Pleistocene and Early Holocene Archaeology and Environments across the Nile and Desert Regions in Northeastern Africa

CALL FOR PAPERS

Pleistocene and Early Holocene Archaeology and Environments across the Nile and Desert Regions in Northeastern Africa

Journal: Quaternary Environments and Humans

Publisher: Elsevier

Submission Deadline: 30 June 2026

Introduction

This Special Issue aims to bring together a series of papers on current developments in Pleistocene and Early Holocene geo-/archaeological research in Northeastern Africa — covering the contrasted environments of current Egypt and Sudan, where the lush Nile Valley quickly transitions to hyper-arid deserts.

Pleistocene and Early Holocene environmental changes in the region have provided humans with access to different resources — water, vegetation, fauna, and raw materials — over time. Understanding how humans coped with these dynamics occurring at different temporal scales (seasonal vs. millennial) and spatial scales (local, regional, or supra-regional) is challenging, as few stratified geo- and archaeological archives exist.

While environmental knowledge of climatic changes at a larger scale has improved, insights from regional to local scales remain rare. With the exception of a handful of stratified sequences, the Pleistocene archaeological record — spanning Acheulean, Middle Stone Age, Upper and Late Palaeolithic, and Epipalaeolithic — is mostly known from surface sites. These chronologically poorly constrained assemblages present a unique opportunity to discuss human occupation at the landscape scale.

Scope & Significance

This Special Issue brings together recent work presented during a session at the 27th Biennial Meeting of the Society of Africanist Archaeologists (SAfA 2025) — but is also open to external contributions relevant to the topic.

In addition to case studies, the editors invite papers on general methodological challenges and approaches — particularly from an interdisciplinary perspective combining geological, palaeoenvironmental, and archaeological approaches — to facilitate exchange for ongoing and future work.

List of Topic Areas

Manuscripts are invited on themes including, but not limited to:

1. Pleistocene archaeological research in Northeastern Africa — Egypt and Sudan

2. Early Holocene environments and human adaptations in the Nile Valley and desert regions

3. Acheulean, Middle Stone Age, Upper and Late Palaeolithic, and Epipalaeolithic assemblages

4. Surface site archaeology — landscape-scale human occupation and mobility patterns

5. Environmental dynamics — climatic changes at regional and local scales

6. Nile Valley palaeoenvironments — water, vegetation, fauna, and raw material availability

7. Desert archaeology — hyper-arid environments and human responses

8. Geomorphology and geo-archaeological approaches in Northeastern Africa

9. Stratified sequences and chronological frameworks for Pleistocene assemblages

10. Interdisciplinary methodologies — combining geology, palaeoenvironments, and archaeology

11. Human mobility patterns across the Nile and desert regions

12. Methodological challenges and innovations in Pleistocene and Holocene research

Guest Editors

Dr. Alice Leplongeon Research Unit 7194 Histoire naturelle des Humanités Préhistoriques CNRS – Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle – University of Perpignan Via Domitia, Tautavel, France 📧 alice.leplongeon@mnhn.fr (For inquiries about contribution topics, contact Dr. Leplongeon)

Dr. Felix Henselowsky Institute of Geography, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Germany

Key Deadlines

⏰ Manuscript Submission Deadline: 30 June 2026 (Authors may submit at any time before the deadline)

Submission Guidelines

Submit your manuscript through the official Elsevier Editorial Manager submission system for Quaternary Environments and Humans.

When submitting, select Article Type: "VSI: Pleistocene & Early Holocene Northeastern Africa"

All submissions will be reviewed by no fewer than two independent experts to ensure quality, originality, and novelty.

⚠️ All submissions must be original and must not be under review elsewhere at the time of submission.

For author guidelines, visit the official Quaternary Environments and Humans journal page on the Elsevier ScienceDirect website.

Why Publish in This Special Issue?

• 📥 Special Issue articles are downloaded twice as often within the first 24 months compared to regular issue articles

• 📈 Special Issue articles attract 20% more citations in the first 24 months

• 🔍 Articles are published together on ScienceDirect — making it easy for researchers to discover your work

• ✅ All articles reviewed by no fewer than two independent experts

About the Journal

Quaternary Environments and Humans, published by Elsevier, is a fully open access peer-reviewed journal dedicated to advancing research on Quaternary environments — spanning geology, archaeology, palaeoclimatology, and human-environment interactions during the Pleistocene and Holocene. It provides an international platform for interdisciplinary scholarship exploring how past environmental changes shaped human societies and ecosystems across the globe.

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