Capsien Culture

A Late Paleolithic culture in North Africa, with the El Mekta site near Gafsa (old name Kapsa) in Tunisia as its reference site. Many of the ruins consist of shell mounds containing a mixture of stone tools, shells, and bones. Snail shells are particularly eye-catching in many cases. However, there are few bones of large animals, and hunting does not seem to have been an activity. A large amount of burnt pebbles have been excavated, indicating that heat was used by burning pebbles in daily life. Along with large stone tools similar to those found in the Late Paleolithic period, many microliths are known. Small, thick awls were tools used to process ostrich eggshells into ornaments.

The typical Kapsa culture does not date back to the 9th millennium BC, and when microliths become more prevalent it is called the Late Kapsa culture (6th to 5th millennium BC) and its distribution spreads. However, the Kapsa culture did not reach the coast, where the Iberian Mawr culture existed in parallel. Pottery was found in the 4th millennium BC, and it is called the Kapsa Culture-related Neolithic culture. Similar stone tools have been excavated in Kenya, but they are always accompanied by pottery and are distinguished as a separate culture.

[Ichiro Yamanaka]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

北アフリカ、チュニジアのガフサGafsa（古名カプサ）近くにあるエルメクタ遺跡を標準遺跡とする北アフリカの晩期旧石器時代文化。石器、貝殻、骨が混在した貝塚からなる遺跡が多い。とくにカタツムリの貝殻が目をひく場合が多い。しかし、大形獣の骨は少なく、狩猟はなされなかったようである。日常生活において礫(れき)を焼いて熱を利用したことを示す焼礫を多数出土する。後期旧石器時代と同じ大型の石器とともに多くの細石器が知られる。小さな厚い錐(きり)はダチョウの卵殻を装身具に加工する工具であった。

　典型的カプサ文化は紀元前九千年紀をさかのぼらず、細石器が多くなると後期カプサ文化とよばれ（前六千～前五千年紀）、その分布は広がる。しかし、海岸部にはカプサ文化は至らず、海岸部には、併行してイベリアマウル文化があった。前四千年紀には土器が認められ、カプサ文化系新石器時代文化とよばれる。ケニアにも類似した石器が出土するが、つねに土器を伴い、別の文化として区別される。

［山中一郎］

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