The Iberomaurusian enigma: North African progenitor or dead end?

Data obtained during an ongoing dental investigation of African populations address two long-standing, hotly debated questions. First, was there genet ic continuity between Late Pleistocene Iberomaurusians and later northwest Africans (e.g., Capsians, Berbers, Guanche)? Second, were skeletally-robust Iberomaurusians and northeast African Nubians variants of the same populat ion? Iberomaurusians from Taforalt in Morocco and Afalou-Bou-Rhummel in Alg eria, Nubians from Jebel Sahaba in Sudan, post-Pleistocene Capsians from Al geria and Tunisia, and a series of other samples were statistically compare d using 29 discrete dental traits to help estimate diachronic local and reg ional affinities. Results revealed: (1) a relationship between the Iberomau rusians, particularly those from Taforalt, and later Maghreb and other Nort h African samples, and (2) a divergence among contemporaneous Iberomaurusia ns and Nubian samples. Thus, some measure of long-term population continuit y in the Maghreb and surrounding region is supported, whereas greater North African population heterogenity during the Late Pleistocene is implied. (C ) 2000 Academic Press.