Exploring Prehistoricoccupation of Southern Senegalese Littoral :
Preliminary Results of Petite Cote Prehistory Project.

Khady Niang*, Matar Ndiaye**
*Faculté des Lettres et sciences Humaines,
Université Cheikh Anta Diop, UCAD,
BP 5514, 10700 Fann, Dakar Senegal
** Institut Fondamental d’Afrique Noire,
Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, BP 206

Abstract
Recent studies are increasingly emphasizing the significant role of coastal areas in
human dynamics by attribuing them the cause of the increase of brain size and
cognitive functions which led to modern behavior and complex culture. These areas
are also invoked as a main factor in the dispersal of modern
human.However,coastalWest Africa remains an archaeologically unexplored
territory.In order to partially fill this gap, Petite Côte Prehistory Project, mainly
focused in the study Modern human dispersal and associated MSA was initiated. In
this paper, we provide the preliminary results of archaeological survey held
atsouthern Senegaleselittoral. Numerous sites from a broad temporally and culturally
span have been identified and allow to hypothesize a repetitive occupation of the area
most probably because of a particular ecosystem.