Beyond the Levant: First Evidence of a Pre-Pottery Neolithic Incursion into the Nefud Desert, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Pre-Pottery Neolithic assemblages are best known from the fertile areas of the Mediterranean Levant. The archaeological site of Jebel Qattar 101 (JQ-101), at Jubbah in the southern part of the Nefud Desert of northern Saudi Arabia, contains a large collection of stone tools, adjacent to an Early Holocene palaeolake. The stone tool assemblage contains lithic types, including El-Khiam and Helwan projectile points, which are similar to those recorded in Pre-Pottery Neolithic A and Pre-Pottery Neolithic B assemblages in the Fertile Crescent. Jebel Qattar lies ∼500 kilometres outside the previously identified geographic range of Pre-Pottery Neolithic cultures. Technological analysis of the typologically diagnostic Jebel Qattar 101 projectile points indicates a unique strategy to manufacture the final forms, thereby raising the possibility of either direct migration of Levantine groups or the acculturation of mobile communities in Arabia. The discovery of the Early Holocene site of Jebel Qattar suggests that our view of the geographic distribution and character of Pre-Pottery Neolithic cultures may be in need of revision.

Remote sensing and GIS techniques for reconstructing Arabian palaeohydrology and identifying archaeological sites

“…1 and 2), and scales of drainage differentiated based upon quantitative measures of contributing area. This precision allows detailed levels of regional and site-specific palaeohydrological research to be undertaken Crassard et al, 2013aCrassard et al, , 2013b.…”

“…Palaeohydrology is key to understanding the dispersal of hominins into the Arabian Peninsula during the Quaternary, and for exploring hypotheses relating to the expansion and contraction of Palaeolithic populations both within Arabia and between regional refugia (Petraglia and Alsharekh, 2003;Field and Lahr, 2006;Rose and Petraglia, 2009;Armitage et al, 2011;Petraglia et al, 2011Petraglia et al, , 2012Delagnes et al, 2012;Petraglia, 2012, 2014;Crassard et al, 2013aCrassard et al, , 2013bScerri et al, 2014b). Surface freshwater availability, mediated by periodic incursions of increased rainfall, is likely to have been a critical control on the timing and routeways of hominin migrations across the mid-latitude SaharoArabian desert belt.…”

“…Both images reproduced with kind permission from Springer Science and Business Media. research undertaken by the Palaeodeserts Project has begun to address this problem by displaying peninsula-scale drainage data generated using the methods discussed in this paper Crassard et al, 2013aCrassard et al, , 2013b. A higher level of spatial resolution has also been achieved by a number of palaeodrainage mapping studies at local and regional scales (e.g Cleuziou et al, 1992;Dabbagh et al, 1997Dabbagh et al, , 1998Petraglia et al, 2012;Crassard et al, 2013aCrassard et al, , 2013b.…”

“…research undertaken by the Palaeodeserts Project has begun to address this problem by displaying peninsula-scale drainage data generated using the methods discussed in this paper Crassard et al, 2013aCrassard et al, , 2013b. A higher level of spatial resolution has also been achieved by a number of palaeodrainage mapping studies at local and regional scales (e.g Cleuziou et al, 1992;Dabbagh et al, 1997Dabbagh et al, , 1998Petraglia et al, 2012;Crassard et al, 2013aCrassard et al, , 2013b. However, the spatial coverage of palaeodrainage mapping of Arabia remains sparse, and there is a clear need to fill in the enormous gaps between these regions (and the scalar gaps between displaying local drainage and peninsula-scale drainage) in a consistent manner in order to enhance our understanding of the Quaternary evolution of palaeodrainage in the peninsula.…”

“…Numerous lakes have been identified and dated through localised field surveys (McClure, 1976(McClure, , 1984Garrard et al, 1981;Schulz and Whitney, 1986;L ezine et al, 1998;Thomas et al, 1998;Petit-Maire et al, 2002Petraglia et al, 2011Petraglia et al, , 2012Engel et al, 2011;Rosenberg et al, 2011Rosenberg et al, , 2012Parton et al, 2013;Crassard et al, 2013a). However, spatially comprehensive mapping of former lacustrine and palustrine features across large areas of the peninsula has not been undertaken (exceptions being analyses reported in Crassard et al, 2013aCrassard et al, , 2013bPetraglia et al, 2012, during the development of the method discussed here). This is largely due to the difficulties of identifying such features across wide expanses of terrain.…”