohl Knochenwerkzeuge als auch lithische Artefakte auf lokale, epipaläolithische Traditionen. Die Untersuchung der Knochenwerkzeuge ist daher entscheidend für ein besseres Verständnis von Kontinuität und Diskontinuität zwischen dem Übergang von aneignender zu produzierender Wirtschaftsweise im östlichen Rif. Trotz einer teilweise starken Fragmentierung und intensiver Überformung der Knochenartefakte konnten im Rahmen der vorliegenden techno-funktionalen Analyse, Informationen zu Aspekten der Rohstoffauswahl sowie Produktion, Nutzung und Instandhaltung der Geräte gewonnen werden. Daneben ermöglicht die Präsentation der Ergebnisse eine geographische Erweiterung des bestehenden Corpus an Studien zu epipaläolithischen und neolithischen Knochenartefakten aus Nordafrika, die sich bislang primär auf Fundstellen im heutigen Algerien, Tunesien, Libyen und Ägypten konzentrieren.This paper provides all bone artefacts recovered from the archaeological deposits of Ifri n’Etsedda, Eastern Rif, Morocco. Archaeological research has been carried out in the Eastern Rif since 1995 by a collaborative Moroccan-German research team. A major topic of the project is the transition from hunting-gathering to food production and related cultural developments. Innovations such as pottery, domesticated animals and the cultivation of cereals and pulses appeared around 7.6 ka calBP. Ifri n’Etsedda, a small shelter close to the lower reaches of the Moulouya river, is one of the most important sites in the area containing both Epipaleolithic as well as Neolithic deposits. While innovative technologies such as pottery production and cultivation indicate external influences during the Neolithic period, bone tools, similar to lithic artefacts, demonstrate local technologies of Epipaleolithic tradition. Therefore, the study of bone industries is crucial to understanding the nature of continuity and discontinuity between the hunting-gathering and agricultural populations in the Eastern Rif. The bone artefacts from Ifri n´Etsedda mainly consist of points. Despite their fragmentation and an intense transformation of the original bone, a techno-functional analysis provided information on raw material selection, production, use and maintenance. With the presentation of our results we intend to geographically extend the existing corpus of bone tool studies, which so far primarily focused on sites in present-day Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, by adding our assemblage from the Moroccan Rif region, and thus make a contribution to the knowledge on Epipaleolithic and Neolithic bone industries in North Africa

Abiotic raw material supply in the Neolithic of the eastern rif, Morocco. A preliminary report

Since 1995 archaeological research has been undertaken in the Eastern Rif (Morocco) by a Moroccan-German research team with participation of the “Institut National des Sciences de l’Archéologie et du Patrimoine du Maroc” (INSAP), the “Kommission für die Archäologie Außereuropäischer Kulturen des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts” (KAAK), and the Institute of Prehistoric Archaeology of the University of Cologne. In the course of these studies, several hundred sites have been discovered and a number of these excavated. Sites investigated in more detail cover the time span from the Lower Palaeolithic up to Islamic times. From the onset of the project a particular focus has been on Neolithisation processes in the area. In the last years the raw material supply for pottery and stone tool production has also come into focus. In cooperation with mineralogists and sedimentologists a number of raw material sources could be identified. This paper summarises all known Neolithic sites and potential raw material sources of the area and reconstructs their spatial relations

Finding Early Farming Communities in southern Mozambique: Using Geophysical Surveys to examine potential new open-air sites

