The Holocene archaeological sequence and sedimentological processes at Ifri Oudadane, NE Morocco

Abstract

The coastal site of Ifri Oudadane is one of the most important sites in the Mediterranean Maghreb. Recent
excavations have provided a stratigraphy featuring the transition from Epipalaeolithic hunter-gatherers
to Neolithic food producers. This transitional process could be defined by various features. The sedimentological
field description revealed a change from homogenous sediment to more structured
deposits, and similar to the so-called “fumiers” that are characteristic of animal husbandry in caves and
shelters around the Mediterranean. Sedimentary units identified in the deposits were confirmed by
geochemical and micromorphological studies. Within the Early Neolithic deposits coprolites and calcite
spherulites testify to the penning of ovicaprides inside the shelter. Radiocarbon analyses date the change
from Epipalaeolithic to Neolithic to approximately 7.6 ka calBP. Preliminary results from archaeozoological
and archaeobotanical studies prove the existence of domesticated species in Neolithic
deposits. Finally, together with pottery and notched blades, new artefact categories appear, reflecting
changing settlement behaviour associated with Neolithic lifeways.
Given the richness of the archaeological material from Ifri Oudadane, which is still under study, the
sequence is a key site for the Mediterranean zone of NW-Africa. It has a considerable role to play in the
development of future Neolithisation models for the western Mediterranean.

• early neolithic
• epipalaeolithic
• site formation processes

Resources

• http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305440312002269

Bibliography

Linstädter J., K. (2012): The Holocene archaeological sequence and sedimentological processes at Ifri Oudadane, NE Morocco. – In: Journal of Archaeological Science, Vol. 39, p: 3306-3323, DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2012.05.025