Middle Paleolithic occupation on a Marine Isotope Stage 5 lakeshore in the Nefud Desert, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

a b s t r a c tMajor hydrological variations associated with glacial and interglacial climates in North Africa and the Levant have been related to Middle Paleolithic occupations and dispersals, but suitable archaeological sites to explore such relationships are rare on the Arabian Peninsula. Here we report the discovery of Middle Paleolithic assemblages in the Nefud Desert of northern Arabia associated with stratified deposits dated to 75,000 years ago. The site is located in close proximity to a substantial relict lake and indicates that Middle Paleolithic hominins penetrated deeply into the Arabian Peninsula to inhabit landscapes vegetated by grasses and some trees. Our discovery supports the hypothesis of range expansion by Middle Paleolithic populations into Arabia during the final humid phase of Marine Isotope Stage 5, when environmental conditions were still favorable.

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

“…Fig. 7 shows an example of the results of these palaeohydrological analyses, in this case for the southern Nefud region, and demonstrates how the method models regional drainage and numerous potential palaeolake features across the region, including features matching lakes which have formerly been identified through field survey, such as at Jubbah and Jebel Katefeh (Garrard et al, 1981;Petraglia et al, 2011Petraglia et al, , 2012, Tayma (Engel et al, 2011), and Ti's Al Ghadah (Thomas et al, 1998; Table 1 Summary of results of field accuracy assessment for the palaeohydrological methods, and of archaeological survey targeted upon identified palaeolake basins. Stimpson et al, 2015).…”

“…Armitage et al, 2011;Petraglia, 2011;Atkinson et al, 2013;Boivin et al, 2013). The archaeological record demonstrates a hominin presence evidenced by typotechnologically Middle Palaeolithic surface sites across the peninsula, and by dated sites at around 211, 125, 107, 75, and 55,000 years ago (ka) Petraglia et al, 2011Petraglia et al, , 2012Rose et al, 2011;Delagnes et al, 2012).…”

“…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.…”

“…During some of these periods large lakes formed in northwestern regions such as Mudawwara, Tayma and Jubbah, and in southern regions such as Mundafan and Khujaymah, and in eastern regions such as Saiwan (McClure, 1976(McClure, , 1984Garrard et al, 1981;Petit-Maire et al, 2002Rosenberg et al, 2011Rosenberg et al, , 2012Engel et al, 2011;Petraglia et al, 2011Petraglia et al, , 2012Crassard et al, 2013a). Numerous smaller interdunal and terminal alluvial fan lakes have been reported from the Rub' al-Khali, Nefud and Ramlat as-Sab'atayn (McClure, 1976(McClure, , 1984Schulz and Whitney, 1986;L ezine et al, 1998;Thomas et al, 1998;Rosenberg et al, 2011) and the western Hajar (Parton et al, 2013).…”

“…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).…”