Neanderthals may have trekked through the Saudi Arabian desert 55,000 years ago, farther south than experts thought possible
Stone tools from a lakeside site in Saudi Arabia hint that Neanderthals were adapted to the arid Arabian interior, not just to cold places.
A groundbreaking study has revealed that Neanderthals may have ventured deep into the Arabian Peninsula's deserts around 55,000 years ago, challenging previous assumptions about their geographical range. The research, published in Quaternary Science Reviews, suggests that Neanderthals might have lived much farther south than previously thought, potentially even in the open environments of Saudi Arabia's Nefud Desert.
The study, led by Huw Groucutt of the University of Malta, focused on stone tools found at Jebel Katefeh-1 (JKF-1), an archaeological site near the ancient lake in Jubbah, Saudi Arabia's Nefud Desert. Unlike Neanderthal bones, which have never been discovered in Arabia, the researchers identified the tools as likely made by Neanderthals based on their unique shape.
By comparing the stone flakes to those from other sites where the toolmakers' identities were known, the team created a statistical model to help differentiate Neanderthal tools from those of Homo sapiens. Applying this model to the JKF-1 tools and those from a nearby site called ALM-3, the researchers found it more likely that Neanderthals crafted the JKF-1 tools.
To determine when these tools were made, the team analyzed sand grains in the soil at JKF-1 using optically stimulated luminescence. This method revealed that the tools were found in a layer where older desert sand gave way to younger lake sediment, indicating the presence of humans around 55,000 years ago, just as the desert began to turn wetter.
According to the researchers, Neanderthals were the only group living in southwest Asia at that time, making it highly probable that they created the JKF-1 tools. While no Neanderthal bones have been found in Arabia, the study's findings suggest a Neanderthal presence in northern Saudi Arabia, potentially linked to a climate shift that drew grazing animals into the desert interior and followed by Neanderthals.
However, the evidence remains circumstantial, as more solid proof, such as fossil remains, would be needed to confirm this belief.
Written by urgent.news from Live Science's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
