In the late 1940s and early 1950s, ASPR-supported scholars turned their attention to the laboratory, where they examined human remains from Stone Age contexts across Northwest Africa. These studies focused on cranial specimens recovered from Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia—an area stretching from the Libyan frontier to the Atlantic coast and from the Mediterranean south into the Sahara .
The project was led by anthropologist Lionel Balout, whose persistence in locating scattered collections proved critical. Many important skeletons had been reported in early excavation accounts but were left unpublished, forgotten in museum basements, or known only from fragmentary notes. By tracking down correspondence, re-examining storerooms, and consolidating published and unpublished records, Balout assembled one of the largest comparative series of North African Stone Age human remains available at the time .
The material ranged from fragmentary mandibles to nearly complete crania, many associated with Mouillian (Mesolithic) or Capsian (Late Stone Age) archaeological industries. Laboratory analysis at Harvard’s Peabody Museum employed standard anthropometric methods: detailed measurements, restorations of broken bone, and comparisons with both Neanderthals and modern humans. The results showed striking variability. Some individuals bore robust jaws, large teeth, and shovel-shaped incisors reminiscent of archaic populations, while others displayed more gracile features aligned with early modern humans .
One key insight from these studies was the recognition of different “types” within the Mesolithic population of Northwest Africa. At sites like Afalou and Mechta-el-Arbi, robust individuals with massive mandibles were found alongside more delicate skulls, suggesting that multiple lineages or mixed populations coexisted. These patterns complicated the idea of a single “Stone Age race” and instead pointed toward a mosaic of human groups adapting to varied environments across the Maghreb .
The ASPR’s laboratory investigations underscored how skeletal remains could be as revealing as tools or stratigraphy. By studying cranial morphology, tooth wear, and pathological conditions, Balout and his colleagues pieced together a portrait of life and health in prehistoric North Africa. Their work demonstrated that the region’s Stone Age populations were both diverse and dynamic, and that the roots of modern humanity were never simple or uniform.