Cemeteries and Sedentism in the Later Stone Age of NW Africa

Grotte des Pigeons, Taforalt (Morocco), is one of the most famous cave sites in North Africa. This book presents new findings on the Iberomaurusian hunter-gatherer inhabitants who faced the major challenges of a rapidly changing climate. In this volume we describe archaeological evidence covering the period 23,000 to 12,500 years ago. We examine the nature of environmental and behavioural changes, culminating in a major broadening of the food spectrum at around 15,000 years ago, linked to technological innovation in some aspects but conservatism in others. The cave also came to be used as a substantial human cemetery, enabling us to explore burial practices and recover additional information on diet and lifestyles.