Chronology and Funerary Practices Associated with Antennae Tumuli in Western Sahara

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

This study presents the results of the archaeological excavation of an antennae tumulus in Western Sahara, conducted at Wadi Lawash el Telli. While earlier research across the region had established a broad typological and chronological framework for prehistoric stone funerary monuments, the function and chronology of antennae tumuli had remained undocumented. Two AMS radiocarbon dates place the burial between 4417 and 4100 cal BP, providing the first absolute chronology for this type of monument in the Atlantic Sahara. These results position antennae tumuli at the end of the Late Neolithic sequence of stone funerary constructions, contemporaneous with crescent-shaped tumuli. Beyond confirming their funerary function, this study helps address the scarcity of chronological and cultural data relevant to understanding the development of prehistoric mortuary traditions in the region and offers new perspectives for future comparative studies across the Sahara.