Statistical and archaeological errors invalidate the proposed chronology for the site of Ksar Akil

Abstract

Bosch et al. (1) report on a series of radiocarbon dates from the site of Ksar Akil, which they model and interpret within a Bayesian statistical approach. They highlight as most significant aspects of this work the indirect dating of “Ethelruda” (>45,900 cal B.P.), the purportedly modern human maxilla found at the interface between Middle and Initial Upper Paleolithic layers, and that of a modern human child, “Egbert” (∼43,000 cal B.P.), from the Early Ahmarian phase. Both estimates are older than those of previous work (2). Although the conventional 14C determinations appear to be accurate, with identical dating methodologies used in the Groningen and Oxford laboratories, the improper application of Bayesian statistics and a poor understanding of the site’s 23-m-long stratigraphy falsify the interpretation of these results and the overall conclusions these authors reach.

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