Ounjougou Archaeological Site

Ounjougou

Mali · Bandiagara

SettlementUnknown
Approximate periodPalaeolithic, Neolithic and later settlement phases See on the map ↓

In brief

The site on the Bandiagara Plateau includes numerous excavation locations from different periods. Excavations at Ravin du Hibou have documented early pottery use in Africa through pottery found alongside stone tools dating to before 9400 BC.

What was found?

  • 1Early pottery fragments

    Excavations have uncovered ceramics dated to before 9400 BC using calibrated dates. They are among the important pieces of evidence for very early vessel production in Africa.

  • 2Small bifacial arrowheads

    Small arrowheads worked on both faces occur in the same assemblage as the early ceramics. Researchers associate them with a new subsistence strategy that developed in an environment rich in wild grasses.

  • 3Paleolithic stone tools

    Stone tool assemblages from different Paleolithic occupation phases have been found. They allow technological changes throughout the region's long human history to be traced.

  • 4Bifacial points made of quartzitic sandstone

    Specialized production of bifacial points made of quartzitic sandstone has been documented in the Middle Neolithic phase. They indicate technological change after the early pottery phase.

What does it point to?

At Ounjougou, early pottery use occurs alongside the selective and intensive gathering of wild cereals. According to researchers, pottery and small arrowheads were components of a new way of exploiting grassland resources.

What did it teach us?

  1. It documented the very early beginnings of pottery production in Africa.
  2. It showed that pottery use existed in the region before the arrival of millet cultivators.
  3. It allowed different stoneworking traditions throughout the Paleolithic and Neolithic to be distinguished.

Record

First modern dig
1997
Team / historical
Eric Huysecom; Human Population and Palaeoenvironment in Africa araştırma programı
Coordinates
14.6333°, -3.2333°

Sources

  1. ounjougou.org
  2. cambridge.org
  3. ounjougou.org
  4. en.wikipedia.org

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12.000

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