Stone tools suggest Neanderthals once inhabited Arabian deserts
Neanderthals are largely associated with colder climates across Eurasia. But researchers know that both Homo sapiens and Neanderthals moved through nearby Southwest Asia between about 100,000 and 50,000 years ago, and Arabia was a crossroads between Africa, Europe and Asia during the Ice Age.
Recent research has found that Neanderthals may have inhabited northern Arabia around 60,000 to 50,000 years ago, suggesting they extended their range beyond Europe. This discovery challenges the common depiction of Neanderthals as solely dwelling in cold European landscapes. The study analyzed stone tools from a site called Jebel Katefeh-1 in Saudi Arabia's Nefud Desert, comparing them to tools from other regions.
The tools from Jebel Katefeh-1 showed a greater similarity to those associated with Neanderthals than with those linked to Homo sapiens. This suggests that Neanderthals may have been present in the Arabian deserts during the Ice Age, adding to the complexity of human history in the region. The findings also hint at Arabia potentially serving as a meeting ground for different human populations and a route out of Africa.
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