11 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

The Oldest Evidence of Stone Blade Production in Southern Arabia: 80,000-Year-Old Stone Blades Discovered

An international team of researchers led by Knut Bretzke of Friedrich Schiller University Jena uncovered 80,000-year-old stone blades at the rock shelter site of Jebel Faya in the Emirate of Sharjah.

The discovery of the oldest evidence to date of the systematic production of stone blades on the Arabian Peninsula marks a significant advancement in the understanding of prehistoric human technology in the region.  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, highlighting the cultural practices associated with tool-making and the migration patterns of early humans.

Published in the journal Archaeological and Anthropological Science, the study emphasizes the crucial role of southern Arabia in the cultural evolution and diversification of early human populations in Southwest Asia, with the artifacts being dated to approximately 80,000 years using luminescence techniques.

Dr. Bretzke notes that the region’s climatic history has been marked by dramatic changes, transitioning from a period of favorable conditions—characterized by permanent rivers and lakes—beginning around 130,000 years ago, to an extreme arid phase that significantly influenced human settlement and cultural practices.

The findings suggest that while northern and southern Arabia experienced distinct cultural developments during this transition, the shared traditions in stone tool production indicate a complex interplay of human activity across the peninsula. This differentiation is crucial for understanding the timeline and pathways of early human migrations from Africa to Asia.

Examples of the 80,000-year-old stone blades found at Jebel Faya. The relatively thin and uniform blades indicate efficient manufacturing methods and are flexible in use. This was an advantage for the hunters and gatherers in South Arabia and allowed settlement even in climatically unfavorable periods. Illustration: Mojdeh Lajmiri
Examples of the 80,000-year-old stone blades found at Jebel Faya. The relatively thin and uniform blades indicate efficient manufacturing methods and are flexible in use. This was an advantage for the hunters and gatherers in South Arabia and allowed settlement even in climatically unfavorable periods. Illustration: Mojdeh Lajmiri

The research indicates that the global expansion of Homo sapiens occurred in multiple waves, with evidence from Jebel Faya suggesting that one such migration along the southern Arabian Peninsula took place around 80,000 years ago. However, a notable challenge remains: the absence of Paleolithic human remains in southern Arabia limits the ability to conduct genetic analyses that could provide deeper insights into the populations that once inhabited the area.

Excavations at Jebel Faya have revealed evidence of human activity spanning from approximately 210,000 to 10,000 years ago, with extensive digging reaching depths of five meters. Despite the wealth of stone tools discovered, the lack of fossilized remains hinders direct connections between these artifacts and specific genetic lineages.

The interdisciplinary project, involving researchers from Jena, Tübingen, and Freiburg in Germany, as well as Oxford Brookes University in the UK, collaborates closely with local authorities in Sharjah to facilitate ongoing excavations and analyses.

This discovery not only deepens our understanding of early human migrations but also indicates that southern Arabia had a more complex and vital role in the expansion of Homo sapiens than previously thought. As research progresses, archaeologists are hopeful that further evidence will emerge, shedding light on the region’s ancient history and the innovative strategies early humans employed to adapt to changing environmental conditions.

Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena

Knut Bretzke, Frank Preusser, Kira Raith, Gareth Preston, Seolmin Kim, Sabah Jasim, Eisa Yousif und Adrian Parker: Archaeology, chronology, and sedimentological context of the youngest Middle Palaeolithic assemblage from Jebel Faya, United Arab Emirates, Archaeological and Anthropological Science, DOI: 10.1007/s12520-025-02164

Cover Image Credit: The Jebel Faya archaeological site on the Arabian Peninsula.
Credit: Knut Bretzke

Related Articles

Czech scientists make “Celtic beer” using analysis of pollen from burial site

22 September 2023

22 September 2023

Czech scientists, together with a small experimental brewer, have recreated the country’s first ‘Celtic Beer’ using laboratory analysis of pollen...

4,900-year-old Copper Age Fortress with a Violent Past and Odd Roman Burial Found in Spain

13 February 2025

13 February 2025

A remarkable 4,900-year-old Copper Age fortress, featuring a pentagon shape, three concentric walls, 25 bastions, and three ditches, has been...

New evidence for early regional exchanges in Eurasia: Ice skates made of animal bones over 3,000 years old

9 March 2023

9 March 2023

Chinese archaeologists have discovered ancient ice skates made of animal bones at the Gaotai Ruins in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous...

AI Unlocks Ancient Secrets: Dead Sea Scrolls May Be Centuries Older Than Previously Thought

8 June 2025

8 June 2025

New research blends cutting-edge artificial intelligence with advanced radiocarbon dating and offers a transformative perspective on the origins of the...

1100-Year-Old Rare Sealed Amphora Discovered on Shipwreck off Türkiye Coast

27 April 2025

27 April 2025

Underwater excavations near Kaş, Antalya, on Turkey’s southwestern coast, have yielded fascinating insights into ancient Mediterranean seafaring and trade. A...

New discoveries show that Claros continued to serve as an oracle center after Christianity

14 September 2022

14 September 2022

Game boards and forked cross motifs dating to the fifth and seventh centuries AD were discovered at the ancient Greek...

Paleontologists have discovered a new species of giant rhino

18 June 2021

18 June 2021

Paleontologists studying in China have found a new species of gigantic rhinoceros, the world’s biggest land animal. According to a...

A submerged stone bridge constructed 5600 years ago shed light on the human colonization of the western Mediterranean

31 August 2024

31 August 2024

An interdisciplinary research team, led by University of South Florida (USF) geology Professor Bogdan Onac, has examined an ancient submerged...

1,500-Year-Old Stained Glass and Mosaics Discovered at Harran Cathedral Excavation in Türkiye

7 February 2025

7 February 2025

Recent excavations at the historic Harran archaeological site, which is included on UNESCO’s World Heritage Tentative List, have yielded rare...

Archaeologists Reveals Rare Evidence of Early Human Presence in Tajikistan

6 November 2024

6 November 2024

Archaeologists have discovered a multi-layered archaeological site in the Zeravshan Valley of central Tajikistan that reveals early human settlement in...

Stonehenge could be a solar calendar, according to a new study

2 March 2022

2 March 2022

A new study posits that the Stonehenge circles served as a calendar that tracks the solar year of 365.25 days,...

Spanish Water Worker discovered 2,500-Year-Old two Gold Necklaces

14 September 2023

14 September 2023

A worker at a local water company in Spain discovered two gold necklaces thought to date back 2,500 years. Sergio...

Artifacts used for ancient magic rituals discovered on Darb al-Hajj route from Cairo to Mecca

11 September 2023

11 September 2023

The artifacts, found in the 1990s on the ancient Darb al-Hajj route from Cairo to Mecca, may have been in...

Archaeologists have discovered sandstone blocks belonging to a pharaoh’s temple covered with hieroglyphs in Sudan

2 March 2023

2 March 2023

Polish archaeologists have discovered sandstone blocks belonging to a pharaoh’s temple covered with hieroglyphs during excavations at Old Dongola in...

The 3200-year-old Mycenaean figure that brought Ephesus together with the Hittite civilization: Found in the excavations of Ayasuluk Tepe

11 June 2022

11 June 2022

A 3,200-year-old Mycenaean figurine that could change the perspective on the history of civilization in Western Anatolia during the Bronze...