The arrival of Early Farming Communities (EFC) in Mozambique is traditionally defined by the appearance of the “Bantu package”, especially of the so-called Matola pottery at the beginning of the 1st millennium CE. Although many EFC sites are known in Mozambique and South Africa, little is known about their settlement structures. In the case of Mozambique, the well-known Matola, Zitundo and University Campus sites were discovered by chance. The Department of Archaeology and Anthropology (DAA) at the University Eduardo Mondlane has successfully conducted surveys in the Changalane Administrative Post (Namaacha District, Maputo province) for years, documenting new potential EFC and Stone Age sites. Together with the German Archaeological Institute and the University of Hamburg, geophysical surveys were carried out on four sites. The aim was to get an overview of the sites and to locate potential excavation areas such as waste or storage pits, furnaces or huts. Although the method is already of great importance in Europe and is used regularly, only few comparative studies from sub-Saharan Africa are known. Within this region in the southeast and the described context of the continent the method is applied for the first time. A verification of the results in the form of test excavations is planned in the near future.The arrival of Early Farming Communities (EFC) in Mozambique is traditionally defined by the appearance of the “Bantu package”, especially of the so-called Matola pottery at the beginning of the 1st millennium CE. Although many EFC sites are known in Mozambique and South Africa, little is known about their settlement structures. In the case of Mozambique, the well-known Matola, Zitundo and University Campus sites were discovered by chance. The Department of Archaeology and Anthropology (DAA) at the University Eduardo Mondlane has successfully conducted surveys in the Changalane Administrative Post (Namaacha District, Maputo province) for years, documenting new potential EFC and Stone Age sites. Together with the German Archaeological Institute and the University of Hamburg, geophysical surveys were carried out on four sites. The aim was to get an overview of the sites and to locate potential excavation areas such as waste or storage pits, furnaces or huts. Although the method is already of great importance in Europe and is used regularly, only few comparative studies from sub-Saharan Africa are known. Within this region in the southeast and the described context of the continent the method is applied for the first time. A verification of the results in the form of test excavations is planned in the near future.&nbsp

The Forgotten Kingdom.: New investigations in the prehistory of Eswatini

The kingdom of Eswatini provides a rich archaeological sequence covering all time periods from the Early Stone Age to the Iron Age. For over 27 years though, no or very little archaeological research was conducted in the country. In the scope of a new project funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) we aim to re-excavate and re-date Lion Cavern, the potentially oldest ochre mine in the world. In addition, we conduct a largescale geological survey for outcrops of ochre and test their geochemical signatures for comparative studies with archaeological ochre pieces from MSA and LSA assemblages in Eswatini. Here we present a review of the research history of the kingdom and some preliminary results from our ongoing project

Kpando, Volta Region, Ghana. Archaeology and ›Shared Heritage‹ of German Colonialism in Former Togoland. Research in 2022 and 2023

A cooperative project focusing on the archaeology and ›shared heritage‹ of German colonialism in the former Togoland colony brings together capacities from Ghanaian and German partners in the fields of archaeology, history, ethnography, architecture/building archaeology and surveying/cartography. The project aims to document, research, preserve, and present built heritage from the German colonial period in close consultation and cooperation with local authorities and communities. Building on extensive archaeological research on German missionisation and colonisation of Togoland led by Wazi Apoh and students over the past 20 years, the project partners initially focus on archival and building archaeological research, including damage assessments and restoration/rehabilitation planning in addition to (GIS-)mapping. This report outlines preliminary results from preparatory research in 2022 and a first field season in the Volta Region of Ghana in early 2023, and it highlights possible avenues for further work.A cooperative project focusing on the archaeology and ›shared heritage‹ of German colonialism in the former Togoland colony brings together capacities from Ghanaian and German partners in the fields of archaeology, history, ethnography, architecture/building archaeology and surveying/cartography. The project aims to document, research, preserve, and present built heritage from the German colonial period in close consultation and cooperation with local authorities and communities. Building on extensive archaeological research on German missionisation and colonisation of Togoland led by Wazi Apoh and students over the past 20 years, the project partners initially focus on archival and building archaeological research, including damage assessments and restoration/rehabilitation planning in addition to (GIS-)mapping. This report outlines preliminary results from preparatory research in 2022 and a first field season in the Volta Region of Ghana in early 2023, and it highlights possible avenues for further work

The Early and Middle Holocene Lithic Industries of Ifri n’Etsedda (Eastern Rif, Morocco)

