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Columnata, Algeria

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Handbook of Pleistocene Archaeology of Africa

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Abstract

Columnata is an inland open-air prehistoric site in the interior semi-arid plateau of Sersou, western Algeria. Named after the nearby Roman ruins, it lies at the foot of a rocky spur (35.458° N; 1.528° E; 915 m above sea level), which is a relic of a collapsed rockshelter oriented north north-west. The Columnata site was inhabited by people who were affiliated with a regionally distinct lithic technocomplex called Iberomaurusian, characterized by a high frequency of backed bladelets, notably arch-backed bladelets, while the remaining tools are related to endscrapers, notches, and denticulates. Burins, scaled pieces, and geometric microliths are rare. The inhabitants of the site adopted a broad subsistence spectrum, which combined big and small game as well as freshwater shellfish harvesting. People likely changed their subsistence focus between these resources in response to shifts in the local climate conditions. One of the hunted big game preys included Alcelaphus buselaphus (hartebeest), which was butchered and eaten on-site. Bone tools, comprising oblique chamfered (beveled) pieces, short and squat awls as well as a wide spatula with rounded end, some of which are covered with red ochre were recovered from the site. The existence of human burial in a cemetery involving distinct styles suggests territorially bounded burial customs built into people’s identity. The Columnata record plays a key role in understanding the economic and social organization of the late Iberomaurusian in a non-coastal environment during the terminal Pleistocene-Early Holocene transitional phase.

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Acknowledgments

I would like to express my thanks to the editors Amanuel Beyin, David K. Wright, Jayne Wilkins and Deborah I. Olszewski for the opportunity to contribute to the Handbook of Pleistocene Archaeology of Africa. I also adress my sincere thanks to reviewers for their useful comments on previous versions of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre National de Recherches Préhistoriques, Anthropologiques et Historiques, Algiers, Algeria

    Latifa Sari

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  1. Latifa Sari
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Correspondence to Latifa Sari .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology and Center for Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA

    Amanuel Beyin

  2. Institute of Archaeology, Conservation and History, University of Oslo, Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    David K. Wright

  3. Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia

    Jayne Wilkins

  4. Department of Anthropology and Penn Museum, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Deborah I. Olszewski

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Sari, L. (2023). Columnata, Algeria. In: Beyin, A., Wright, D.K., Wilkins, J., Olszewski, D.I. (eds) Handbook of Pleistocene Archaeology of Africa . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-20290-2_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-20290-2_3

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