The Prehistoric Cave of Guenfouda (Province of Jerada, Morocco) : Assessment of 20 Years of Archaeological and Paleontological Research (2004–2024)

Abstract

The Guenfouda cave, located in Jebel Metssila in the Oujda mountains in Eastern Morocco, has been recognized as a site of cultural interest due to its rich archaeological material. The first exploratory excavations began in 2004 by a Moroccan team with collaboration of foreign researchers. Since then, annual paleontological and archaeological excavations have been carried out continuously as part of efforts to preserve and promote the region’s cultural and natural heritage. These endeavors are led by teacher-researchers and students from the Faculty of Sciences at Mohammed First University, with the active involvement of students from other Moroccan and international universities. Excavations have reached depths of up to 2.8 m in certain areas, with electrical tomography suggesting that the fill may extend to 5 m near the caves’ walls. The recovered materials are rich, well-preserved, and abundant across all layers. The large fauna remains are abundant and diverse, offering insights into the varied diet of prehistoric inhabitants of the cave, with at least 30 taxa identified. Systematic water sieving of sediments has also yielded a diverse collection of small vertebrates, including previously unrecorded species, some reported for the first time in fossil form in Morocco and the Maghreb. These species are associated with Mediterranean bioclimatic zones, mainly sub-humid, semi-arid and arid. The lithic artifacts reveal three cultural phases: the Neolithic, Late Paleolithic (Later Stone Age-LSA), and Middle Paleolithic (Middle Stone Age -MSA), though the base layer of the fill remains unexplored. The ceramics show a remarkable diversity, featuring motifs indicative of Early Neolithic cardial culture, and ornamental objects indicating symbolic thought and aesthetic concerns, notably slices of ostrich eggshell carefully transformed into necklaces.