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Algérie), Et Son Possible Impact Sur Les Activités Des Hominidés, Il Y a 1,7 Ma + Models ANTHRO-2630; No. of Pages 17 Disponible en ligne sur www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect L’anthropologie xxx (2017) xxx–xxx www.em-consulte.com Article original Mise en évidence d’un changement climatique dans le site pléistocène inférieur d’El Kherba (Algérie), et son possible impact sur les activités des hominidés, il y a 1,7 Ma Evidence of climate change in the lower Pleistocene site of El Kherba (Algeria) and its possible impact on hominid activities, at 1.7 Ma Mohamed Sahnouni a,*,b,c, Melanie Everet d, Jan Van der Made e, Zoheir Harichane b a Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Burgos, Espagne b Centre National de Recherches Préhistoriques, Anthropologiques et Historiques (CNRPAH), Alger, Algérie c Stone Age Institute, CRAFT Research Center, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, États-Unis d Chevron Energy Technology Company, Texas, États-Unis e Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Espagne Résumé Nouvellement découvert, le site d’El Kherba fait partie du complexe des sites plio-pléistocènes d’Ain Hanech (Algérie). Les fouilles archéologiques menées dans ce site ont livré une faune fossile associée à une riche industrie lithique recueillies dans trois niveaux archéologiques distincts. La faune est de type savane comprenant éléphants, hippopotames, rhinocéros, équidés, suidés, grands et petits bovidés, girafidés, carnivores, lagomorphes, et crocodiles. L’industrie lithique est oldowayenne (Mode I) similaire à celles découvertes dans les sites d’Afrique orientale. L’âge du site est estimé à 1,7 millions d’années (Ma). Un des aspects des travaux conduits à El Kherba est la reconstitution de l’écologie du site en rapport avec le comportement des hominidés. Les faunes suggèrent un paysage ouvert et sec, en particulier durant le niveau * Auteur correspondant. Adresse e-mail : [email protected] (M. Sahnouni). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anthro.2017.03.015 0003-5521/# 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. Tous droits réservés. Pour citer cet article : Sahnouni, M., et al., Mise en évidence d’un changement climatique dans le site pléistocène inférieur d’El Kherba (Algérie), et son possible impact sur les activités des hominidés, il y a 1,7 Ma. L’Anthropologie (2017), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anthro.2017.03.015 + Models ANTHRO-2630; No. of Pages 17 2 M. Sahnouni et al. / L’anthropologie xxx (2017) xxx–xxx archéologique A, corroboré par les analyses des isotopes stables du carbone (d13C) dans les carbonates pédogéniques tout au long du profil stratigraphique d’El Kherba. L’ouverture du milieu s’est accompagnée par un accroissement temporel de l’aridification qui semble avoir eu des effets négatifs sur les activités des hominidés, particulièrement durant le niveau A. # 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. Tous droits réservés. Mots clés : Paléoécologie ; Pléistocène inférieur ; Oldowayen ; El Kherba ; Afrique du nord Abstract Recently discovered, the site of El Kherba is part of the Plio-Pleistocene site complex of Ain Hanech (Algeria). The archaeological excavations conducted at this site have yielded a fossil fauna associated with a rich lithic industry recovered from three distinct archaeological levels. The fauna is savanna type comprising elephants, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, equids, suids, large and small bovids, girafids, carnivores, lago- morphs, and crocodiles. The lithic industry is Oldowan (Mode I technology) similar to the one known from East African Plio-Pleistocene sites. The site is estimated to date to 1.7 million years ago (Ma). One of the research aspects undertaken at the site is the reconstruction of the prevailing ecology relative to hominid behavior. The fauna suggests an open and arid landscape, in particular during the archaeological level A, corroborated by carbon stable isotope (d13C) analysis of pedogenic carbonates along the El Kherba stratigraphic profile. The open environment is correlated with an increasing temporal aridification, which seemingly impacted negatively hominid foraging activities, particularly during level A. # 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved. Keywords: Paleoecology; Early Pleistocene; Oldowan; El Kherba; North Africa 1. Introduction Les données disponibles sur l’écologie des hominidés plio-pléistocènes en relation avec leurs activités comportementales émanent principalement d’études d’un certain nombre de sites d’Afrique Orientale. Les études géologiques, paléontologiques et paléobotaniques effectuées à Hadar et Omo (Éthiopie), Olduvai (Tanzanie) et Koobi Fora (Kenya) ont permis aux chercheurs de reconstituer les milieux physiques et écologiques d’Afrique de l’Est dans lesquels les