Early humans in northern Africa Evidence for the earliest stone tools produced by human ancestors (from ∼2.6 million years ago) has hitherto come from East Africa. Sahnouni et al. report the discovery of Oldowan stone artifacts and associated cutmarks on fossil bones excavated in Algeria, with the earliest dated to 2.4 million years ago. Thus, hominins inhabited the Mediterranean fringe in North Africa earlier than commonly believed. Furthermore, either stone tool manufacture and use dispersed early from East Africa or stone tool manufacture and use originated in both North and East Africa. Science, this issue p. 1297 Stone tools and cutmarked bones indicate an early presence of human ancestors in North Africa. East Africa has provided the earliest known evidence for Oldowan stone artifacts and hominin-induced stone tool cutmarks dated to ~2.6 million years (Ma) ago. The ~1.8-million-year-old stone artifacts from Ain Hanech (Algeria) were considered to represent the oldest archaeological materials in North Africa. Here we report older stone artifacts and cutmarked bones excavated from two nearby deposits at Ain Boucherit estimated to ~1.9 Ma ago, and the older to ~2.4 Ma ago. Hence, the Ain Boucherit evidence shows that ancestral hominins inhabited the Mediterranean fringe in northern Africa much earlier than previously thought. The evidence strongly argues for early dispersal of stone tool manufacture and use from East Africa or a possible multiple-origin scenario of stone technology in both East and North Africa.

中文翻译：

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来自阿尔及利亚 Ain Boucherit 的 190 万年和 240 万年前的文物和石器切割的骨头

北非的早期人类人类祖先（约 260 万年前）生产的最早石器的证据迄今为止来自东非。萨努尼等人。报告在阿尔及利亚出土的化石骨骼上发现了奥尔多万石器和相关的切割痕迹，最早的可追溯到 240 万年前。因此，人类比人们普遍认为的更早地居住在北非的地中海边缘。此外，石器的制造和使用很早就从东非分散开来，或者石器的制造和使用起源于北非和东非。科学，这个问题 p。1297 石器和刻痕骨表明北非人类祖先的早期存在。东非提供了已知最早的奥尔多瓦石器和约 2 年的古人类石器切割痕迹的证据。600万年前（Ma）。来自 Ain Hanech（阿尔及利亚）的约 180 万年前的石器被认为代表了北非最古老的考古材料。在这里，我们报告了从 Ain Boucherit 附近两个矿床中挖掘出的较旧的石器和带切割痕迹的骨头，估计大约在 1.9 Ma 之前，而更旧的在大约 2.4 Ma 之前。因此，艾因·布歇里特 (Ain Boucherit) 的证据表明，远古人类比以前认为的更早地居住在北非的地中海边缘。证据有力地证明了东非石器工具制造和使用的早期传播，或者东非和北非石器技术的可能多源情景。在这里，我们报告了从 Ain Boucherit 附近两个矿床中挖掘出的较旧的石器和带切割痕迹的骨头，估计大约在 1.9 Ma 之前，而更旧的在大约 2.4 Ma 之前。因此，艾因·布歇里特 (Ain Boucherit) 的证据表明，远古人类比以前认为的更早地居住在北非的地中海边缘。证据有力地证明了东非石器工具制造和使用的早期传播，或者东非和北非石器技术的可能多源情景。在这里，我们报告了从 Ain Boucherit 附近两个矿床中挖掘出的较旧的石器和带切割痕迹的骨头，估计大约在 1.9 Ma 之前，而更旧的在大约 2.4 Ma 之前。因此，艾因·布歇里特 (Ain Boucherit) 的证据表明，远古人类比以前认为的更早地居住在北非的地中海边缘。证据有力地证明了东非石器工具制造和使用的早期传播，或者东非和北非石器技术的可能多源情景。