Modern Human Desert Adaptations: A Libyan Perspective on the Aterian Complex

Aterian lithic technology and settlement system in the Jebel Gharbi, North-Western Libya

“…This study provides elements of further discussion on the Aterian from the Jebel Gharbi (Barich et al 2006;Garcea and Giraudi, 2006;Barich and Garcea, 2008;Garcea, 2009;Garcea, 2010aGarcea, , 2012Spinapolice and Garcea, 2013). Following the descriptions by Jacobs et al (2012), the Aterian from the Jebel Gharbi is comparable with the Moroccan Late Aterian, dated to between 80 and 70 ka at El Harhoura 2, El Mansra and Dar es-Soltane 1, as well as at the northern sites of Taforalt, Ifri n'Ammar and Rhafas.…”

“…Although it has been claimed that, apart from tanged tools, the Aterian is indistinguishable from the "Mousterian" in Morocco Dibble et al 2013), we think that this combination of knapping methods is a clear cultural trait of the Aterian complexes from the Jebel Gharbi, which significantly differs from "Mousterian" or early MSA methods. We also argue that the Aterian should be considered as one of the regional variants of the MSA and not as a proxy of the European Mousterian (Kleindienst, 1998;McBrearty and Brooks, 2000;Garcea, 2012).…”

“…The links with Sub-Saharan Africa have to be more deeply investigated and connected with the dispersal of modern humans from East Africa (Garcea, 2012).…”

“…The Aterian represents one of the multiple facets of the MSA complex and has become increasingly important in the context of modern human origins: the chronological position and geographical range of the Aterian suggest that its makers could be among those involved in the northern Out of Africa movement to the Levant (Garcea, 2009(Garcea, , 2012Balter, 2011). The geographical distribution of this complex, the early presence of modern humans in North Africa (Hublin, 1992(Hublin, , 2001, supported by the hypothesis of a 'Green Sahara' (i.e., environmentally ameliorated) in MIS 5 (Drake et al 2013), and the presence of "behaviourally modern traits" (d'Errico et al, 2009;Barton and d'Errico, 2012) give substance to this hypothesis.…”

Were Upper Pleistocene human/non-human predator occupations at the Témara caves (El Harhoura 2 and El Mnasra, Morocco) influenced by climate change?

“…Aterian and Iberomaurusian archaeological records have been found in different areas of North Africa, such as in mountains (e.g., Nami, 2003;Aumassip, 2004;Bouzouggar et al, 2007;Nami and Moser, 2010; Barton et al, 2013;Sari, 2014), in the desert (e.g., Cremaschi et al, 1998;Pasty, 1999;Aumassip, 2004;Garcea, 2004Garcea, , 2012b or on the coast where numerous sites have been identified (e.g., Bouzouggar et al, 2002Bouzouggar et al, , 2010Aumassip, 2004;Sari, 2014). This raises the question whether North African Regions, currently located in coastal areas, were occupied permanently.…”