Archaeological excavations carried out in the “Hattab 2” cave in northwestern Morocco have shown short stratigraphic sequences from the Neolithic period characterized by pottery in a streamlined form.
In the Hattab 2 quarry, research has revealed a burial dating from the late phase of the Upper Palaeolithic. Preliminary data provided by Professor Abdeljalil Bouzouggar, archaeologist and director of the National Institute of Archeology and Heritage Sciences (INSAP), revealed that one of the upper layers discovered in the cave probably dates back to the Neolithic era. .
Bouzouggar explained, in a statement to MoroccoLatestNews, that a stone tool called a “notch” was found, noting that such tools were most likely used to work on tree branches, carve them and shape them into spears. . It is a technique known since the Stone Age.
The archaeologist pointed out that the presence of these tools in the “Hattab” cave may indicate that the man of this late prehistory did not move away from hunting and gathering activities, despite his domestication of animals and his mastery of farming.
The director of INSAP said that the oldest traces of agriculture in Morocco were detected at the site of the “Kahf Taht ElGhar or Cave under the cellar” in the district of Tetouan, where grains of wheat dated to around 6,300 years old have been found. For Bouzouggar, the history of Morocco is very impressive.
In addition, INSAP research teams have carried out several works in recent years leading to important discoveries, in particular those carried out at the site of Jbel Irhoud which has yielded numerous human fossils associated with a Pleistocene fauna. AVERAGE. This is made up of at least thirty species of mammals with a predominance of Gazelles.
These teams notably contributed to the discovery of a million-year-old excavation technique, which is the oldest in Africa, in Casablanca, and contributed to the discovery of the oldest wall inscriptions in North Africa. , in the region of Berkane.