Archaeological and Palaeoenvironmental Investigation of Upper Pleistocene human occupation in the Dhofar Mountains, southern Arabia
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Birmingham
Department Name: Archaeology and Antiquity
Abstract
Arabia is situated at the nexus of three continents, connecting Africa, Asia, and Europe. Given this geographic position, the territory of southern Arabia may have served as an important pathway linking hominins throughout the Pleistocene. Indeed, many of our species' most diverse and ancient mitochondrial (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome (yDNA) genetic lineages cluster around the Arabian Peninsula, confirming that the subcontinent played a critical role in the evolution and expansion of modern humans. Some scholars have even documented traces of a human expansion back into Africa, suggesting that this pathway was a bidirectional conduit of population movement.
It is not surprising that the peninsula facilitated periodic population expansions. The drastically oscillating Upper Pleistocene palaeoclimate occasionally transformed Arabia's hyperarid desert interior into savannah grasslands incised by perennial rivers and playa lakes. The landscape was also dramatically altered by depressed sea levels that exposed the continental shelf along the Red Sea and within the Arabo-Persian Gulf basin, together exposing over one million square kilometres of land. In addition, reduced sea levels triggered increased freshwater upwelling across these emerged landscapes, creating stable refugia for Arabia's prehistoric inhabitants. Given this cyclical process of amelioration and desiccation, it is posited that Arabia served as a demographic pump by drawing in hunter-gatherers during favourable phases; conversely, causing them to contract back into geographically conscripted refugia at the onset of aridification. Challenging climatic conditions created a negative-feedback-loop, as environmental desiccation reduced landscape carrying capacity and exerted pressure on Arabian foragers.
This research project will investigate one such environmental refugium: the Dhofar Mountains in southern Oman. Even under the present arid climatic regime, the annual monsoon rains deposit up to 400 mm of rainfall during the summer months. Therefore, Dhofar is posited to have served as an important population retreat during climatic downturns. This is supported by new evidence from al-Hatab Rockshelter in Dhofar, where evidence of human occupation during the Terminal Pleistocene has been found - a hyperarid phase when the peninsula was previously thought to have been uninhabitable.
Research in Dhofar permits the exploration of a potentially important refugium to determine the local record of human occupation and what adaptive behaviours (if any) developed amidst the backdrop of a fluctuating palaeoclimate. A series of preliminary investigations conducted by the PI throughout the region have recorded dense and ubiquitous lithic surface scatters across the landscape, often found in association with ancient lake basins and relict drainage systems. Two in situ buried archaeological sites have been tested (al-Hatab rockshelter and Ras Aïn Noor), with several other deposits requiring test-pitting (see Figures 1, 2, and 3 in visual evidence). Weaving together geological landscape survey with archaeological excavation and radiometric dating, we will begin to reconstruct the sequence of Upper Pleistocene occupation in Dhofar to articulate the expansion and contraction of hunter-gatherer communities associated with this niche.
It is not surprising that the peninsula facilitated periodic population expansions. The drastically oscillating Upper Pleistocene palaeoclimate occasionally transformed Arabia's hyperarid desert interior into savannah grasslands incised by perennial rivers and playa lakes. The landscape was also dramatically altered by depressed sea levels that exposed the continental shelf along the Red Sea and within the Arabo-Persian Gulf basin, together exposing over one million square kilometres of land. In addition, reduced sea levels triggered increased freshwater upwelling across these emerged landscapes, creating stable refugia for Arabia's prehistoric inhabitants. Given this cyclical process of amelioration and desiccation, it is posited that Arabia served as a demographic pump by drawing in hunter-gatherers during favourable phases; conversely, causing them to contract back into geographically conscripted refugia at the onset of aridification. Challenging climatic conditions created a negative-feedback-loop, as environmental desiccation reduced landscape carrying capacity and exerted pressure on Arabian foragers.
This research project will investigate one such environmental refugium: the Dhofar Mountains in southern Oman. Even under the present arid climatic regime, the annual monsoon rains deposit up to 400 mm of rainfall during the summer months. Therefore, Dhofar is posited to have served as an important population retreat during climatic downturns. This is supported by new evidence from al-Hatab Rockshelter in Dhofar, where evidence of human occupation during the Terminal Pleistocene has been found - a hyperarid phase when the peninsula was previously thought to have been uninhabitable.
