The diet of modern humans from their beginnings to the onset of sedentarism through the case of Taforalt (Morocco)

Investigations at the “Grotte des Pigeons”, a cave near Taforalt in north-eastern Morocco, have revealed human occupations dating back some 120,000 years. This site not only plays a key role in the behavioural development of modern humans in the north African Maghreb during this period but also, due to its well-preserved faunal remains, offers a unique opportunity to study the role of nutrition in this development. At Taforalt there was an intermittent occupation of the site during the Middle Stone Age (MSA) and early part of the Later Stone Age (Iberomaurusian), reflecting high levels of group mobility. However, at around 15,000 cal BP use of the cave changed considerably: there is evidence of a shift to a broader spectrum diet, and part of the cave was used as a cemetery, reflecting a more sedentary lifestyle after this date.

Against this background, the project will examine the role of hunting and utilisation of game during the MSA and Iberomaurusian at Taforalt. Faunal evidence from these periods will be compared by assessing the times of the year hunting took place, which animals were targeted, whether particular age-groups were selected, which portions of the carcasses were brought to the site, and the ways in which these carcasses were butchered and utilised. A major question is whether there are any apparent changes in hunting behaviour and game procurement between the MSA and early LSA groups and the more sedentary hunters and gatherers of the Iberomaurusian, or whether we can speak of a continuous hunting “tradition” at Taforalt, unaffected by changes in lifestyles and social behaviours.