On January 15th, 2020 Post Authority of Algeria
issued a set of 3 commemorative stamps that shows three
unique archaeological sites of the country.
One of them shows a petrified wood and fossilized tusk of prehistoric
elephant, that roamed at the area of Ain Al Hanesh over 2 millions
years ago.
Another stamp shows adult and babe elephant attacked by a
tiger from a cave painting at Sfissifa Station.
The following text is from
official information brochure.
Site of Ain Al Hanesh -
Setif

Archeologists have discovered lithic
tools and animal bones on the site of Ain Al Hanesh,
dating from 2.4 million years ago. The site is situated at the
municipality of GueltaZerka, district of El Eulma,
in the wilaya of Setif, 35 km from the chief town of the wilaya.
The site witnessed numerous studies from 1931 to 1937.
By 1947, the
French
paleontologist Camile Arambourg resumed these studies and was able to
prove the existence
of a Plio-pleistocene deposit, in addition to his classification of
these fossilized bones
(elephants, equids, cows, hippopotamus, rhinos, ...), as well as cut
pebbles constituting Oldowan sub-spheroidal and spheroidal polyhedrons
that
Lionel Balout called
"The Spherical Round Utensils", what makes this discovery the first of
its kind regarding
very old archaeological remains found next to fossilized bones of
Savana
animals.
By the beginning of the nineties, various annual researches and
scientific excavations
were programmed in order to decipher this site's mysteries and
distinguish the link
between it and hominids. In this spirit, a group of researchers led by
the quaternary
researcher and prehistorian Dr. Mohamed Sahnouni, launched their study
of Lithic tools exhibited
at the Musee de l'Homme of Paris, which were brought from the
excavation of Camille Arambourg.
These tools were compared to the Lithic tools discovered in Ain Al
Hanech and those belonging
to the site of Olduvai in Tanzania (East Africa).
Scientists consider
this site of Olduvai
to be the world's most ancient archaeological site prehistory, where
discovered
fossilized remains of Homo Habilis, why it was dubbed "The
Cradle of Humanity".
The discovery gave the site of Ain Al Hanech a major
importance concerning the migration of hominoids from Africa to Europe
and the early colonization of North
Africa. That's why it's considered to be a key for future studies of
the prehistoric era.
Rocky art of the Sfissifa
Station - Al Ghicha - Laghouat
Primitive humans have always shown an
interest in their natural environment,
which they benefited from and used in their daily life,
captured and illustrated through drawings and engravings,
they put on the rocky
surfaces around them and
which we can see nowadays in different sites all over the
country.
One of these
sites being the Sfissifa Station, is located in the
municipality od Al Ghicha at Laghouat,
and contains a diverse heritage including both a Neolithic
rocky art and touristic landscapes attracting visitors.
The station is located on the roadside, South of Al Ghicha
municipality, and 10km away from its
chief town. It holds one open facade taking the shape of a damaged
rocky formation
that weathered hazards have already devastated , and which is entirely
exposed to the sun.
Regarding this facade's dimensions, it has a length of 31,5m and a
height of 7m, illustrating numerous animals: an elephant, a tiger, a
baby elephant with an adult
one, two ostriches, a donkey , a bull and a snake.
The archaeological value of this site raised due to the worldwide fame
of its drawings,
like the one picturing a female elephant protecting her calf, and which
was chosen as the
emblem of the United Nations International Children's Emergency Funs
(UNICEF).
The drawing portrays a baby elephant in motion walking to the left
side, protected
by his mother. Put in the center of the facade and engraved in a thick
and deep line,
this drawing of 1.07m length and 1.85m wide is well preserved.
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References:
Official
information brochure (PDF file)