West African Palaeolithic history: New archaeological and chronostratigraphic data from the Falémé valley, eastern Senegal
Introduction
Senegal occupies a particular place in the body of knowledge regarding the West African Palaeolithic, since, unlike other countries of this sub-region, a number of relatively large scientific investigations have been conducted there since the 1980s. In addition, if we include the research conducted in West Africa since the end of the 19th century, Senegal stands out as the country with the highest number of archaeological sites per square kilometre, from the Palaeolithic to the historic period, reflecting the intensity of research that has been done (Huysecom, 1987, Huysecom et al., 2013; Huysecom et al., 2013). Syntheses have been published since the first part of the 20thcentury (Laforgue, 1925, Corbeil et al., 1948) and research further increased with the development of specific organisations such as IFAN (Institut Français d’Afrique Noire, renamed the Institut Fondamental d’Afrique Noire), created in 1938 (Descamps and Descamps, 2010). For Palaeolithic research, the territory has not been investigated systematically, with “empty spaces in the central, eastern and southern regions [… ] and a concentration in the western sector (Cape Verde) and along communication routes” (Camara, 1977). Several regions were the focus of interest, principally along the coast, around Dakar, Tiémassas, Rufisque, and the Gambia and Falémé Valleys.
Section snippets
State of research
In the Dakar region, abundant Palaeolithic data has been discovered, much of it in the 1940s and 1950s. However, most discoveries were found on the surface or in secondary position, as erosion and dismantling of Pleistocene formations were particularly intense in the western part of the country. Only a few sites or isolated artefacts were discovered in stratigraphic context, generally on the edges of the Atlantic beaches (notably Dakar-Champ de Tir), and are related to fossil beaches formed
Importance of the Falémé Valley in the context of the West African Palaeolithic
With this in mind, in order to obtain micro- and macro-regional chronostratigraphic data, a new programme of field survey, excavation and analysis within the framework of our research programme “Human settlement and palaeoenvironment in Africa” was begun in 2012. The aim of the programme is to establish a new chrono-cultural sequence in West Africa and address the relative lack of knowledge of the regional Palaeolithic in this area. In particular, the low number of reliable dates available has
Preliminary geomorphological overview and chronological approach
The Falémé Valley offers the possibility of partially resolving certain problems raised by the hiatuses in deposition, such as those observed in the Yamé Valley (Rasse et al., 2004, Lespez et al., 2008, Lespez et al., 2011, Tribolo et al., 2015). The sedimentary record of the Falémé appears to be fairly continuous (at least during MIS 3 and 2), due to several factors. The Falémé river basin, a tributary of the Senegal River, is located in the southern part of the Sudanian zone. Precipitation is
The presence of industries of archaic appearance
Although most of the lithic industries discovered between 2012 and 2015 can be attributed to the Upper Pleistocene, evidence consistent with much older occupations is also found locally. Several localities have yielded artefacts, often large, that are technologically similar to production techniques considered “archaic”, attributed elsewhere to the Lower Palaeolithic. Indicators of Acheulean assemblages have already been identified at Sansandé (or Sansanding) by A. Camara and B. Duboscq (1984)
Toumboura III
In 2014, a survey in the formations south of the village of Toumboura allowed completion of the reconnaissance of occupations undergoing erosion. In particular, the discovery of an assemblage of shaping flakes associated with the fragment of a large bifacial piece, made of the same raw material (sandstone-quartzite), led to examination in 2014 and 2015 of the mound at the foot of which the material was found. A 1 m wide by 1.9 m high stratigraphic section was exposed on the southern face of the
Preliminary overview and micro- and macro-regional perspectives
These seasons of survey and excavations in the Falémé Valley, the first in thirty years, confirm not only the exceptional archaeological potential of the eastern Senegal zone, but also suggests that it will be possible to establish a new reference sequence in West Africa. The importance of this region is due both to the number of sites discovered and the intra-site data available. Indeed, although the number of artefacts can be highly variable (from dozens to several thousand), the lithic
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank several institutions and individuals for their participation or support for the project: the Swiss National Science Foundation for its support for years (request n° 101212–124657), the SLSA Foundation for its additional funding, the Faculty of Science of the University of Geneva for the AFRI budget line, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the University of Bordeaux-Montaigne, the Swiss Embassy in Senegal, the Fundamental Institute of Black Africa (IFAN) at the
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