Middle Palaeolithic occupation on a Marine Isotope Stage 5 lakeshore in the 
Nefud Desert

Petraglia, Michael D.; Alsharekh, Abdullah M.; Crassard, Rémy; Drake, Nick A.; Groucutt, Huw S.; Parker, Adrian G.; Roberts, Richard G.

doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2011.04.006

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Middle Palaeolithic occupation on a Marine Isotope Stage 5 lakeshore in the Nefud Desert

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Citation

Petraglia, M. D., Alsharekh, A. M., Crassard, R., Drake, N. A., Groucutt, H. S., Parker, A. G., et al. (2011). Middle Palaeolithic occupation on a Marine Isotope Stage 5 lakeshore in the Nefud Desert. Quaternary Science Reviews, 30(13-14), 1555-1559. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2011.04.006.

Cite as: https://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-0004-43F3-E

Abstract

Major 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.