Revisiting Tichitt: new dates and data from the 1968 excavations by Patrick Munson

New radiocarbon dating and pottery analysis of Patrick Munson's 1968 excavations at Dhar Tichitt, Mauritania, reveal significant gaps in the chronological understanding of the Tichitt Tradition. The study provides 14 AMS dates on charcoal samples, offering greater precision than previous conventional radiocarbon dates and shedding light on the growth, functioning, and interactions among settlements attributed to this tradition. Petrographic and organic residue analysis of excavated pottery adds previously unavailable descriptive details, including time-sensitive changes that were only briefly mentioned in Munson's dissertation. These findings challenge existing interpretive frameworks and open new avenues for understanding the dynamics of West African village development after 2000 BC.

McIntosh, S. K., Casanova, E., & Gauthier, C. (2026). Revisiting Tichitt: new dates and data from the 1968 excavations by Patrick Munson. Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa, 61(3), 402–443. https://doi.org/10.1080/0067270x.2026.2630538