Khamseen rock shelter and the Late Palaeolithic‐Neolithic transition in Dhofar
01 May 2013-Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy (John Wiley & Sons, Ltd (10.1111))-Vol. 24, Iss: 1, pp 51-58
TL;DR: In this article, the archaeological site of Khamseen rock shelter, its stratigraphic succession, numeric ages and Early-Middle Holocene lithic assemblages are presented, and the evidence found at Khamseen and other coeval archaeological sites across southern Arabia is considered.
Abstract: This paper presents the archaeological site of Khamseen rock shelter, its stratigraphic succession, numeric ages and Early–Middle Holocene lithic assemblages. The site was discovered and excavated during the 2010 fieldwork campaign of the Dhofar Archaeological Project (DAP) in southern Oman. It is situated at the southern edge of the Nejd Plateau, strategically positioned adjacent to a major orographic barrier at the interface of the plateau and escarpment. Excavations revealed a succession of five archaeological horizons, each bearing technologically distinct lithic assemblages. The lowest level (GH.5) is attributed to the Khashabian industry, representing the final phase of the South Arabian Late Palaeolithic. Above that, in GH.4, a Neolithic assemblage was found with bifacial tool forms typical of the Middle Holocene. In light of the evidence found at Khamseen rock shelter and other coeval archaeological sites across southern Arabia, the Late Palaeolithic-Neolithic transition is considered.
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TL;DR: In this paper, an analysis on speleothems, cave fills, lacustrine deposits and palaeo-mangroves has shown that during the Early to Mid-Holocene, a humid Optimum culminated around 9000-8000 ǫ-cal-BP.
36 citations
Cites background from "Khamseen rock shelter and the Late ..."
...The Dhofar archaeological record for the Early Holocene is mainly characterized by surface sites, but also a few stratified (e.g., Zarins, 2001, 2013; Hilbert, 2013)....
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...…have used different terms to refer to this chronological period such as Late Palaeolithic or Epipalaeolithic (e.g., Cremaschi and Negrino, 2002; Hilbert, 2013), a consensus has not yet been reached in the scientific community working in this area on how to call this pre-Neolithic period....
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...While researchers have used different terms to refer to this chronological period such as Late Palaeolithic or Epipalaeolithic (e.g., Cremaschi and Negrino, 2002; Hilbert, 2013), a consensus has not yet been reached in the scientific community working in this area on how to call this pre-Neolithic period....
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used optically stimulated luminescence dating and sedimentological analyses to provide a chronological anchor for some Nejd Leptolithic archaeological findspots across the South Arabian Highlands.
14 citations
TL;DR: In addition to surface scatters of lithic artefacts, excavation at the site of Hayy al-Sarh recovered two stratified archaeological horizons (AHs) containing pierced marine shells that provided an age of about 6800 to 7500 years cal BP.
Abstract: Systematic prospection and excavations in the Rustaq region of northern Oman, approximately 45 km from the coast in the foothills of the Western Hajar Mountains, have revealed an unexpectedly dense record of Neolithic sites. Besides surface scatters of lithic artefacts, excavation at the site of Hayy al‐Sarh recovered two stratified archaeological horizons (AHs). The upper horizon, AH I, contained pierced marine shells that provided an age of the archaeological material of about 6800 to 7500 years cal BP. Typologically the AH I lithic assemblage compares to the Suwayh facies defined at the coast 300 km to the east. Whether the marine shells and cultural affinities point towards exchange with coastal communities or possibly seasonal movement remains an open question at this state of research, but this new evidence for inland Neolithic settlement near Rustaq provides important new data that will help improve our understanding of spatial patterns of Neolithic demographic variability.
5 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the results of surveys carried out in February 2016 along a palaeo-drainage system near the village of Bisyah in north Oman were reported.
Abstract: In this paper we present the results of surveys carried out in February 2016 along
a palaeo-drainage system near the village of Bisyah. We report first on the geological
prospection, which was our main goal, and then present our discovery of
the only known localities in north Oman of large Kombewa flake production
(>10 cm up to 20 cm). Among the scatter of artefacts, we found cores and large
Kombewa flakes with two opposed bulbs of percussion, a technology that had not
been known in this region until now. In spite of the local features, the typo-technological
traits of the artefacts suggest that at least part of them resemble in some
way the Acheulean techno-complex, but there are still many questions remaining
on the age of these artefacts.
