An outstanding discovery shed light on African prehistory
What do we know about the last hunter-gatherers who lived in West Africa? While these prehistoric populations have been extensively studied in Europe and Asia, their presence in this vast region — covering 6 million square kilometres, more than ten times the size of France — remains poorly documented.
Using an interdisciplinary approach, a team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) working on one of the rare archaeological sites in Senegal dating back to the early Holocene, over 9,000 years ago, has now uncovered new insights into these communities and the stone-knapping techniques they used to make their tools. These findings are published in PLOS One.
- UNIGE press release dated 4 september 2025, "An outstanding discovery shed light on African prehistory"