AN INVESTIGATION OF LATE PALAEOLITHIC STONE TOOL ASSEMBLAGES FROM THE NEJD PLATEAU, SOUTHERN OMAN by Yamandú Hieronymus Hilbert A thesis submitted to the University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Institute of Archaeology and Antiquity University of Birmingham September 2012 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. to Eva Hilbert An Investigation of Late Palaeolithic Stone Tool Assemblages from the Nejd Plateau, Southern Oman Yamandú Hieronymus Hilbert Abstract Technological and typological analysis of lithic assemblages from southern Oman have been undertaken for this study. These assemblages are characterized by the production of elongated end products (i.e., blades/leptoliths) using varied core reduction modalities exemplified here. These modalities have been identified based on technological analysistechnologies of production are accompanied waste and by core formal reconstructions tool such as tanged using artefactprojectile refittings. called Fasad Such point,blade burins, endscrapers and pseude-backed knifes. This technological and typological package haspossible been toidentified place these on both assemblages systematic chronologically surface collections between and 10.000stratified and sites, 7.000 making before it present (BP). The chronological and techno-typological characterization of these blade assemblages warrants its status as a lithic industry of the Late Palaeolithic technocomplex. AtHatab) present, which blade dated assemblages to 55.000 and from 11.000 stratified BP, representsites in Yemen the possible (Shi’bat source Dihya) of and the Oman techno/ (al typological package found across Southern Oman at the beginning of the Holocene. No technological or typological resemblance with any other industry from outside of Arabia has been noted, enforcing the local , Arabian, origin of the Early Holocene Populations of the South Arabian Highlands. Acknowledgments The process of writing this dissertation would not have been possible without debt to my advisor Dr. Jeffrey Rose who has been like a brother to me since I started the Ph.Dthe undying program support in 2009. of Froma few lettingpeople me and live a legion in his ofhouse friends; in England first and for foremost over 6 month I am in three years and so many other things, thanks Jeff ; I will never be able to pay you back. I also(without owe apaying great anydeal rent), to Prof. helping Anthony me Marks,financially for supportingand feeding me me from across the these start pastwhen all seemed lost and I was almost ready to look for a real job (a cook or something like that), thanks Tony. For all the help with the bureaucratic jungle nightmare that are English academic institutions I am in debt to Dr. Paul Garwood, my second supervisor. For nearly maddening discussions about technological processes and intentionality outside the Levallois technological mantle I am grateful to Dr. Vitaly Usik. Thanks also goes to the remaining DAP team members, Amir Beshkani, Chris Galletti, Ash Parton, Dr. Mike Morley. I am also grateful for the Australian dating specialists Prof. Bert Roberts and Lauren Linnenlucke; thanks and keep the dates coming. For very insightful discussions and memorable hang over I am grateful to Dr. Rémy Crassard, Ash Parton, Viola Schmidt, Christoph Wissing, Björn Bitterlich, Dominik Koscielny, Dr. Hannes Napirala, Bernd Trautmann, Krischan Hoyer and Dr. Paul Preston. Which comes to show that it has not all been rocks and sand for the past three years, to all those with whom I have spent my spare time and kept me away from work cheers and rock on. In Germany thanks goes out especially to Andreas Taller for all the mountain biking, BBQs, drinks and discussions about technology ; and Markus Schumacher for all the Call of Duty hours in front of the XBOX and for always having a spare beer in his refrigerator. In Oman a big thanks goes to Mags Kleszczewska Rose for letting me spread the rock across the house in Qantab (and all the other cools stuff, rock on Mags), Assad al Thanks also goes out to my family, my mother Liliana Mendiburu and brother LautaroHassni, Luca in Brazil; Belfioretti, my uncle Valentina Hannes, Àzzara aunt Iolaand andmany my more. cousins Pati and Martin in Marie Geiling for every moment we spent together. Marburg;I also my thank cousin the Joschka AHRC Scherer for partial in Munich.funding. Last I also but acknowledge not least I thank the support my fiancé from J. the Ministry of Heritage and Culture of Oman. