Late Paleolithic and Mesolithic Prehistoric North Africa

the earliest blade industries in north africa belong iberomaurusian or oranian (after site near oran). lithic industry appears have spread throughout coastal regions of north africa between 15,000 , 10,000 bc. between 9000 , 5000 bc, capsian culture made appearance showing signs belong neolithic , began influencing iberomaurusian, , after 3000 bc remains of 1 human culture can found throughout former region. neolithic society (marked animal domestication , subsistence agriculture) spread in saharan , mediterranean north africa after levante between 6000 , 2000 bc. type of economy, richly depicted in tassili n ajjer cave paintings, predominated in north africa until classical period.

neolithic cave paintings found in tassil-n-ajjer (plateau of chasms) region of sahara

the cave paintings found @ tassili n ajjer, north of tamanrasset, algeria, , @ other locations depict vibrant , vivid scenes of everyday life in central north africa during neolithic subpluvial period (about 8000 4000 bc). executed hunting people in capsian period of neolithic age lived in savanna region teeming giant buffalo, elephant, rhinoceros, , hippopotamus, animals no longer exist in now-desert area. pictures provide complete record of prehistoric african culture. various populations of pastoralists have left paintings of abundant wildlife, domesticated animals, chariots, , complex culture dates @ least 10,000 bc in northern niger , neighboring parts of algeria , libya.

in 2013, iberomaurusian skeletons prehistoric sites of taforalt , afalou in maghreb analyzed ancient dna. of specimens belonged maternal clades associated either north africa or northern , southern mediterranean littoral, indicating gene flow between these areas since epipaleolithic. ancient taforalt individuals carried mtdna haplogroups u6, h, jt , v, points population continuity in region dating iberomaurusian period.