Earliest evidence discovered of human migrations from Africa to Arabian Peninsula
Experts found the remains of stone tools and fossilized animal bones in the layers of dried-up lakes in the Nafud Desert
Recent archaeological discoveries in northern Saudi Arabia reveal the earliest evidence of human migrations from the African continent to the Arabian Peninsula about 400,000 years ago, the Saudi Heritage Authority has announced.
They confirm the Kingdom’s civilizational importance, and the role played by early communities outside of the African continent in human development, experts said.
The international team involved in the research includes Saudi specialists from the Heritage Authority, along with experts from King Saud University, the Max Planck Institute in Germany, and a number of other international universities and institutions.
They found the remains of stone tools and fossilized animal bones in the layers of dried-up lakes in the
Nafud Desert, in the northwest of the Kingdom.
Artifacts dating back about 400,000 years, including Acheulean axes, were found at Khal Amishan, on the outskirts of Tabuk. They are considered the oldest archaeological remains on record in the Arabian Peninsula. Migrations were repeated periodically during multiple stages, including 300,000, 200,000, 130,00075,000 and 55,000 years ago.
An article published in the renowned Nature magazine on Wednesday details the discoveries made in the layers of sediment from ancient lakes at Jubbah and Khal Amishan that formed during rainy periods in the history of the Arabian Peninsula.
It reveals that the various stages of human existence and development can be traced through the archaeological remains, which reveal the differences between successive groups and the development of stone crafts.
The study advances knowledge of the time periods during which human migrations from Africa to the Arabian Peninsula took place, during which a more temperate climate prevailed.
It details evidence of Acheulean stone crafts dating back 200,000 years, which is relatively recent compared to other examples found in southwest Asia. This shows the cultural peculiarity of early humans in the Arabian Peninsula, and how the region was shaped by environmental and cultural conditions of the time.
The study confirms that the archaeological sites are associated with the crafting of stone tools, rather than living areas for early human groups.
Khal Amishan has several archeological layers that reveal environmental information from various periods. The earliest layer, dating back about 400,000 years, contains the Arabian Peninsula’s oldest archeological remains, including the Acheulean axes. The layer above it, which is about 300,000 years old, contains stone axes characterized by their small size.