Once green, prehistoric Arabia drew early humans from Africa

WASHINGTON – Huw Groucutt passes rolling soil dunes arsenic acold arsenic his oculus tin spot erstwhile traveling to archaeological sites successful the bluish Arabian Peninsula. But the aforesaid godforsaken regions were erstwhile intermittently lush and green, attracting aboriginal humans and ample animals specified arsenic hippopotamuses migrating retired of Africa to linger astatine past lakes, caller grounds suggests.

Until a decennary ago, the Arabian Peninsula was a blank spot connected the representation for scientists trying to reconstruct the communicative of aboriginal quality improvement and movements retired of Africa. Much much is known astir aboriginal quality settlements successful the Levant portion — modern-day Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and parts of Syria — wherever extended archaeological probe has been carried retired for much than a century.

But the Arabian Peninsula whitethorn person besides played an important relation arsenic a span betwixt Africa and Eurasia, a survey published Wednesday successful the diary Nature suggests.

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“Arabia has not been portion of the communicative of aboriginal quality migration due to the fact that truthful small enactment was done determination before,” said co-author Michael Petraglia, a paleolithic archaeologist astatine the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History successful Jena, Germany. The probe squad included scientists from Germany, Saudi Arabia, Australia, the United Kingdom and elsewhere.

The impetus to look intimately for archeological remains successful the portion came from outer imagery that revealed traces of prehistoric lakes successful now-arid regions. “We noticed colour patterns made by past lakes — soil dunes are benignant of orange-colored, portion past lakes are tinted achromatic oregon gray,” said Groucutt, who is besides based astatine the Max Planck Institute.

Extensive excavations implicit a decennary revealed chromatic tools from aggregate periods of prehistoric colony by aboriginal quality groups, the oldest 400,000 years ago. Analysis of sediment samples from the past lakes and remains from hippos and different animals revealed that during respective periods successful the distant past, the peninsula hosted year-round lakes and grasslands.

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During these windows of hospitable climate, aboriginal humans and animals moved from northeast Africa into the Arabian Peninsula, the researchers say.

“Flowing rivers and lakes, surrounded by grasslands and savannah, would person attracted animals and past the aboriginal humans that were successful pursuit of them,” said Petraglia. Hippos necessitate year-round h2o bodies respective yards (meters) heavy to live. Remains of different animals, including ostriches and antelopes, bespeak “a beardown biologic transportation to northeast Africa,” helium said.

1. “What this probe radical has done is truly exquisitely harvester archaeology and clime records going backmost 400,000 years to amusement that aboriginal humans moved crossed this scenery erstwhile the clime changed,” said paleoanthropologist Rick Potts, who directs the Human Origins Program astatine the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.

“The episodic beingness and lack of populations successful the Arabian Peninsula was successful tune with clime oscillations,” said Potts, who was not progressive successful the caller study.

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Follow Christina Larson connected Twitter: @larsonchristina

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