History Of Morocco

Prehistoric Morocco

Earliest known evidence of personal adornment found anywhere in the world:

      Archaeological excavations have demonstrated the presence of human ancestor during prehistoric;The fossilized bones of a 400,000 year old early human ancestor were discovered in "salé"in 1971.
     After 36 years,In 2007, Archaeologists have uncovered some of the world's earliest shell ornaments in a limestone cave in Eastern Morocco.

 Credit: Image courtesy of University of Oxford (science daily website)

       


    The researchers have found 47 examples of "Nassarius marine shells"at are 82,000 years old, making them the earliest known evidence of personal adornment found anywhere in the world, most of them perforated and including examples covered in red ochre, at "the Grotte des Pigeons" at " Taforalt".

 The Capsian culture (named after the town of "Gafsa "in Tunisia) :

     In Mesolithic times, between 20,000 and 5000 years ago, the geography of Morocco resembled a savanna more than the present arid landscape.While little is known of settlements in Morocco during that period, excavations elsewhere in the Maghreb region have suggested an abundance of game and forests that would have been hospitable to Mesolithic hunters and gatherers,, such as those of the Capsian culture..


           Image present some human activites in" Capsian culture"(source:tunisientunisie.com)

        It was concentrated mainly in modern Tunisia, and Algeria, with some sites attested in Spain southern to Sicily. It is traditionally divided into two horizons, the Capsien typique (Typical Capsian) and the Capsien supérieur(Upper Capsian) which are sometimes found in chronostratigraphic sequence. They represent variants of one tradition, the differences between them being both typological and technological.

Neolithic Period:

      In the Neolithic period, which followed the Mesolithic, the savanna was occupied by hunters and herders. The culture of these Neolithic hunters and herders flourished until the region began to desiccate after 5000 BC as a result of climatic changes. The coastal regions of present-day Morocco in the early Neolithic shared in the Cardium Pottery culture that was common to the entire Mediterranean region. Archaeological excavations have suggested that the domestication of cattle and the cultivation of crops both occurred in the region during that period. In the Chalcolithic period, or the copper age, the Beaker culture reached the north coast of Morocco.