An international research team has reached the discovery that the first use of olive fruits and wood by Homo sapiens during the last glacial period dates back to 100,000 years in the Magarat “Manasra” and “Harhoura 2” areas of the capital Rabat on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, and the results of the study were published in the journal Nature Plants. Plants) on March 22nd.

The research team - who carried out this scientific study - consists of researchers from Morocco, France, Germany and Austria, where they found samples of coal in these two sites dating back to the Middle Stone Age, and these researches were funded by the National Institute of Archeology and the Ministry of Culture in Morocco and then the History Museum. National in Paris.

"The importance of this current discovery is manifested in the fact that man resorted to this type of plants offered by nature, and perhaps discovered their nutritional value to fuel the fire more than 100,000 years ago.

The research team that completed the scientific study consists of researchers from Morocco, France, Germany and Austria (Al-Jazeera)

The first use of olives in Africa

This study is the first of its kind on the discovery of the first use of olives in the Mediterranean and the African continent by a person of that period.

In this regard, Al-Hajrawi says, "This prominent discovery shows us the ability of a human being of those periods rooted in the foot, and that he was capable of creativity, discovery, innovation and thinking, and we have no right to call him as happened in more than one station as primitive and reckless."

He added, "There is no doubt that this person used olive tree branches in order to light the fire and maintain it for a longer period, as well as fruit oils in order to preserve the fire for a longer period. those bygone eras."

Al-Hajrawi pointed out that "after passing from the stage of nomadism to the stage of stability about 9 thousand years ago, man started raising and caring for livestock, and at the same time he discovered agriculture and some of its bases so that he could obtain his plant materials from which he feeds without the hardship of leaving and traveling, including a tree. olives".

Al-Atiri is considered among the first to excel in sculpture and ornaments (Al-Jazeera)

The historical context of this discovery

About this person who used olives for the first time in the two caves of Rabat, Al-Hijrawi explains in his speech to Al-Jazeera Net, "The fact that the person responsible for the Aterian civilization is the owner of this discovery, and to understand the importance of this behavior must be placed in its historical context so that we understand well its importance and get closer to this human and how He lived, how he thought, and what his daily behavior was."

And about the Attiri man, he says that he “lived in the Maghreb region from 160,000 to about 80,000 years ago, and the person of the city of Temara is the first to use and exploit the advantages of olive trees in Africa, in addition to that, he is the discoverer of jewelry about 140,000 years ago, and among the important sites We find the Benzimon site in the Essaouira region and a site for Manasra, smugglers and Harhoura in the Rabat-Temara region.

He is also considered one of the first who mastered and excelled in diversifying sculpting techniques and adapting different raw materials (stones and bones) to obtain tools of different shape and size. He also sought to diversify the shape and sizes of the kilns inside the cave.

The excavations that were carried out in these caves showed the presence of several archaeological remains (Al-Jazeera)

The excavations that were carried out in these caves revealed the presence of several archaeological remains, such as jewelry made of sea shells, which numbered more than 350 pieces, and the remains of red dye. At the smugglers' site near it, needles for sewing leather were found, which are considered the oldest in the world.

Al-Hajrawi explains that "this means that the Attiri man used to adorn himself and take care of his appearance and outward appearance, such as wearing clothes, adorning with jewelry, and dyeing with the aim of showing off and adornment. Thus, it becomes clear that moral bonds arise and the presence of coded messages between members of the group, otherwise these pieces and these behaviors will lose all their moral and symbolic value."

He added, "This type of communication is the highest level of communication between humans to this day, and the use of dyeing means mixing two different raw materials, and by this we mean mixing natural clay and water to reach a third substance completely different from its predecessors, and this indicates that man discovered the primary principles of chemistry. During these ancient periods, he also domesticated and tamed fire and was able to overcome some natural phenomena.

The skull of the Atari human, which was found in the cave of Dar Al-Sultan, in the outskirts of the city of Rabat (Al-Jazeera)

Important results

During the conduct of the research, the study team faced great challenges related to the time factor, and explained this by Al-Hajrawi, saying, "Because the excavation process was necessary to reach the remains and remains of those who preceded us, but at the same time it is considered a demolition process because any artifact was extracted and removed from its original place where he left it. Man, since nearly 100 years ago, cannot be returned to him, so it is necessary to take all necessary precautions during excavation so as not to lose any information that we may need in the future and cannot be remedied, so this process requires a lot of time, caution and effort.

The Moroccan research team is scheduled to continue, with its French counterpart, archeological research regarding the behavior of the Attiri human in the caves of the city of Rabat, including the "Lemanasra" cave and Al-Harhoura 2", in addition to the "Dar Al-Sultan 1" cave, the "Dar Al-Sultan 2" cave, and the "Smugglers" cave within the framework of New agreement.