Le Paléolithique de la vallée du Nil égyptien

The Palaeolithic of the Egyptian Nile Valley. Our knowledge of the palaeotithic history of the Egyptian Nile Valley is limited by numerous geographical, sedimentological and chronological hiatuses. Nearly all of the data is related to Upper Egypt. The global climate evolved from wet during tbc Middle Pleistocene to hyperarid during the Upper and Final Palaeolithic en. Only a few climatic fluctuations have been recorded. Subsistence was based os hunting and fishing of the following taxa: aurochs, antelope, gazelle, cattish and tila¬pia. Few sites could be attributed to the Lower Palaeolithic. Based on the lithic technology, die Middle Palaeolithic industries cm be subdivided in two groups a N-group and a K-group with predominance of respectively die Nubian and the Levallois technique. Mousterian tools are nearly absent. Pot die Upper Palaeolithic two different industries have been described. A laminar industry whit presence of burins, denticulates and some bifacial tools, was found at the site of Nazlet Khatey-4. The Shuwikhat industry is characterized by end-scrapers, burins and bila-teral dcnticulates 0n blades. 'Ihe Upper Palaeolithic originated partially from the North but also partially from local evolution out of the Middle Pa1aeolithc K-group. The Late Palaeolithic, from 21 000 BP onward, is very diversified and many sites have been discovered. Three cultural stages van be identified (1) the Kubbaniyan. wilh numerous backed bladelets and Ouchtata bladelets (2) the Silsilian-Afian with a tendency towards microlithism and with the introduclion of the microburin technique, geometrics however being rare (3) the Esnan, a flake industry with many end-scrapers. Information on human occupation at the end of the Pleistocene is lacking. There is no doubt that Palaeolithic man has participated fully in the broad cultural development that can be detected in Old World archaeology, bul on die other hand Nile valley prehistory bas always had a somewhat insu¬lar character.status: publishe