The earliest evidence of hominin occupation in North Africa: chronological framework of Ain Boucherit site, Algeria

Abstract

Sahnouni et al (2018) recently reported the discovery of Oldowan lithic tools and cut-marked bones from two archaeological levels at Ain Boucherit locality, Algeria. A multi-method dating approach based on magnetostratigraphy, Electron Spin Resonance and biochronology was used to chronologically constrain the deposits. This combination provided an Olduvai and early Matuyama age for the upper (AB-Up) and lower (AB-Lw) archaeological levels, respectively. Refined age estimates of 1.92 ± 0.05 Ma (AB-Up) and 2.44 ± 0.14 Ma (AB-Lw) were finally derived from the sediment accumulation rate values. This discovery pushes back by about 0.6 Ma the earliest evidence of hominin occupation in North Africa, which was previously documented at the nearby site of Ain Hanech (~1.8 Ma). Details of the dating study published by Sahnouni et al (2018) will be presented, and the different sources of uncertainty that may impact the dating results will be evaluated and discussed.