Survey for Pliocene Stone Tools and Fossils in North Africa: Explorations into Ain Boucherit, Beni Foudha Basin, Northeastern Algeria

在国家科学基金会的支持下，Mohamed Sahnouni博士和他的同事将在阿尔及利亚东北部的Ain Boucherit地区进行一次探索性调查。该小组由旧石器时代考古学、脊椎动物古生物学和地质学领域的国际科学家组成，将进行一个季节的野外考察，以寻找上新世晚期的石器和化石。过去十年的古人类学研究表明，早期人类出现并走出非洲，以及石器在欧亚大陆的出现比通常认为的要早得多。考虑到北非的地理位置是欧洲和西亚之间的十字路口，假设早在200万年前就有早期人类在这块大陆上居住是相当合理的（Ma）。Ain Hanech记录了大量的考古和古生物遗址，并已经发现了北非最古老的石器，可以追溯到1.8年前。进一步的野外考察为研究上新世晚期的石器和化石动物群提供了机会。Ain Boucherit位于Ain Hanech和El-Kherba Oldowan矿床（约1.8 Ma）下方13米处，已经发现了动物骨骼化石和一件石器制品。根据区系证据及其在地层下部的位置，估计Ain Boucherit在2.4 ~ 2.0 Ma之间。将通过对Ain Boucherit及其周围地区的上新世-更新世矿床进行系统调查和测绘来收集完成拟议研究所需的数据。该队将划定含化石矿床，在有希望的地方进行初步的测试挖掘，研究其地层剖面，从分类和系统发育的角度分析动物群；表面修饰;并进行古生态推断，研究石器组合。在Ain Boucherit提出的这项研究具有学术价值，因为它将解决早期人类在北非的占领以及随后向欧洲扩散的核心问题，可以更好地了解非洲早期人类进化的全图，以及早期人类向非洲大陆不同地区和栖息地的扩散，并有助于了解阿尔及利亚和北非的人类进化。该项目具有更广泛的影响，因为它将：1)鼓励美国学术机构在阿尔及利亚开展连续的古人类考察；2)促进包括美国、欧洲和阿尔及利亚机构和科学家在内的国际合作；3)在不久的将来，为美国研究生和当地考古学和自然科学专业的学生提供实地考察培训；4)促进阿尔及利亚现代古人类研究基础设施的建设；5)涉及阿尔及利亚人，包括女学生，这些学生在这一研究领域的代表性都不足。最后，该项目具有更广泛的影响，因为它是第一个由非洲人（人类进化研究中的少数民族）指导的此类项目。

With the support of the National Science Foundation, Dr. Mohamed Sahnouni and his colleagues will carry out an exploratory survey at Ain Boucherit locality in northeastern Algeria. The team is comprised of international scientists in palaeolithic archaeology, vertebrate paleontology, and geology, and will conduct one field season of fieldwork to search for Late Pliocene stone tools and fossils. Paleoanthropological studies over the past decade have shown that early human emergence and dispersal out of Africa, as well as the beginnings of stone tools in Eurasia occurred much earlier than commonly assumed. Given the geographical location of North Africa as a crossroad between Europe and Western Asia, it is fairly reasonable to posit for an early human occupation of this part of the continent prior to 2.0 million years ago (Ma). Ain Hanech documents a wealth of archaeological and paleontological sites and has already yielded the oldest stone tools in North Africa dated to 1.8 Ma. Further fieldwork provides an opportunity to investigate the Late Pliocene deposits for stone tools and fossil fauna. Located 13m below the Ain Hanech and El-Kherba Oldowan deposits (ca. 1.8 Ma), the locality of Ain Boucherit has already produced fossil animal bones and a stone artifact. Based on the faunal evidence and its position, lower in the stratigraphy, Ain Boucherit is estimated between 2.4 and 2.0 Ma. The data required to achieve the proposed research will be gathered through systematic survey and mapping of the Plio-Pleistocene deposits at Ain Boucherit and its surrounding area. The team will delineate the fossil-bearing deposits, conduct preliminary test excavations at promising localities, study their stratigraphic profiles, analyze the fauna in terms of taxonomy and phylogeny; surface modifications; and paleoecological inferences, and study the stone tool assemblages.The research proposed at Ain Boucherit has intellectual merit, because it will address the central issue of early hominin occupation in North Africa and subsequent dispersal into Europe, can provide a better understanding of the larger picture of early human evolution in Africa and early hominin dispersal to diverse regions and habitats on the continent, and contribute to knowledge on human evolution in Algeria and North Africa.The project has broader impacts, because it will: 1) encourage future launching of successive paleoanthropological expeditions into Algeria from an American based academic institution; 2) foster international collaborations involving American, European, and Algerian institutions and scientists; 3) provide, in the near future, fieldwork training to US graduate students and local archaeology and natural sciences students; 4) contribute to developing modern paleoanthropological research infrastructure in Algeria; and 5) involve Algerians including female students, all underrepresented in this field of study. Finally, the project has broader impacts because it is the first of such projects to be directed by an African, a minority in human evolutionary studies.