Le Middle Stone Age dans le bassin du Congo. Un regard historiographique

Abstract

Alors qu'une grande partie du continent africain révèle d'importants vestiges du Middle Stone Age témoignant de l'émergence et de la diffusion d'Homo sapiens sur le continent dès le Pléistocène moyen, les connaissances sur le rôle du Bassin du Congo dans les dynamiques de peuplements continentales et régionales restent pauvres. La rare préservation des vestiges osseux et de la stratigraphie sur les sites pléistocènes de plein-air est souvent considérée comme le principal écueil. Mais, près d'un siècle après la création du premier faciès culturel préhistorique régional de l'Afrique centrale, la Tumbakultur, le bilan historiographique du Middle Stone Age du Bassin du Congo suggère que la nomenclature, la diversité méthodologique des approches sur les pierres taillées et la fragmentation des savoirs et des collections préhistoriques sont autant de facteurs à prendre en compte afin de déployer de nouvelles perspectives de recherches en Préhistoire.

Evidence for Earlier Stone Age ‘coastal use’: The site of Dungo IV, Benguela Province, Angola

“…The geopolitical context of southern Africa has influenced the scientific narrative and research traditions across this region, leading to biases in our knowledge accumulation [71][72][73][74]. The division of the southern African coastal plain, across geopolitical boundaries, has created differing research traditions and goals by country.…”

The Middle Stone Age of Atlantic Africa: A critical review

“…Human roots across Atlantic Africa remain obscure (Scerri and Will, 2023). Reasons for this may be, among others, a possible low preservation of bones; topography of coastal areas with consequences on exposed vs flooded territories during cold and warm periods, respectively; colonial issues (various colonial countries, great variety of scientific practices and way of administering colonial possessions; decolonization, with collections fragmented between many institutions scattered in several African and ex-colonial countries; or the long political instability of most territories after the decolonization) (Mesfin et al, 2020b;Poloni, 2012). Nevertheless, it must be said that Atlantic Africa has not been completely void of data or information about human evolution.…”

“…In the last decades, the region received an increased attention, enriching the available dataset, updating previous information, and boosting the research competition in this region. Today the map of MSA sites consists of open-air, rock shelter and cave sites in Senegal, Mali (Chevrier et al, 2016;Douze et al, 2021;Lebrun et al, 2016;Lespez et al, 2011;Niang et al, 2020Niang et al, , 2018Rasse et al, 2020Rasse et al, , 2012Rasse et al, , 2004Schmid et al, 2022;Soriano, 2003;Soriano et al, 2010), Guinea (Davies, 1964), Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso (Allsworth- Jones, 2019;Frank et al, 2001;Kote, 2019), Ghana (Andah, 1979;Balhu, 2017), Niger, Benin (Allsworth-Jones, 2019; Bagodo, 2004;N'Dah, 2009), Nigeria (Allsworth-Jones, 2019; Bagodo, 2004), Cameroon Martı ´, 2003), Equatorial Guinea (Cruz-y-Cruz et al, 2022;Mercader and Martı ´, 2003;Rosas et al, 2022), Gabon (Mesfin et al, 2021), Congo basin (Mesfin et al, 2020a(Mesfin et al, , 2020bTaylor, 2016), Angola de Matos and Pereira, 2020;de Matos, 2022a;Ervedosa, 1980;Mesfin, 2018), and Namibia (Nicoll, 2009;Shackley, 1986).…”

“…In Gabon, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo several sites were found during the first half of the 20th century with highlights to Kango, Kafe ´le ´and in the Lope ´National Park in Gabon (Bayle des Hermens et al, 1987;Clist, 1989;Matoumba, 2013;Mesfin et al, 2021;Oslisly, 1993;Oslisly et al, 2006;Righou, 1996), NZako in Central African Republic (Angue Zogo, 2020), and Pointe-Noire, du Pool Malebo, M'Pila, M'Piaka, La Plaine, Bacongo or La Poste in Republic of Congo, many of them destroyed by urban expansion. Along with these, there is also a large quantity of potential sites classified as Middle Stone Age (Lanfranchi and Schwarz, 1990) but most with unclear provenance, displaced by many institutions across the world or lost due to unstable circumstances and lootings (Cruz-y-Cruz et al, 2022;Demayumba, 2021;Mesfin, 2018;Mesfin et al, 2020bMesfin et al, , 2020a.…”

Early or Middle Stone Age? The lithic assemblage of Capangombe – Santo António, Namibe Province (Angola)

“…Tous droits re ´serve ´s. Clist, 1989;Cruz-y-Cruz et al, 2022;Davies, 1964;Douze et al, 2021;Frank et al, 2001;Gutierrez and Benjamim, 2019;Kote, 2019;Lebrun et al, 2016;Lespez et al, 2011;Matos and Pereira, 2020;Mercader and Martı ´, 2003;Mesfin, 2018;Mesfin et al, 2020;N'Dah, 2009;Niang et al, 2018;Nicoll, 2009;Nicoll and Zerboni, 2019;Rasse et al, 2004Rasse et al, , 2012Rasse et al, , 2020Scerri et al, 2016;Schmid et al, 2022;Shackley, 1986;Soriano, 2003;Soriano et al, 2010;Taylor, 2011;Watson, 2017).…”