Franco-Angolan Prehistoric Mission (2019-2027)
In short
Since 2019, the Franco-Angolan Prehistoric Mission is led by Isis Mesfin (CNRS researcher, Associate Research at the University of Johannesburg, and one of IFAS-Research’s 2019 and 2021 grantees) and Maria-Helena Benjamim (archaeologist and director of the National Museum of Archaeology of Benguela) and supported by the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, the French Embassy in Angola, IFAS-Research, the National Geographic Society (2020-2022), the Engie Foundation (since 2025) and The Leakey Foundation (since 2023).
The project aims to understand the 1) emergence of human populations along the coast of Benguela as well as 2) the paleoenvironnement evolution, including the Benguela upwelling history. The project also aims to train Angolan professionals in archaeology and to help preserve and promote Angola’s archaeological and paleontological heritage.
Where?
The Franco-Angolan Prehistoric Mission focuses on the coastline extending south of the city of Benguela, characterized by successive cliffs and hills, corresponding to marine terraces or “raised beaches”. These specific geological formations, particularly those at Mormolo and Dungo, yield significant archaeological and paleontological remains that erosion makes more accessible each year.
The coast of Benguela presents a rich scientific potential for understanding the emergence of human populations in a key area where few studies have been conducted. Indeed, early prehistory is extensively studied in Southern Africa, East Africa, and North Africa. The coast of Benguela, located between these regions, appears as a valuable group of sites to grasp the chrono-cultural dynamics on a continental scale, as well as palaeoecological dynamics along the southern Africa’s Atlantic coastline (particularly regarding the Benguela Current).
What?
The archaeological mission is structured around three key issues: research, training, and knowledge dissemination:
1 – The scientific objective is to build a chrono-cultural framework of human occupations, particularly the earliest ones, and to reconstruct the environmental and climatic context in which these early humans lived. This goal requires significant dating work to establish a solid interpretive framework.
2 – The Franco-Angolan mission aims to contribute to training a new generation of professional archaeologists at the Masters and PhD level.
3 – The preservation and promotion of Angola’s poorly known archaeological and paleontological heritage, both nationally and internationally, relies heavily on the partnership with the National Museum of Archaeology of Benguela, directed by Maria-Helena Benjamim, where the archaeological and paleontological collections from Mormolo and Dungo are curated and exhibited. Many other activities are carried out as part of this partnership: site visits, video production, and public conferences.
How?
Since the raised beaches are particularly vast, the archaeologists begin by selecting areas that are more likely to preserve artifacts or fossils and then conduct surveys in those areas. During these surveys, promising locations are identified and then excavated. The Franco-Angolan prehistoric mission brings together a multidisciplinary team, composed of both experienced researchers and doctoral students or undergraduates, from international institutions. Specialists in lithic tools, faunal remains, taphonomy, but laso paleontologists analyse the uncovered material thanks to a diversity of methods, while also sharing their knowledge with the students present on site.
The team’s researchers supervise several master’s and doctoral students, both French and Angolan. Angolan students benefit from mobility agreements to pursue a master’s or doctoral degree in archaeology in France (National Museum of Natural History of Paris, University of Toulouse Jean Jaurès).
In terms of knowledge dissemination, the National Museum of Archaeology of Benguela has undergone significant renovation work, and the museography is being rethought. The development of the collections and the permanent exhibition is underway, in collaboration with the mission team.
The mission also run the DIG-ARQ project, supported by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and of which IFAS-Research is a partner, focusing on the digitalisation and accessibility of Angola’s archaeological heritage.
Who?
The Franco-Angolan prehistoric mission is directed by Isis Mesfin (CNRS, National Museum of Natural History of Paris, and Associate Research at the University of Johannesburg) and Maria-Helena Benjamim (archaeologist and director of the Museu Nacional de Arqueologia de Benguela) and brings together a multidisciplinary team, composed of both experienced researchers and doctoral students or undergraduates, from international backgrounds.
For several years, the Higher Institute of Educational Sciences of Sumbe (Cuanza Sul province) has offered second-year history students courses on archaeological methodology paired with field school at the rock art cave of Ndalambiri, also directed by Isis Mesfin and Maria-Helena Benjamim. Several students from this program, now in their fourth year of study, also participate in the Benguela excavation.
The mission is supported by the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, the French Embassy in Angola, IFAS-Research, the National Geographic Society (2020-2022), the Engie Foundation (since 2025) and The Leakey Foundation (since 2023).
More on the Franco-Angolan Prehistoric Mission
> “Arqueologia Angolana” series produced by Léo Bohn and Isis Mesfin, available on our YouTube channel.
> Report on IFAS-Research 2024 mission in Angola.
> The mission’s Instagram account: @centralafricanarchaeology.