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Lionei Magoga the Casablanca Evidence Fatima-Zohra Sbihi-Alaoui Denis Geraads

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Lionei Magoga the Casablanca Evidence Fatima-Zohra Sbihi-Alaoui Denis Geraads jean Paul Raynai 13 The earliest occupation of Atlantic Morocco: Lionei Magoga the Casablanca evidence Fatima-Zohra Sbihi-Alaoui Denis Geraads Recent work in the Casablanca area considerably Ahl-Al-Oughlam is a younger site, systematically modified earlier interpretations ofits prolific Palaeolithic excavated from 1989 onwards, and located in a shoreline record. New results reported in ihis paper stress the cut in beach deposits at 108 m above sea level (Raynal absence of traces of a very early hitman occupation. The et al. 1990). lts vertebrate fauna, by far the richest one of main part of the rich Acheulean sequence at Casablanca the North African late Cenozoic and only comparable to the dates front the secondpart of the Middle Pleistocene, rich sites of eastern Africa, suggests an age of around though palaeomagnetic data suggests that the earliest 2.5 Myr BP (Geraads 1993a; 1995). More than 70 species tracés of hitman activities date from before the Brunhes- have been identified, belonging to all main groups: fishes, Matuyama boundary (Thomas-1 quarry, levelL). reptiles (giant tortoise, lizards, snakes, crocodiles and the Throughout the Acheulean sequence the same lithic raw rare Amphisbaenidae), various birds (with a remarkable materials were used, which allows comparison of coexistence of penguin and ostrich, and with pseudodontor- technological characteristics of the various assemblages. nithes, giant sea birds with false teeth) and mammals, the most common group. Carnivores are represented by 23 taxa, 1. Introduction 13 of which are new (Geraads, in press), e.g. Hyaenidae The Casablanca regiem, on the Atlantic coast of the (Crocuta, Pliocrocuta), a sabre-toothed felid, Mustelidac, Moroccan Meséta, is rich in Palaeolithic sites preserved in Canidae (Vulpes, Nyctereutes), the oldest known bear from an exceptionally well developed series of littoral deposits Africa and a morse. The herbivores comprise elephant, a (Fig. 1). This series formed the basis for the definition of mastodont, a fossil pig (Kolpochoerus phacochoeroides), a the majority of the stratotypes of the classical stages of the bovid-sized giraffe (Sivatherium maurusium), antelopes Maghreb's marine Pleistocene (Neuville and Ruhlman (Kobus and Damaliscus), a three-toed horse (Hipparion), a 1941; Biberson 1961; Texier et al. 1985). The deposits rhinoceros (Ceratotherium), a monkey (Theropithecus), as yielded various fossils of hominids (Biberson 1956; well as a large variety of rodents and insectivores. It is Ennouchi 1969, 1972). which are at the origin of the first obvious that the large predators played a major role in the anatomically modern humans (Hublin 1991). Recent work formation of this fossiliferous site, of which we have a has established a new lithostratigraphical (Texier et al. representative sample now. Traces of hominids, be it as 1994; Lefèvre et al. 1994), biostratigraphical and fossils or in the form of artefacts, are completely absent in archaeological framework (see Table 1), that will be used in this large assemblage, and the Ahl-Al-Oughlam site thus this paper to discuss the age of the first occupation of the seems to date from before their arrival in the Maghreb. Casablanca region and to present some aspects of its The Early Pleistocene of Casablanca, not well known in Acheulean sequence. detail yet, is currently the object of systematical research, and various stratigraphical units have been identified 2. Krom the Pliocene to the Middle Pleistocene between 45 and 100 m above sea level. No important The base of the stratigraphic series of Casablanca is of fossiliferous site is known yet, and no stone artefacts have Pliocene age (Raynal et al. 1990), dating from before the been recovered in situ. Finds recovered from deposits Quatemary volcanism of the Middle Atlas (El Graoui formerly attributed to the Maarifien, the Moulouyen or the 1994). Salétien are either geofacts collected from high-energy The oldest fossiliferous site in the Casablanca sequence is littoral facies (old collections of Biberson in the Déprez the Lissasfa karst complex, developed in the top of littoral quarry and recent collections by J.P. Raynal and D. Lefèvre deposits that have their base at about 170 m above present in the Bir As Smar pit), or are recent artefacts from sea leve!1. lts microfauna, which contains Paraethomys sp., superficial colluvial deposits, as in other sites in Morocco Ruscinomys sp.. Mus sp. and Gerbillidae, suggests a Middle (Raynal and Texier 1989): at yet there is no 'Pebble or Early Pliocene age. Culture' in situ at Casablanca. 'M C7 LITHOSTRATIGRAPH Y CHFOJOLOGY CASABLANCA CLASSIC SÉRIES LIT WC ASSEMBLAGES MAJOR SITES HOMINIDFOSSILS LARGE MAMMALS FAUNA • worm (197B-1W4) |1| ( BJBFRSQN. 