Archaeologists investigating an ancient lakeside in Saudi Arabia have uncovered evidence of how early humans lived and exploited the landscape during a period when the Arabian Peninsula was dramatically greener than it is today.
The discoveries were made at Uruq al-Julaybah in Mundafan, southern Saudi Arabia, where researchers have identified a 125,000-year-old landscape containing thousands of stone tools alongside animal and plant remains.
The study, published in Science, was jointly led by the Saudi Heritage Commission, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and Griffith University, with contributions from an international team of specialists.
Around 125,000 years ago, during the Last Interglacial, Arabia experienced significantly wetter climatic conditions. This period, sometimes referred to as “Green Arabia”, transformed areas now dominated by desert into landscapes containing freshwater lakes, grasslands and vegetation.
Using satellite terrain modelling, researchers reconstructed an ancient lake covering approximately 340 square kilometres, which at its greatest extent reached depths of up to 29 metres.
Analysis of sediments, landforms and aquatic remains indicates that the lake was a relatively stable freshwater environment surrounded by vegetation and open grassland.
This landscape would have attracted both animals and humans, creating a concentration of freshwater, plant resources, prey animals and raw materials along the shoreline.
Researchers documented more than 500 plant and animal fossil specimens from over 130 locations across the site.
Among the animal remains were hippopotamuses, extinct long-horned buffaloes, camels, Arabian oryx, gazelles and ostriches, demonstrating how different the environment was from the arid landscape found in the region today.
The team also recovered 5,511 stone artefacts measuring more than two centimetres from the principal study area. More than 98 per cent were manufactured from flint, with analysis showing that prehistoric toolmakers used Levallois techniques to shape the stone.
Microscopic and chemical examination of the tools has provided further evidence about how they were used.
Researchers identified residues from a variety of plants, including potentially toxic species. Traces of resin and woody tissue also suggest that some stone implements were hafted onto wooden shafts and may have served as weapon tips.
According to the study, the presence of toxic plant compounds could represent some of the earliest evidence in Saudi Arabia for their possible use in hunting technology.
Other residues indicate that the inhabitants processed tubers, shrubs and palm leaves, suggesting plants were exploited for food and a variety of practical activities.
Evidence of palm-related vegetation is also among the earliest identified in the region.
The combination of stone tools, animal fossils and plant remains within the same securely dated archaeological context makes Uruq al-Julaybah particularly significant.
Rather than providing isolated traces of prehistoric activity, the site allows researchers to reconstruct different aspects of daily life within the same landscape.
The shores of Lake Mundafan appear to have supported stone tool production, the preparation of hunting equipment, animal and plant processing and the working of plant fibres.
“It is very exciting to see how the collaboration of so many different specialists allows us to reconstruct this uniquely complete picture of life, behaviour and the environment in the distant past,” said Professor Frans van Buchem, KAUST Professor of Geology and co-lead scientist.
Professor Chris Clarkson, co-lead scientist and Professor of Archaeology at Griffith University’s Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, said: “This site gives us a rare and richly detailed view of how people lived in a landscape that looks nothing like Arabia today.”
“The combination of animal remains, stone tools and plant material in a single, dated context is what makes this discovery so significant,” Clarkson added.
The evidence contributes to a growing archaeological picture of the Arabian Peninsula as an important landscape for early human populations rather than simply an inhospitable desert separating Africa and Eurasia.
During wetter climatic phases, lakes and grasslands could have provided corridors containing the water, food and other resources required by human groups moving through and occupying the peninsula.
Dr Faisal Al-Jibreen of the Saudi Heritage Commission, a specialist in Palaeolithic archaeology who participated in the research, said the Mundafan discovery provides important evidence for understanding the relationship between humans, animals and the ancient environment of southern Saudi Arabia.
Professor Laurence Hapiot, co-author and Head of Heritage Research at KAUST, added: “Saudi Arabia has an exceptional archaeological heritage. Building Heritage Science capabilities in the Kingdom will enable us to turn the smallest traces into the biggest stories.”
The research provides one of the most detailed snapshots yet of human activity in Arabia during the Last Interglacial, revealing that the region’s modern deserts once supported freshwater ecosystems rich enough to sustain both large animals and prehistoric human populations.
Sources : KAUST
