Archaeologists discover oldest evidence of stone blade production on the Arabian Peninsula
An international team of archaeologists, ethnologists and historians has uncovered the oldest-known evidence of stone blade production (made systematically) on the Arabian Peninsula. In their paper in the journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, the group describes the dig location in Jebel Faya, an archaeological site that has been under study for several years, located near the town of Al Madam in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the relic they found.
Prior research has shown that humans have been living in the region on and off for more than 200,000 years. Previous digs have revealed the use of stone tools and some evidence of assemblages through the Bronze, Neolithic, and Paleolithic ages.
In this new study, the researchers found what they describe as a stone assemblage dating back approximately 80,000 years. It is characterized by long flakes with parallel edges, which could only have been fashioned by Homo sapiens. The design of the blade suggests that it was made as part of a systematic production effort, marking the earliest evidence of such production on the Arabian Peninsula.
The finding also suggests that South Arabia may have been one of the many routes that Homo sapiens took in moving out of Africa. If that is the case, then new theories regarding the migration from Africa to Asia and other parts of the world need revision. Finding that Homo sapiens were firmly established across the entire peninsula suggests they may have also inhabited places between Africa and Asia as they migrated, rather than simply passing through.
The researchers also note that 80,000 years ago marks the end of a long period of favorable weather on the Arabian Peninsula, which could have pushed early humans farther north, rather than back to Africa. Prior evidence has shown that such migrations took place in waves.
The stone assemblage they found, along with many others like it, may have been made by people planning to migrate and assuming they would need weapons to protect themselves or for hunting. So far, no human remains from the Paleolithic have ever been found in southern Arabia, possibly because they had migrated north by then.
More information: Knut Bretzke et al, Archaeology, chronology, and sedimentological context of the youngest Middle Palaeolithic assemblage from Jebel Faya, United Arab Emirates, Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences (2025).
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