1961) lithic tatnnoiogy and claaaification atlar MM worki ('17! iw; (B) REDOAD BEN ALI FOiWÉATION U ddi./l .1. h.ohth.t Ibaromauruai; Oulad Hamida 7 Quarry l ah lal tl Mam ba i Atariar. Panrhara. Hymrna Cafts Vulpas Oulad Harriida 2 -Rad Kil ia- at Dicararhmus hemitoachus Sidi Sut tan/t, Pfwcocfroarut Ammogroup O 13) Abdarritimana I £quus. Gl»*. Connettiaatat Pamtara. Fata Can-t i/utpas OUIADAJJMEI FOP.MATION Crocuta. Equu* Camatüa. lippar Pfiacocfioarus *0 2 Ui OSL (3) Achauiian PRESOLTANlAN [D2) Cap Chatakar top tvol.ad A Sraga 1 Sidi Abdarrahraana MiddU A Stiga V "— — Sidi Abgarrahmana Cunatta Achauhan Cap Chatadar boflom Oura Cava 'Jttu*. GazaSt Raatsica Rhinotaroa Cava Thema» l and Oulad H.m.dal. O3to04MiESB Rrimocaroa Cava tjrcaan. Utavt Crocuta I Catalolttartum simum. Ëquui AMI3IAH (H| Parmu/anua P/iacocficarua MAARIFIAN ;Ji and Tharopanaeui K-L-M-H-O ComfHa» Lowr Athaulian Granda Eiploitation uta B Foriaation 3 DU AU Th om ai Quamaa HAMIDA Forma tuin ? GROUP I and ANFATIAN KlfH poürily Ttiomaa i Quarry. Bad l | Lovrar Achauhan | Thomaa Quarry 1. Bad L | H/ppotmtamua. £qutia Carata ioxoOonra MESSAOIOAN. SALETIAN CP Cobblas and pabblaa "akm; and MAAR*IAN torn tornar OC Organzad ca.» Dar Bouchaib O CaU Quarry Mimi and Arporl Ouamaa L : Lavalloi* flating S SpnaroTda •lat Al Gl-or&al Quarry T Tnnadrona B BitaoM M 17 , MEI MXOHM DTF Diva-aitiad toola on tlata AM Al Ougnlan 1 Afacaca. rrimc* AhlAl-Oughlam unit 2 Haj Salan B« Tahar SF : SaarcFi tor FNIH Ahl-AI Ougnlam Panihara Photrocuta Aanony* Gaudr I and II AM Al Oughlarn MM 1 Dapr.ï Dép... d Bouchtlb Bal Kam. tor mar Quan ......,.- 5. LEFEVHE. RArHHl. |IM4). (1*1 GERAAOS (1M3) and unpunitvid cros weePsoN (i*M) UEBAACS 11 FtATt*U. at 11 (!•». IMS). (1?) ENNOUCHI M OS». t»72) [lil FlAÏNAL M at unpuM.*M _^_ , • -'.VVi ._ : r, ! i . .^ jf HAYNat Mal. ta*5 Table 1. Synthetical survey of the Casablanca Palaeolithic record and its geological context. 257 JEAN-PAUL RAYNAL ET AL. - THE CASABLANCA EVIDENCE massive, and very hard to flake, though knapping is facilitated by making use of plane surfaces, natural or arteficial ones. Fractures are very clear: hard percussion created decorticated surfaces with well marked negative scars and also entailed frequent knapping accidents such as breakage of flakes or pebbles along the axis of percussion (Siret breaks, accidentally broken pebbles, galets a un enlèvement fendus). Flint constitutes only about 5% of the raw materials, up untill the Upper Acheulean, when flint was sought for more systematically. Flint is locally available in the form of small pebbles (1 to 5 cm in diameter) in various coarse grained littoral deposits. The exploitation of the same raw materials throughout the Acheulean sequence at Casablanca allows a compaiïson of the technological characteristics of some representative series. They are presented here along the lines of the classification model developed on basis of a study of the assemblages from Unit L of the Thomas quarry, briefly explained below. This model is based on the character of the working surfaces, their disposition and exploitation; it integrates dynamic aspects (sequences of production of flakes and of shaping, reduction of objects, re-use etc.) and functional ones (specific morphology, transformation by usage...). Seven main groups are discerned: Group 1: flaking carried out by using cortical striking platforms Group 2: flaking from one non-cortical striking platform, Fig. 1. Location of sites in the Casablanca area: 1. Sidi Abder- possibly re-adjusted rahmane; 2. Grotle des Ours; 3 Sidi Abderrah-mane Extension; 4. Thomas 1; 5. Grotte des Rhinocéros Oulad-Hamida 1; 6. Ahl-AI- Group 3: flaking using two non-cortical striking platforms Oughlam; 7. Bir As Smar; 8. Sidi Messaoud; 9. Lissasfa; for one and the same working surface 10. Ghaudour Ben Habib; 11. Sidi Al Khadir East. Group 4: flaking using three to five non-cortical striking platforms for one and the same working surface Group 5: flaking from non-cortical striking platforms belonging to various working surfaces 3. The Middle Pleistocene Group 6: exploitation/shaping of flakes and fragments The Middle Pleistocene is characterized by abundant Group 7: objects transformed by usage human occupation. Deposits of this period are very well developed and display great lithostratigraphical detail: The group-subdivisions thus repose upon technological seven marine units are identified, stepped between 9 and and/or secondary morphological criteria (such as re-use of 35 m above present sea level and covered by continental striking platforms, recurrence of flake removals, length of fossiliferous deposits (Texier et al. 1994). The abundant blanks (both arteficial and natural ones), surface size of finds discovered in the quarries of Sidi-Abderrahmane, flake removals and presence/absence of cortex). Thomas-1 and Oulad Hamida-I allow us to characterize the Group 4 contains most objects with multiple flake contemporary 'animal' environment and to establish the removals. Starting with flaking from cortical striking niain lines of the local Acheulean sequence. platforms (group 1) and foliowed by an increase of flaked Throughout the sequence arkoses and cambrian feldsparic surfaces this group contains the majority of complex and/or quartzites - often referred to as El Hank quartzites - form the typical objects.
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