5 citations
01 Jan 2017
TL;DR: HAL as mentioned in this paper is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not, which may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers.
Abstract: HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés. Al-Kharj 2011–2012. 1st and 2nd seasons of the Saudi-French Archaeological Mission Jérémie Schiettecatte, Abdalaziz Al-Ghazzi, Abdalaziz Al-Hammad, Antoine Chabrol, Guillaume Charloux, R. Crassard, Eric Fouache, Bruno Gavazzi, Yamandú H. Hilbert, Rozan Alkhatib-Alkontar, et al.
2 citations
References
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TL;DR: In this article, high-resolution oxygen isotope (δ18O) profiles of Holocene stalagmites from four caves in Northern and Southern Oman and Yemen (Socotra) provide detailed information on fluctuations in precipitation along a latitudinal transect from 12°N to 23°N.
885 citations
TL;DR: A brief introduction to lithic analysis can be found in this article, where the authors discuss the basics of stone tool production and debitage attributes of a stone tool and its relationships with other artifacts.
Abstract: 1. A brief introduction to lithic analysis 2. Basics of stone tool production 3. Lithic raw materials 4. Getting started in lithic analysis: identification and classification 5. Flake debitage attributes 6. Approaches to debitage analysis 7. Approaches to stone tool analysis 8. Artifact diversity and site function 9. Lithic analysis and prehistoric sedentism 10. Concluding remarks.
546 citations
TL;DR: Lacustrine sediments from southeastern Arabia reveal variations in lake level corresponding to changes in the strength and duration of Indian Ocean Monsoon (IOM) summer rainfall and winter cyclonic rainfall as discussed by the authors.
227 citations
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01 Jan 2006
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss the evolution and change in the Middle Paleolithic of Africa and the Middle Stone Age in the Kapthurin Formation, Kenya, and the use of space in the Late Middle Stone age of Rose Cottage Cave, South Africa.
Abstract: General Introduction.- On Naming Things.- Observations on Systematics in Paleolithic Archaeology.- Testing Retouched Flake Tool Standardization During the Middle Paleolithic.- Diversity of Lithic Production Systems During the Middle Paleolithic in France.- Trajectories of Change in the Middle Paleolithic of Italy.- Stasis and Change During the Crimean Middle Paleolithic.- Monospecific or Species-Dominated Faunal Assemblages During the Middle Paleolithic in Europe.- Middle Paleolithic Settlement Patterns in the Levant.- Housekeeping, Neandertal-Style.- The Middle Paleolithic of the Levant.- Middle Paleolithic Subsistence Ecology in the Mediterranean Region.- Projectile Technologies of the African MSA.- From Acheulean to Middle Stone Age in the Kapthurin Formation, Kenya.- The Use of Space in the Late Middle Stone Age of Rose Cottage Cave, South Africa.- "Now You See it, Now You Don't"-Modern Human Behavior in the Middle Paleolithic.- Between Observations and Models.
202 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the concept of chaine operatoire, or "operational sequence" (sometimes called "core reduction sequence"), borrowed from French social anthropologists, has been introduced into the study of Old World prehistory.
Abstract: Since the pioneering days of Paleolithic archaeology in western Europe, the making of stone tools has received special attention. Numerous studies were aimed at creating systematic typologies of artifacts based on descriptions of their technical features and morphological attributes. Recently, the concept of chaine operatoire, or “operational sequence” (sometimes called “core reduction sequence”), borrowed from French social anthropologists, has been introduced into the study of Old World prehistory. Its conceptual framework is focused on the recognition of the overall technology and the practical skills of the prehistoric knapper in employing a particular technique responsible for the transformation of raw material to tools. Although the stone objects of all periods received attention, those of the Middle Paleolithic—due to issues such as the significance of lithic variability in retouched tools, the demise of the Neanderthals, or the emergence of “modern behavior”—have been at the forefront. This paper ...
149 citations