1. New Palaeolithic sites around Al-Badʾ, north-western Saudi Arabia
- Author
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Rémy Crassard, Yamandú Hilbert, Guillaume Charloux, Samer Sahlah, Waleed Badaiwi, ARCHEORIENT - Environnements et sociétés de l'Orient ancien (Archéorient), Université Lumière - Lyon 2 (UL2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), ORIENT ET MÉDITERRANÉE : Textes, Archéologie, Histoire (OM), Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (UP1)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Collège de France (CdF (institution))-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Équipe Mondes sémitiques (OM-MS), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Collège de France (CdF (institution))-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (UP1)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Collège de France (CdF (institution)), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Collège de France (CdF (institution))-Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (UP1)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), and Crassard, Rémy
- Subjects
Levallois methods ,[SHS.ARCHEO] Humanities and Social Sciences/Archaeology and Prehistory ,[SHS.ARCHEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Archaeology and Prehistory ,hand-axes ,Saudi Arabia ,Middle Palaeolithic ,lithic technology - Abstract
International audience; The northwestern part of Saudi Arabia, being still widely unexplored, is a crucial area to document and understand dispersals and peopling of the Arabian Peninsula by the genus Homo on its way to other parts of Eurasia. We present here the preliminary results of a short survey conducted in 2019 in the vicinity of the modern town of Al-Badʾ, northwestern Saudi Arabia. The lithics from three surface sites, which are located at the foot and slopes of a small jebel of the Al-Rughāmah Mountains present technologically characteristic traits that match other various Middle Palaeolithic industries found across the Arabian Peninsula. The presence of hand-axes and other heavy-weathered artefacts may also indicate an earlier occupation of the region, possibly during the Lower Palaeolithic. The short description of these three newly discovered sites contributes to the growing dataset of Palaeolithic presence in Arabia.
- Published
- 2020