New insights into the late Middle Stone Age occupation of Oued elAkarit, southern Tunisia

• Published in: Libyan studies Vol. 52; p. 12
• Main Authors: Barton, Nick, Belhouchet, L., Collcutt, S.N., Aouadi, N., Albert, P.G., Douka, K., Drake, N., Linderholm, Johan, Macphail, Richard I., McLean, D., Mekki, H., Peat, D., Schwenninger, J.L., Smith, V.C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: environmental archaeology; miljöarkeologi
• ISSN: 0263-7189; 2052-6148
• DOI: 10.1017/lis.2021.9

This article reports on a new project to investigate the activities of early Homo sapiens in the area of the Chotts ‘megalake’ in southernTunisia. Excavations in 2015 and 2019 at Oued el Akarit revealed one of a number of Middle Stone Age (MSA) horizons near the topof a long sequence of Upper Pleistocene deposits. The site identified as Oued el Akarit (Sondage 8) consists of lithic artefacts, bone fragmentsof large ungulates and pieces of ostrich eggshell. Many of the objects are burnt. Excavation of about nine square metres revealed thatthese were associated with a lightly trampled and combusted occupation surface. Amongst the identified artefacts were Levallois flakes someof which could be refitted, thereby indicating the generally undisturbed nature of the occupation. The lithic finds also included side scrapersand other tools diagnostic of the MSA but significantly no bifacial or tanged tools. OSL (Optically Stimulated Luminescence) dating of thesediments and AMS (Accelerator Mass Spectrometry) radiocarbon dating of ostrich eggshell have produced uncalibrated age determinationsin the range 37,000–40,000 years ago, one of the youngest ages for MSA sites in the region. This is the first example of a securely dated laterMSA occupation in a riparian environment in south-eastern Tunisia