'Out of Africa' from an Egyptian point of view

The purpose of this contribution is to examine connections between Egypt and the Levant on the basis of the lithic materials available. Data from the Nile Valley are too scanty for a profound assessment of Early and Middle Pleistocene Out of Africa movements, however, for the Late Pleistocene, the Nile Valley provides important data. For this period, Out of Africa, if present, should be connected with the Middle Paleolithic or the Mousterian. A comparison can take into account only the lithic technology, as tools are very rare in the Egyptian Middle Paleolithic. An analysis of the descriptive parameters used in the literature leads to the conclusion that the diversity and incomparability of the research methods in use in the Levant prevents any comparison between the Middle Paleolithic of Egypt and of the Levant. The Egyptian and Levantine data should be studied together using a dynamic analytical approach to technology. Only then, can we hope to arrive at conclusions regarding possible contacts between the two regions. It is thus too early to assess the possibilities of an Out of Africa movement of humans along the Nile valley, (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved.