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. 2013 Jul 19;8(7):e68061.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0068061. Print 2013.

Beyond the Levant: first evidence of a pre-pottery Neolithic incursion into the Nefud Desert, Saudi Arabia

Rémy Crassard  1 , Michael D Petraglia, Adrian G Parker, Ash Parton, Richard G Roberts, Zenobia Jacobs, Abdullah Alsharekh, Abdulaziz Al-Omari, Paul Breeze, Nick A Drake, Huw S Groucutt, Richard Jennings, Emmanuelle Régagnon, Ceri Shipton
Affiliations

Beyond the Levant: first evidence of a pre-pottery Neolithic incursion into the Nefud Desert, Saudi Arabia

Rémy Crassard et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Pre-Pottery Neolithic assemblages are best known from the fertile areas of the Mediterranean Levant. The archaeological site of Jebel Qattar 101 (JQ-101), at Jubbah in the southern part of the Nefud Desert of northern Saudi Arabia, contains a large collection of stone tools, adjacent to an Early Holocene palaeolake. The stone tool assemblage contains lithic types, including El-Khiam and Helwan projectile points, which are similar to those recorded in Pre-Pottery Neolithic A and Pre-Pottery Neolithic B assemblages in the Fertile Crescent. Jebel Qattar lies ∼500 kilometres outside the previously identified geographic range of Pre-Pottery Neolithic cultures. Technological analysis of the typologically diagnostic Jebel Qattar 101 projectile points indicates a unique strategy to manufacture the final forms, thereby raising the possibility of either direct migration of Levantine groups or the acculturation of mobile communities in Arabia. The discovery of the Early Holocene site of Jebel Qattar suggests that our view of the geographic distribution and character of Pre-Pottery Neolithic cultures may be in need of revision.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: Michael D. Petraglia is a PLOS ONE Editorial Board member. This does not alter the authors’ adherence to all the PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Map of the Neolithic Near East with the different geo-cultural zones of the core area (or Fertile Crescent), in green; after Aurenche and Kozlowski .
The JQ-101 site is located in the southern part of the Nefud Desert in Saudi Arabia.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Neolithic sites of northern Arabia and palaeohydrology.
Potential Holocene drainage is displayed in blue, with currently severed drainage connections that may have been active during Holocene humid periods interpreted and displayed in grey. Numbered Wadis: (1) Wadi as Sirhan, (2) Wadi al Hamd, (3) Euphrates, (4) Wadi al Batin, (5) Wadi Sabha. Potential palaeolake or swamp deposits detected through remote sensing which may relate to Holocene humidity are displayed for the region surrounding Jubbah. All data is overlain upon SRTMv4 elevation data and Natural Earth 2 offshore data. Archaeological site locations calculated from survey data of the ‘Comprehensive Archaeological Survey Programme’, more information is provided in Groucutt and Petraglia .
Figure 3
Figure 3. General setting of JQ-101 and JQ-200 at Jebel Qattar.
A: 3D view of the sites, from the northern slope of Jebel Qattar; B: topographic map of Jebel Qattar area with mentioned sites, framed zone is expanded in Figure 7.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Sedimentological analyses from the palaeolake sequence at JQ-201.
Showing mean particle size, magnetic susceptibility, LOI 550°C (organics) and LOI 950°C (carbonates). Radiocarbon ages are shown in cal. BC.
Figure 5
Figure 5. Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating.
Radial plot of the equivalent dose (De) values obtained from 49 individual grains of quartz from sample JQ200-OSL1. Filled circles denote the 46 values used to calculate the weighted mean De for OSL age determination, and open triangles are the three values identified as outliers (Table 1). Each point represents the De value for a single grain. It can be read off the radial axis by extending a line from zero on the ‘standardised estimate’ axis through the point of interest, and the ‘relative error’ on this De can be read by projecting a vertical line to intersect the horizontal axis. The ‘precision’ is the reciprocal of the relative error, so the most precise De estimates lie furthest to the right. The grey band is centred on the weighted mean De estimated using the Central Age Model. Individual De values that are consistent at 2σ with this weighted mean fall within the grey band. This De distribution is overdispersed by 23±4%, which is typical for well-bleached samples of quartz that have not been disturbed since burial. See Galbraith and Roberts for further explanation of statistical aspects of De estimation and display in OSL dating.
Figure 6
Figure 6. General views of JQ-101 site while excavated and surveyed.
Figure 7
Figure 7. Map of artefacts distribution on surface at JQ-101, with trenches localisation.
Figure 8
Figure 8. Map of the Levantine sites with El Khiam points.
It is based on maps in Kozlowski and Aurenche . JQ-101 lays more than 500 km from the “core area”.
Figure 9
Figure 9. Three El-Khiam points from JQ-101.
The enlarged views represent the basal ventrally retouched parts (x3). Top one (broken) is in crystal quartz.
Figure 10
Figure 10. Map of the Levantine sites with Helwan points.
It shows the Abu Salem points sub-type, based on maps in Kozlowski and Aurenche . JQ-101 lays more than 500 km from the “core area”.
Figure 11
Figure 11. JQ-101 Helwan points (Abu Salem points sub-type).
1,2 are complete; 3 is fragmentary; and a possible Gilgal truncation (4).
Figure 12
Figure 12. Others types of projectile points from JQ-101.
Examples of different types of tanged with no barbs or barbed and tanged arrowheads.
Figure 13
Figure 13. Burins from JQ-101.
One long burin spall is shown bottom right.
Figure 14
Figure 14. Tanged scrapers from JQ-101.
The upper one (drawing and photography) is complete, while the three others are fragmentary.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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Publication types

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the National Geographic Society (to MDP), the Leakey Foundation (to MDP), the European Research Council (number 295719, to MDP), the Australian Research Council (to RGR and ZJ) and the Fondation Fyssen (‘Subvention de Recherche 2013’, to RC). The authors acknowledge the Australian Research Council for OSL sample collection and dating through laboratory analysis. The funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

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