Who were the first humans in northwest Africa ?

The history of the first humans in Northwest Africa (present-day Maghreb) is fascinating because it has recently been revolutionized by major archaeological discoveries that have pushed back the origins of our species, Homo sapiens, much further than previously thought.

The cradle of Homo sapiens: Jebel Irhoud (Morocco)

Until 2017, it was believed that modern humans appeared in East Africa around 200,000 years ago.

However, excavations at the Jebel Irhoud site, near Safi in Morocco, have revealed remains of Homo sapiens dating back 315,000 years.

This makes these individuals the oldest known representatives of our species. They already possessed a « modern » face, although their cranial capacity was more elongated than ours.

They were hunter-gatherers using sophisticated stone tools (Mousterian) and had mastered fire.

The Aterians: The Innovators (145,000 to 30,000 years ago)

The Aterian culture is specific to North Africa.

These people invented unique tools, such as tanged arrowheads (with a base for attaching them to a shaft).

It is during this period that we find the first traces of symbolic behavior.

In the Bizmoune cave (Morocco), perforated shell ornaments dating back approximately 150,000 years were discovered, making them the oldest jewelry in the world.

The Iberomaurusians: The End of Prehistory (25,000 to 10,000 years ago)

Despite their name, the Iberomaurusians have no direct connection to Spain. They primarily inhabited the coasts of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia.

Recent DNA analyses have shown that they were an indigenous population, resulting from a mixture of local African populations and populations from the Near East.

They practiced complex funerary rites, as seen in the caves of Afalou (Algeria) and Taforalt (Morocco).

Traces of ritual tooth extractions have been found there, and even the oldest evidence of surgery (a successful trepanation).

The Transition to the Neolithic and the Berbers

From 10,000 BC onward, with the warming climate, these populations settled down, domesticated animals, and developed agriculture.

These groups constitute the genetic and cultural foundation of the Berber (Imazighen) populations, who are the direct indigenous inhabitants of Northwest Africa.