premiers hominidés ont évolué (Hay, 1976 ; Vrba, 1980 ; Vincens, 1982 ; Wesselman, 1984 ; Deschamps et Maes, 1985 ; Feibel et al., 1991 ; Bonnefille, 1994 ; Bonnefille et al., 2004). Des études géochimiques des isotopes de paléosols ont ensuite été intégrées dans les recherches paléoanthropologiques pour reconstituer la paléovégétation des sites à hominidés dans le but de déterminer la proportion de prairies tropicales (plantes en C4) par rapport à la végétation forestière (plantes en C3)(Cerling et al., 1988 ; Quade et al., 2004 ; Kingston et al., 1994). En outre, des isotopes stables de carbone de matière organique et de carbonates pédogéniques de paléosols ont été utilisés pour déterminer les préférences d’habitat des hominidés en Afrique de l’Est en relation avec leurs activités comportementales notamment la recherche de nourriture et de l’utilisation des ressources (Sikes, 1994 ; Sikes et al., 1999). Enfin, les contextes paléogéographiques des sites archéologiques plio-pléistocènes sont utilisés pour discerner des schémas d’activités dans divers milieux écologiques adoptés par les hominidés (Blumenschine et Masao, 1991 ; Stern, 1991 ; Rogers et al., 1994 ; Potts et al., 1999). Dans le but d’élargir à l’Afrique du Nord les reconstitutions environnementales des sites paléolithiques plio-pléistocènes, des études paléoécologiques sont entièrement intégrées dans les Pour citer cet article : Sahnouni, M., et al., Mise en évidence d’un changement climatique dans le site pléistocène inférieur d’El Kherba (Algérie), et son possible impact sur les activités des hominidés, il y a 1,7 Ma. L’Anthropologie (2017), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anthro.2017.03.015 + Models ANTHRO-2630; No. of Pages 17 M. Sahnouni et al. / L’anthropologie xxx (2017) xxx–xxx 3 recherches actuellement menées dans les dépôts plio-pléistocènes d’Ain Hanech, situés dans les Hauts Plateaux d’Algérie Orientale, près de Sétif. Les dépôts d’Ain Hanech renferment de nombreux sites paléontologiques et archéologiques dont le site classique d’Ain Hanech et celui d’El Kherba, récemment découvert. Le site d’Ain Hanech et celui d’El Kherba attestent actuellement la plus ancienne occupation humaine en Afrique du Nord, datée d’environ 1,8– 1,7 Ma (Sahnouni et de Heinzelin, 1998 ; Sahnouni et al., 2002, 2004 ; Parés et al., 2014). Les nouvelles recherches conduites dans la région d’Ain Hanech portent sur la stratigraphie et la recherche de critères chronologiques, la nature de l’association des ossements et de l’industrie lithique, ainsi que leurs implications paléoécologiques et comportementales. Cet article met l’accent sur la reconstitution de l’écologie du Pléistocène inférieur d’El Kherba en se basant sur la faune fossile recueillie dans les fouilles et les analyses d’isotopes stables du carbone des carbonates pédogéniques, où un changement environnemental est mis en évidence. Le site classique d’Ain Hanech contemporain semble aussi refléter ce changement environnemental. Les implications de ce changement climatique sur les activités comportementales des hominidés seront soulignées. 2. Cadre stratigraphique et chronologique Le site d’El Kherba est contenu dans la Formation d’Ain Hanech qui constitue une séquence de dépôts de 30 m d’épaisseur (Sahnouni et de Heinzelin, 1998). Elle est formée de six unités cyclothémiques, essentiellement d’origine fluviatile, dénommées de O à T. Un dépôt de croûtes calcaires scelle la séquence (Fig. 1). En s’appuyant sur des preuves altimétriques et stratigraphiques, les sites d’El Kherba et le site classique d’Ain Hanech sont corrélés avec l’Unité T de la même formation. El Kherba représente une extension latérale du site classique d’Ain Hanech ; ils sont vraisemblablement contemporains. Le profil stratigraphique d’El Kherba est de 3,5 m d’épaisseur. La couche archéologique est caractérisée par un mélange de sédiments totalement perturbés, non classés, et devenant moins grossiers vers le sommet. Des graviers roulés et angulaires, des artefacts lithiques et des ossements en diverses positions sont contenus dans une matrice limoneuse panachée avec des mottes de carbonate plus ou moins décalcifiées. Vers le sommet les sédiments se caractérisent par de plus grandes structures panachées et par la présence de traces organiques et de piétinement suggérant glissement et écoulement. À 0,60 m de profondeur, les sédiments sont jaunes à marrons très pâles, jaunes rougeâtres et blancs purs ; à 1,10 m ils sont gris clairs et plus réduits, et blancs purs. Les restes osseux et lithiques proviennent de trois niveaux archéologiques distincts : A, B et C (Fig. 2)(Sahnouni et al., 2002). La majeure partie du matériel archéologique est contenue dans le niveau B (1347 restes), un dépôt de plaine d’inondation composé principalement de limons et d’argiles avec graviers et grains calciques, déposés au-dessus d’un conglomérat de 20 cm
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