Chronostratigraphy, site formation processes and pollen record of Ifri n'Etsedda, NE Morocco

Abstract

The rock shelter of Ifri n'Etsedda is located at the southern flank of the Kebdana Mountains, North-east
Morocco, at an altitude of around 300 m a.s.l. Twenty-one radiocarbon ages attest an occupation of the
shelter between 10.0 and 6.0 ka cal BP. Comb decorated pottery, also known from other Late Neolithic
sites of the area, suggest a later occupation. The presence of both Epipalaeolithic and Neolithic deposits
offers the opportunity to study the Neolithic transition in the area, although the Ifri n'Etsedda deposits
contain a short hiatus. Next to the Ifri Oudadane shelter west of the Melilla Peninsula, it is one of the few
sites in the area allowing this approach.
The paper combines stratigraphic, sedimentological and micromorphological studies in order to
reconstruct the complex site formation processes. Pollen analysis offers exciting insights into environmental
change, human land-use and subsistence strategies. A short overview about the artefact
assemblage allows the reconstruction of occupation history and a first placement of the site within the
archaeological context of the area.
The Epipalaeolithic occupation seems to be clearly bipartite and the ongoing study of the lithic
assemblage promises the possibility of further subdivision in the area for the first time. Discontinuities of
the Epipalaeolithic might be connected to Early Holocene Rapid-Climate-Change-events (RCC). The
Neolithic occurred at about 7.2 ka cal BP, marked by the appearance of pottery, perforated snails, ovicaprides
and cereals. Hunting, gathering and the use of terrestrial molluscs still played an important role
during the Neolithic, as the main occupation phase, the late Early Neolithic between 6.7 to about
6.0 ka cal BP, appears. Striking similarities to other contemporary sites such as El Zafrín at the nearby
coast and the Mtlili open air sites within the lower reaches of the Moulouya River suggest that Ifri
n'Etsedda is part of a larger settlement cluster, providing particular adaptations to mountainous
landscapes.

• GQT1
• GQT2
• GQT3
• LRQ13
• LRQ15

Resources

Bibliography

Linstädter, J., Kehl, M., Broich, M., López-Sáez, J. (2015): Chronostratigraphy, site formation processes and pollen record of Ifri n'Etsedda, NE Morocco. – In: Quaternary International, Vol. 410A, p: 6-29, DOI: doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2015.11.017