Archaeological research has been carried out in the Eastern Rif (Morocco) since 1995 by a collaborative Moroccan-German research team. A major topic of the project is the transition from hunting-gathering to food production and related cultural developments. Innovations such as pottery and domesticated species appeared around 7.6 ka calBP. The cultivation of cereals and pulses is evident at that time. Two of the most important sites in the area are Ifri Oudadane and Ifri n’Etsedda. Both provide Epipaleolithic as well as Neolithic deposits. While innovative technologies such as pottery production and cultivation indicate external influences, lithic artifacts demonstrate local technological and behavioral traditions. Therefore, the study of lithic industries is crucial to understanding the nature of cultural continuity and discontinuity between the hunting-gathering and agricultural populations in the Eastern Rif. Ifri n’Etsedda provides two distinct Epipaleolithic deposits and thus offers the opportunity to study possible changes throughout the Epipalaeolithic and relationship to the later Early Neolithic (ENC). In combination with the earlier phases of Early Neolithic assemblages (ENA, ENB) at Ifri Oudadane, we are now in a better position to understand the development of early-to-mid Holocene lithic technology in the Eastern Rif. We show that the lithic record of Ifri n’Etsedda does not indicate any significant change in raw material supply, blank production, and tool distribution from the Early Epipaleolithic to the Early Neolithic B. Therefore, we argue for behavioral continuity from the Epipaleolithic to the Neolithic period. In contrast, the assemblages of the Early Neolithic C show changes in lithic technology

Human occupation and environmental change in the western Maghreb during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and the Late Glacial. New evidence from the Iberomaurusian site Ifri El Baroud (northeast Morocco)

With the onset of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), hunter-gatherers of the so-called Iberomaurusian techno-complex appeared in what is now the Mediterranean Maghreb. During a period of about seven thousand years, these groups left sandy occupation layers in a limited number of archaeological sites, while at the beginning of Greenland Interstadial (GI) 1, the sudden shift towards the deposition of shellrich sediments and the increase in number of sites document clear changes in subsistence strategies as well as occupation density. It is highly likely that these shifts in human behaviour are related to paleoenvironmental changes in the area, which, so far, are poorly documented in geological and archaeological archives. Ifri El Baroud (Gunpowder Cave, northeast Morocco) contains a well-stratified archaeological sequence covering both phases of Iberomaurusian occupation separated by a sharp sedimentary change. In this paper, new chronological data and detailed investigations on site formation using sedimentology and micromorphology are presented. In addition, results of the analyses of fauna, pollen, macrobotanical remains, and phytoliths are included. This data contributes to a full-scale paleoenvironmental interpretation of the site’s archaeological deposits, highlighting the fluctuations of landscape conditions at the transition from the cold-arid Greenland Stadial (GS) 2.1 to the warmer and moister Greenland Interstadial 1

Editorial

The Journal of Global Archaeology (JoGA) reflects with its name the KAAK’s worldwide research approach. It replaces the Zeitschrift für Archäologie Außereuropäischer Kulturen (ZAAK), whose last issue was published in 2017. The foundation of JoGA takes into account the requirements of modern scientific communication in every respect. This entails a system for quality assurance (peer review) and the immediate availability of every article to anyone interested (open access)

Eswatini. Maßnahmen zur Verbesserung der Kulturgüterschutzinfrastruktur. Die Arbeiten der Jahre 2017 und 2018

The DAI is currently engaged in several activities in Eswatini (former Swaziland). In 2017, we supplied the National Museum with shelves and packaging material and during two campaigns repacked all artefacts from the old excavations. These were then brought to a new store room, relabeled and reorganized and made assessable for future research. Furthermore, we are supporting the Eswatini National Trust Commission set up a national heritage register by relocating old sites and conducting surveys to discover new sites. In 2019, we will document the endangered site Enkambeni. Finally, we are supporting the University of Eswatini (UNESWA), initiate an archaeology study program. After offering a field school in 2017, we designed an introductory module which is currently being proposed to the university senate