Middle Paleolithic occupation of the Moroccan Sahara: Open air sites of the Tafilalt

The Middle Paleolithic sites of the Tafilalt are characterized by a differential utilization of raw material (in terms of the morphometry of the exploited pebbles/outcrops and physical characteristics of raw materials), by a coexistence of different reduction sequences, and by an opportunistic behavior. All sites, including those in which Aterian elements were identified, are characterized by the presence of Levallois, discoid and opportunistic (cf. S.S.D.A.) methods. In the sites where the tanged pieces are attested, the laminar method seems to acquire greater significance. It is important to emphasise that the substrate of the production is homogeneous in all sites, indicating an entrenched technological continuity during the Middle Palaeolithic of the region. All sites were sampled in a systematic way in order to maximize knowledge on the technical behavior that characterized the Middle Paleolithic in South-East Morocco.