Tracking the Origin and Evolution of Human Populations in Arabia

Abstract

Take a glance at any world map and it is immediately apparent that Arabia occupies a critical geographic position, linking Africa, Europe, and Asia. This singular point echoes across every chapter, noted by nearly every author who has contributed to this volume. It is odd, then, that the prehistory of such a critical corner of global real estate has languished in such obscurity until now. As archaeologists begin to shed further light on this relatively unknown region, the emerging picture seems to underscore what is so cartographically obvious – that the Arabian peninsula has probably played a central role in the dispersal of our species and closely related ancestors.The geographic designation ‘Arabian peninsula’ refers to the 2.5 million km2landmass fringed by the Red Sea to the west, Arabian Sea to the south, and Persian Gulf to the east. Politically, it encompasses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Republic of Yemen, the Sultanate of Oman, the United Arab Emirates, the State of Qatar, the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the State of Kuwait. Arabia’s most evocative landscape features are the expansive dune fields that sprawl across much of the subcontinent, filling the huge interior basins with heaping deposits of rust-colored sand. Juxtaposed in and around these vast wastelands are lush sub-tropical forests, deflated gravel plains, jagged mountain ranges, and some 7,000 km of coastline.KeywordsDemographyDispersalsGeneticsHolocenePaleolithicQuaternary EnvironmentsRefugia