An international team of researchers, led by Dr. Knut Bretzke from Friedrich Schiller University Jena, has identified the oldest evidence to date of the systematic production of stone blades on the Arabian Peninsula. According to analyses conducted using luminescence techniques, these artifacts have been dated to approximately 80,000 years ago. The findings were made at the archaeological site of Jebel Faya, located in the Emirate of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. This discovery provides new insights into the history of human habitation in Arabia and the possible routes used by Homo sapiens in their expansion out of Africa.
The results of the study were recently published in the scientific journal Archaeological and Anthropological Science and represent a significant advancement in understanding prehistoric human migration routes.
Dr. Bretzke has emphasized that these findings suggest a completely different role for southern Arabia in the consolidation and cultural diversification of Homo sapiens populations in Southwest Asia compared to the northern part of the peninsula. For approximately 80,000 years, the region underwent drastic climatic changes following a prolonged period of favorable conditions that began 130,000 years ago. During that time, Arabia was characterized by the presence of permanent rivers and lake formations, which facilitated human occupation in various areas and led to the emergence of similar traditions in stone tool production across the peninsula.
However, the new findings at Jebel Faya reveal that, with the transition to an extreme arid phase, distinct cultural developments began to emerge in northern and southern Arabia. This differentiation is a key aspect in better understanding the chronology and trajectory of early Homo sapiens migrations from Africa to Asia.
The global expansion of our species occurred in multiple waves, beginning at least 150,000 years ago, and the data obtained at Jebel Faya suggest that one of these migrations took place along the southern edge of the Arabian Peninsula around 80,000 years ago.
Despite these advances, researchers face a significant obstacle: so far, no human remains from the Paleolithic period have been found in southern Arabia. This limitation prevents direct genetic analyses that could provide complementary information about the human populations that once occupied the region.
Excavations at Jebel Faya have been extensive, reaching depths of up to five meters, and have provided evidence of human activity in the area from approximately 210,000 to 10,000 years ago. However, the absence of fossilized bones or teeth limits scientists’ ability to directly correlate these stone tools with specific genetic lineages.
The archaeological project led by Dr. Bretzke includes an interdisciplinary team of researchers from the universities of Jena, Tübingen, and Freiburg in Germany, as well as Oxford Brookes University in the United Kingdom. Additionally, the scientists are working closely with specialists from local authorities in the Emirate of Sharjah, facilitating the excavations and analysis of the archaeological material found.
This discovery represents a major advancement in understanding early human migrations and suggests that southern Arabia played a more complex and distinct role in the expansion of Homo sapiens out of Africa than previously thought. With continued research, archaeologists hope to uncover further evidence that will shed more light on the ancient history of the region and the mechanisms that allowed human adaptation to changing climatic conditions.
SOURCES
Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
Bretzke, K., Preusser, F., Raith, K. et al. Archaeology, chronology, and sedimentological context of the youngest Middle Palaeolithic assemblage from Jebel Faya, United Arab Emirates. Archaeol Anthropol Sci 17, 60 (2025). doi.org/10.1007/s12520-025-02164-z
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