A reappraisal of the Middle to Later Stone Age prehistory of Morocco

Over the last 25 years, perceptions of the early prehistory of Northwest Africa have undergone radical changes due to new fieldwork projects and a corresponding growth in scientific interest in the region. Much of this work has been focused in Morocco, known for its extremely rich fossil and archaeological records in caves and rock shelters. Here we outline some of the critical findings concerning the Middle (MSA) to Later (LSA) Stone Age periods. We describe shifts in the understanding of the nature and chronology of human occupation in this region as well as changes in ideas concerning the evolution of human behaviour. Major behavioural changes in the MSA (∼300–29,000 years ago) attributed to Homo sapiens seem to have occurred mainly during humid phases, though not exclusively. The article also considers the relationship between the MSA and the LSA. Previously it was believed that there was a considerable hiatus separating these two cultural units (∼29,000 to ∼23,000 years ago) but evidence from Taforalt cave shows a narrowing of the gap in occupation. Finally, the article examines changes in land‐use behaviours in the LSA at ∼15,000 cal BP resulting in increased sedentism and an intensification in the exploitation of plant foods.