Prehistoric_North_Africa | TriviaQuestions.online

⭐ In the context of African archaeology, how is the Paleolithic period generally categorized in Sub-Saharan Africa compared to North Africa?

Sub-Saharan African archaeology uniquely categorizes the Paleolithic into three distinct stages – the Early, Middle, and Later Stone Ages – differing from the more common Lower, Middle, and Upper Paleolithic divisions used in North Africa and Europe.

⭐ Core Definition: Prehistoric North Africa

The prehistory of North Africa spans the period of earliest human presence in the region to gradual onset of historicity in the Maghreb during classical antiquity. Early anatomically modern humans are known to have been present at Jebel Irhoud, in what is now Morocco, approximately 300,000 years ago. The Nile Valley region, via ancient Egypt, contributed to the Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age periods of the Old World, along with the ancient Near East.

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👉 Prehistoric North Africa in the context of African archaeology

Africa has the longest record of human habitation in the world. The first hominins emerged 6–7 million years ago, and among the earliest anatomically modern human skulls found so far were discovered at Omo Kibish,Jebel Irhoud, and Florisbad.

European archaeology, as well as that of North Africa, is generally divided into the Stone Age (comprising the Lower Paleolithic, the Middle Paleolithic, the Upper Paleolithic, the Mesolithic, and the Neolithic), the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age. For Africa south of the Sahara, African archaeology is classified in a slightly different way, with the Paleolithic generally divided into the Early Stone Age, the Middle Stone Age, and the Later Stone Age. After these three stages come the Pastoral Neolithic, the Iron Age and then later historical periods.

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