Between 14 September and 4 October 2025, a new excavation campaign was carried out at the renowned hominid site of Tighennif, in western Algeria. This work forms part of a multidisciplinary research project led by Mohamed Sahnouni, coordinator of the Archaeology Program at CENIEH, which seeks to document the Early Acheulean industry of North Africa and investigate the behavior of Homo erectus in a semi-arid environment.

In this campaign, which Mohamed Sahnouni has described as a “great success,” researchers have uncovered numerous fossil remains of large mammals, including hippopotamuses, elephants, equids, and bovids, as well as Acheulean stone tools. Sediment samples have also been collected to carry out detailed pollen analyses that will help reconstruct the vegetation and environment inhabited by Homo erectus more than one million years ago.

The Tighennif project also involves the participation of Pilar Fernández Colón, head of the Laboratorio de Conservación y Restauración at CENIEH, who is responsible for the preservation of the fossils recovered.

This initiative is the result of close collaboration between CENIEH and the CNRPAH (Centre National de Recherche en Préhistoire, Anthropologie et Histoire) of Algeria, with financial support from both the Algerian institution and the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades of Spain