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 Introduction 1 2 Archaeological evidence from South Arabia dating between 50 to 10 ka BP 9 2.1 Assemblages A from Faya NE-1 11 2.2 Shi’bat Dihya 14 2.3 Al Hatab 19 2.4 Summary 28 3 Climate frame and data for South Arabia 31 3.1 The Marine record 32 3.2 The Indian Ocean Monsoon 35 3.3 The terrestrial records 39 3.4 Summary 47 4 Dhofar and the Nejd Plateau: Geomorphology and geography 55 4.1 The Sultanate of Oman 57 4.1.1 The Hajar Mountains and central Omani plain: Geography and geomorphology 58 4.2 Dhofar: Geography and geomorphology 63 4.2.1 The costal plain and the Dhofar Mountain Chain 64 4.2.2 The Nejd Plateau and the Rub al Khali desert 70 4.3 Summary 86 IX 5 Towards understanding lithics: Theory and method 88 5.1 Reconstruction of reduction sequences 89 5.1.1 Refittings 90 5.1.2 Replication studies in lithic technology 93 5.1.3 Chaîne opératoire 94 5.2 Débitage Analysis 96 5.2.1 Blank orientation and measurements 99 5.2.2 Blank Type 101 5.2.2.1 Flake 101 5.2.2.2 Blade 101 5.2.2.3 Technologically diagnostic débitage 102 5.2.3 Blank Condition 103 5.2.4 Patina 104 5.2.5 Edge damage 106 5.2.6 Raw Material 107 5.2.7 Platform Morphology 109 5.2.7.1 Débitage platform types 109 5.2.7.2 Lipping 111 5.2.7.3 Platform abrasion 112 5.2.8 Blank Shape 113 5.2.9 Blank midpoint cross-section 115 5.2.10 Blank distal portion 117 5.2.11 Blank Longitudinal profile 119 5.2.12 Axis 119 5.2.13 Cortical percentage on blanks dorsal surface 120 5.2.14 Scar pattern on dorsal surface 120 5.3 Core Analysis 122 X 5.3.1 Core orientation, metrics and other numerical attributes 124 5.3.2 Core Typologies 126 5.3.3 Core Striking Platform 129 5.3.4 Cortex 130 5.3.5 Core flaking surface (vertical convexity) 130 5.2.6 Position of Flaking surface (horizontal convexity) 132 5.4 Tool Analysis 135 5.4.1 Tool Type 136 5.4.2 Position of retouch 140 5.4.3 Type of Retouch 140 5.4.4 Characterization of the blank 142 5.5 Summary 142 6 ALPHA Transect 144 6.1 ALPHA Transect Sites 147 6.2 Jebel Eva (TH.67) 153 6.2.1 Site Location 153 6.2.2 Sampling strategies and documentation 154 6.2.3 Spatial distribution 155 6.3 The assemblage 157 6.3.1 Débitage 159 6.3.2 Cores 166 6.3.3 Tools 169 6.3.4 Refittings 170 6.4 ALPHA Transect comments 174 6.4.1 TH.59 174 6.4.2 Jebel Eva (TH.67) 175 XI 7 BRAVO transect 177 7.1 Khumseen Rockshelter (TH.50) 178 7.1.1 Site location 178 7.1.2 Sampling Strategy 183 7.1.3 Spatial Distribution 190 7.1.4 The assemblage 192 7.1.5 Débitage 195 7.1.6 Cores 203 7.1.7 Tools 207 7.1.8 Refittings 208 7.2 Ghazal Rockshelter (TH.47) 216 7.2.1 Site location 216 7.2.2 Sampling Strategy 220 7.2.3 Spatial Distribution 224 7.2.4 The assemblage 227 7.2.5 Level 2 227 7.2.5.1 Débitage 228 7.2.5.2 Cores 235 7.2.5.3 Tools 238 7.2.5.4 Level 2 refittings 240 7.2.6 Level 1 251 7.2.6.1 Débitage 252 7.2.6.2 Cores 255 7.2.6.3 Level 1 refittings 257 7.3 BRAVO Transect Comments 267 7.3.1 Khumseen Rockshelter 267 7.3.2 Ghazal Rockshelter 267 XII 8 GOLF Transect 270 8.1 Gulf Transect Sites 271 8.1.1 TH.125 271 8.1.2 TH.128 275 8.1.3 TH.133 280 8.2 Wadi Haluf 1 (TH.124b) 283 8.2.1 Site Location 283 8.2.2 Sampling strategy and documentation 285 8.2.3 Spatial distribution 286 8.2.4 The assemblage 288 8.2.5 Débitage 289 8.2.6 Cores 295 8.2.7 Tools 297 8.2.8 Refits 299 8.3 GOLF transect comments 304 8.3.1 TH.125, TH.128 and TH.133 refits 304 8.3.2 Wadi Haluf 1 comments 305 9 Conclusions 307 9.1 The Late Palaeolithic of Dhofar 308 9.1.1 Reduction modalities 309 9.1.2 Débitage and cores 317 9.1.3 Tools 325 9.1.4 Raw material economy 328 9.1.5 The Khashabian: a new south Arabian lithic industry 329 9.2 The Khashabian: landscape and climate 332 9.3 The Khashabian in Arabia 333 XIII 9.4 The Khashabian: local or exogenous? 337 9.4.1 Exogenous 337 9.4.2 A local source 341 9.3.3 Palaeodemographics and genetics 343 9.5 Transition to the Neolithic 345 9.6 Summary 347 Appendix A 349 Appendix B 361 Bibliography 369 XIV Figures Figure 2.1 Map showing the location of MIS 3 and 2 sites.