OSL dating of quaternary deposits associated with the parietal art of the Tassili-n-Ajjer plateau (Central Sahara)

Jean-Loïc Le Quellec (1) , Norbert Mercier (2) , Hachid Malika (3) , Agsous Safia (4, 5) , Michel Grenet (6)

1 CEMAf - Centre d'Etudes des Mondes Africains
2 IRAMAT - Institut de Recherches sur les Archéomatériaux
3 CNRPAH - CNRPAH
4 HNHP - Histoire naturelle de l'Homme préhistorique
5 IPH - Institut de Paléontologie Humaine
6 TRACES - Travaux et recherches archéologiques sur les cultures, les espaces et les sociétés

The Tassili-n-Ajjer plateau is famous for its tens of thousands of pictographs discovered in the mid-XXth century. Despite extensive studies aimed at preserving this art inscribed on the World Heritage List, the antiquity of these paintings remains hotly debated. Because recent attempts at dating with radiocarbon failed to provide reliable results, an OSL dating study focused on Quaternary deposits preserved at the feet of painted walls and which can be connected to them was undertaken. Thirteen sediment samples were collected from below and above the palaeosol where the painters might have lived. The OSL results indicate that the paintings are younger than w9e10 ka, but unfortunately they do not allow us to narrow the time interval during which they were made.

Mots clés: Datations OSL; Algérie; Art rupestre

Mots clés: OSL dating; Sahara; Algeria; Tassili; Rock-Art

Domaines: Archéologie et Préhistoire

Jean-Loïc Le Quellec, Norbert Mercier, Hachid Malika, Agsous Safia, Michel Grenet. OSL dating of quaternary deposits associated with the parietal art of the Tassili-n-Ajjer plateau (Central Sahara). Quaternary Geochronology, 2012, pp.1-7. ⟨halshs-00696531⟩