Research in Dhofar permits the exploration of a potentially important refugium to determine the local record of human occupation and what adaptive behaviours (if any) developed amidst the backdrop of a fluctuating palaeoclimate. A series of preliminary investigations conducted by the PI throughout the region have recorded dense and ubiquitous lithic surface scatters across the landscape, often found in association with ancient lake basins and relict drainage systems. Two in situ buried archaeological sites have been tested (al-Hatab rockshelter and Ras Aïn Noor), with several other deposits requiring test-pitting (see Figures 1, 2, and 3 in visual evidence). Weaving together geological landscape survey with archaeological excavation and radiometric dating, we will begin to reconstruct the sequence of Upper Pleistocene occupation in Dhofar to articulate the expansion and contraction of hunter-gatherer communities associated with this niche.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
Jeffrey Rose (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Al-Abri A
(2012)
Pleistocene-Holocene boundary in Southern Arabia from the perspective of human mtDNA variation.
in American journal of physical anthropology
Bayoumi R
(2016)
Positive selection of lactase persistence among people of Southern Arabia.
in American journal of physical anthropology
Hilbert Y
(2015)
Terminal Pleistocene and Early Holocene archaeology and stratigraphy of the southern Nejd, Oman
in Quaternary International
Hilbert YH
(2012)
Late Palaeolithic core reduction strategies in Dhofar, oman
in Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies
Hilbert YH
(2014)
Südarabien während dem Spätpleistozän und Frühholozän: Archäologie, Paläogenetik und Populationsdynamik
in Archäologiesche Information
Rose J
(2013)
Tabula rasa or refugia? Using genetic data to assess the peopling of Arabia
in Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy
Rose JI
(2014)
New Palaeolithic sites in the southern Rub' al Khali desert, Oman
in Antiquity
Rose JI
(2014)
"Out of Arabia" and the Middle-Upper Palaeolithic transition in the southern Levant
in Quartaer
Usik V
(2013)
Nubian Complex reduction strategies in Dhofar, southern Oman
in Quaternary International
Description | Committee for Research and Exploration |
Amount | $24,630 (USD) |
Funding ID | 9950-16 |
Organisation | National Geographic |
Sector | Private |
Country | United States |
Start | 01/2017 |
End | 12/2018 |
Description | Waitt Grant |
Amount | $14,700 (USD) |
Funding ID | W253-12 |
Organisation | National Geographic |
Sector | Private |
Country | United States |
Start | 01/2013 |
End | 12/2013 |
Description | 750 Million Years of Life in Oman |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | This was a documentary program made for Oman TV, which featured a segment on my research in Dhofar |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
Description | Ancient Tools Point to Early Human Migration Into Arabia |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Press release ahead of our PLoS ONE publication detailing our discovery of the Nubian Complex in Dhofar |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
URL | http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2011/11/ancient-tools-point-early-human-migration-arabia |
Description | Assessing the genetic and archaeological evidence for demographic continuity across the Pleistocene-Holocene boundary in Southern Arabia |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Paper delivered at "The Neolithic of Arabia: new paradigms and perspectives, ESF Exploratory Workshop, Lyon, France." |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
Description | DNA Nation |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | DNA Nation was a documentary series on SBS Australia. My research in Dhofar was featured in Episode 2. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | First Peoples |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | First Peoples was a documentary series on American PBS. My research in Dhofar was featured in the episode entitled "Asia" |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | https://youtu.be/2mpkn7AEAvU |
Description | From Refugium to Oasis: the case of Dhofar in southern Arabia |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited paper at the "38th Rencontres internationales d'archéologie et d'histoire d'Antibes" |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | Grasping temporal variability and landscape evolution: spatial analysis of surface scatters from the Nejd plateau, Oman |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Paper presented at the "XVIIth UISPP World Congress" |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
Description | Human Origins in a Lost Oasis: from the genomic study of contemporary populations to prehistoric archaeology and archaeogenetics in Dhofar |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Session organizer at the UNESCO International Committee on Archaeological Heritage Management (Salalah, Dhofar) |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | Le Complexe Nubien: un technocomplexe homogène? |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Paper presented at the "23rd Biennial Meeting of the Society of Africanist Archaeologists" |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | Meet the Izzards |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | BBC1 documentary series "Meet the Izzards" |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012,2013 |
URL | https://youtu.be/gS9e2TGIxMg |
Description | On the trail of the first humans |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Invited paper at the "7th Annual National Geographic Explorer's Symposium" |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
Description | One Giant Leap for Mankind |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited paper at "TEDxSalalah" |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
URL | https://youtu.be/5yfQmgT_2Qg |
Description | The Dhofar Nubian Tradition: an enduring Middle Stone Age techno complex in southern Arabia |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Paper presented at the "2nd Annual Meeting of the European Society for Human Evolution" |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
Description | The Great Human Race |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | National Geographic television series about modern human expansion. I consulted for the episode titled "Thirst" that featured our research in Dhofar. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | The Peoplings of Arabia: Human demography in the Arabian Peninsula during the last ice age |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Paper given at the "1st International Conference for Genomic Studies of Consanguinity for the Discovery of Genes Predisposing and Protecting from Diseases, Muscat, Oman." |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
Description | The origin of the Levantine Emiran and implications for modern human dispersal into the Levant |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Paper presented at the "24th Annual Meeting of the Palaeoanthropology Society" |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
Description | Trail of Tools Reveals Modern Humans Path Out of Africa |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | This was a National Geographic news article summarizing our publication of the "Out of Arabia" hypothesis |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/02/150224-africa-stone-tools-modern-humans-arabia-emir... |