Middle palaeolithic and neolithic occupations around Mundafan Palaeolake, Saudi Arabia: implications for climate change and human dispersals

PLoS One. 2013 Jul 24;8(7):e69665. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0069665. Print 2013.

Abstract

The Arabian Peninsula is a key region for understanding climate change and human occupation history in a marginal environment. The Mundafan palaeolake is situated in southern Saudi Arabia, in the Rub' al-Khali (the 'Empty Quarter'), the world's largest sand desert. Here we report the first discoveries of Middle Palaeolithic and Neolithic archaeological sites in association with the palaeolake. We associate the human occupations with new geochronological data, and suggest the archaeological sites date to the wet periods of Marine Isotope Stage 5 and the Early Holocene. The archaeological sites indicate that humans repeatedly penetrated the ameliorated environments of the Rub' al-Khali. The sites probably represent short-term occupations, with the Neolithic sites focused on hunting, as indicated by points and weaponry. Middle Palaeolithic assemblages at Mundafan support a lacustrine adaptive focus in Arabia. Provenancing of obsidian artifacts indicates that Neolithic groups at Mundafan had a wide wandering range, with transport of artifacts from distant sources.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Arabia
  • Archaeology / methods*
  • Climate Change
  • Humans
  • Paleontology / methods*
  • Population Dynamics

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the French Embassy in Saudi Arabia (to CJR), the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (to CJR), the Fondation Fyssen grant 'Subvention de Recherche 2013′ (to RC), the Natural Environment Research Council grant no. NE/J500306/1 (to PB) and the European Research Council grant no. 295719 (to MDP). Obsidian analyses were funded by a Plan Pluri-Formation entitled “CODAI Archéomatériaux inorganiques” (IRAMAT- Université d'Orléans - UTBM, CEPAM - Université de Nice Sophia-Antipolis, CRAHM - Université de Caen, CAA - Université de Rennes). The funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.