The transition from the MSA to the LSA in El Harhoura 2 cave (North Western Africa) in the light of multi-dating approach
Résumé
Rabat-T ́emara region (Atlantic coast, Morocco) is well known for its archeological cavesand many research works have emphasized the importance to consider this area in theH.sapiensemergence and dispersal model in Northern Africa.At the end of the Upper Pleistocene, cultural and paleoclimatic changes took place in North-ern Africa, which correspond to the transition from the Middle Stone Age (MSA) to the LaterStone Age (LSA). Late Pleistocene models of modern human migrations within and out ofAfrica have been modeled mostly through genetic datasets. Due to the paucity of reliable dat-ing evidence, these human migrations have proven difficult to describe spatially/temporallyand to fit them with archaeological data.The purpose of this study is to contribute to a better chronological resolution of the lastoccurrence of the MSA and the presence of the LSA in El Harhoura 2 cave by using amulti-geochronological approach. We present new dates obtained by combined US-ESR on17 fossil teeth, by OSL on quartz grain and Radiocarbon on charcoal and human bones. Thenumerical ages obtained in the present study correlate the latest MSA human occupationsat El Harhoura 2 to the end of the MIS 3 ( ̃40 ka), 15 ka older than previously publishedages. The LSA is dated between 14 ka and 7 ka BP.