Taforalt

Taforalt, or Grotte des Pigeons, is a cave in the province of Berkane, Aït Iznasen region, Morocco, possibly the oldest cemetery in North Africa. It contained at least 34 Iberomaurusian adolescent and adult human skeletons, as well as younger ones, from the Upper Palaeolithic between 15,100 and 14,000 calendar years ago. There is archaeological evidence for Iberomaurusian occupation at the site between 23,200 and 12,600 calendar years ago, as well as evidence for Aterian occupation as old as 85,000 years.

Site description

La Grotte des Pigeons is a cave in eastern Morocco near the village of Tafoughalt. Human occupation and natural processes in the cave have produced a 10 m (32.8 ft) thick sequence of archaeological layers dating between at least 85,000 and 10,000 years ago. These occupation layers include pre-Mousterian, Aterian, and Iberomaurusian lithic industries, plus an unusual non-Levallois industry between the Aterian and the Iberomaurusian dating to c. 24,500 cal BP. These industries date from the Middle Stone Age and the Later Stone Age. Excavations of the Iberomaurusian layers dating from 15,100 to 14,000 years ago have recovered dozens of burials with some showing evidence of postmortem processing. Some burials suggest potential ritualistic practices, as evidenced by the inclusion of animal remains such as horns, mandibles, a hoof, and a tooth, alongside plant macro-remains like Ephedra, acorns (Quercus), and pine nuts (Pinus pinaster). Ephedra, known for its extensive use in traditional medicine, may have held significant importance in the burial rituals, potentially serving both symbolic and practical purposes during these activities.