The material culture from the 1960-63 excavation

This chapter presents a thorough study of the artefactual material collected during the first phase of excavations of the site, undertaken between 1960 and 1963, which was never studied in detail. This excavation was concentrated on a particular area of the site, where remains of a wooden hut were still visible on the surface. The analysis of the material complex took into consideration the raw material selection, the composition of the debitage with its main features, the core reduction strategy, and the tool-kit of the lithic assemblage. The tool-kit variability in time and space was also considered with regard to the two main pre-pastoral horizons recently identified in the Tadrart Acacus, the Early Acacus and the Late Acacus. The study of the artefactual material also included polished stone tools, colouring minerals, pottery, wooden tools, plant artefacts, bone tools, ostrich eggshell beads and fragments. Ultimately, the specific functional and organisational features of the hut area were pointed out and compared with the surrounding areas.