A new international study published this week in the Journal of Archaeological Science could revolutionize the way archaeologists study surface sites in desert regions, tackling a long-standing challenge in prehistoric archaeology.
“The international team of scientists, led by Jeff Rose from the Interdisciplinary Center for Archeology and Evolution of Human Behavior (ICArEHB), developed a system for relative dating of stone tools found at the surface, offering crucial information about human prehistory where traditional dating methods are not available”, says UAlg in a statement.
The study focuses on a series of remarkably well-preserved prehistoric sites in southern Oman (Arabian Peninsula), revealing a timeline of human occupation that spans more than 200,000 years. Because there has been little disturbance or sedimentation to the arid landscape over the years, researchers can find stone tools right where they were left hundreds of thousands of years ago.
“These sites offer an unparalleled window into the past,” says Jeff Rose. “Repeatedly visited by early human toolmakers over hundreds of millennia, they still exhibit clear patterns of artifact disposal, allowing us to track changes in human behavior over time,” he concludes.
The team’s innovative approach examines how artifacts are affected by climate and atmospheric conditions. Combining this with spatial distribution, it is possible to map the sequence of occupations, distinguishing different periods of occupation separated by thousands of years at the same site – a potential advance for archeology in arid regions around the world where sites tend to be found. on the surface and cannot be dated.
Metin Eren, one of the study’s co-authors, adds: “It is exciting that we have succeeded in this first stage, but there is still a lot of work to be done to develop and improve the registration system, this is just the beginning.”
The research also highlights Oman’s fundamental role in human prehistory. Evidence of continuous human occupation at certain periods suggests that the site could have served as a refuge in times of climatic stress. According to Alan Cooper, an evolutionary scientist not associated with the study, “the region appears to have been more than just a bridge between continents; it was potentially a strategic point for the first humans to migrate out of Africa.”
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