Oued Beht, Morocco: A new complex early farming society in northwest Africa and its implications for western Mediterranean interaction during later prehistory

Knowledge of the later prehistoric Maghreb is critically slight yet, without it, explanations of long-term Mediterranean and African social dynamics and interactions remain incomplete. Least understood is the period 4000-1000 BC, following the introduction of domesticates, prior to Phoenician networks, and contemporary with dramatic changes elsewhere around the Mediterranean. New evidence from Oued Beht in northwest Morocco reveals a hitherto unknown farming society at ca. 3400-2900 BC, the earliest known in Africa beyond the Nile and with connections to Iberia. Surface investigations define pottery and lithics over 9-10 ha. Excavations identify numerous pits, one confirmed to contain remains of domesticated crops and animals.