The Evolution of Human Populations in Arabia: Paleoenvironments, Prehistory and Genetics (Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology)

The contemporary deserts of Arabia form some of the most dramatic arid landscapes in the world; yet, during many times in the past, the region was well-watered, containing evidence for rivers and lakes. Climatic fluctuations through time must have had a profound effect on human population that lived and passed through the region. In this book, paleoenvironmental specialists, archaeologists and geneticists are brought together to provide a comprehensive account of the evolution of human populations in Arabia. A wide range of topics are explored in this book, including environmental change and its impact on human populations, the movement and dispersal of populations through the region, and the origin and spread of food producing economies. New theories and interpretations are presented which provide new insights into the evolution of human populations in a key region of the world. Front Matter....Pages i-xii Front Matter....Pages 14-14 Tracking the Origin and Evolution of Human Populations in Arabia....Pages 1-12 The Red Sea, Coastal Landscapes, and Hominin Dispersals....Pages 15-37 Pleistocene Climate Change in Arabia: Developing a Framework for Hominin Dispersal over the Last 350 ka....Pages 39-49 Environment and Long-Term Population Trends in Southwest Arabia....Pages 51-66 Front Matter....Pages 68-68 Mitochondrial DNA Structure of Yemeni Population: Regional Differences and the Implications for Different Migratory Contributions....Pages 69-78 The Arabian peninsula: Gate for Human Migrations Out of Africa or Cul-de-Sac? A Mitochondrial DNA Phylogeographic Perspective....Pages 79-87 Bayesian Coalescent Inference from Mitochondrial DNA Variation of the Colonization Time of Arabia by the Hamadryas Baboon ( Papio hamadryas hamadryas )....Pages 89-100 Front Matter....Pages 102-102 Acheulean Landscapes and Large Cutting Tools Assemblages in the Arabian peninsula....Pages 103-116 A Middle Paleolithic Assemblage from Jebel Barakah, Coastal Abu Dhabi Emirate....Pages 117-124 Paleolithic Stone Tool Assemblages from Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates....Pages 125-138 The Central Oman Paleolithic Survey: Recent Research in Southern Arabia and Reflection on the Prehistoric Evidence....Pages 139-150 The Middle Paleolithic of Arabia: The View from the Hadramawt Region, Yemen....Pages 151-168 The “Upper Paleolithic” of South Arabia....Pages 169-185 The Late Pleistocene of Arabia in Relation to the Levant....Pages 187-202 Front Matter....Pages 204-204 Holocene (Re-)Occupation of Eastern Arabia....Pages 205-214 Early Holocene in the Highlands: Data on the Peopling of the Eastern Yemen Plateau, with a Note on the Pleistocene Evidence....Pages 215-236 Southern Arabia’s Early Pastoral Population History: Some Recent Evidence....Pages 237-250 Archaeological, Linguistic and Historical Sources on Ancient Seafaring: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Study of Early Maritime Contact and Exchange in the Arabian Peninsula....Pages 251-278 Holocene Obsidian Exchange in the Red Sea Region....Pages 279-291 Front Matter....Pages 294-294 The Paleolithic of Arabia in an Inter-regional Context....Pages 295-308 Back Matter....Pages 309-312 The romantic landscapes and exotic cultures of Arabia have long captured the int- ests of both academics and the general public alike. The wide array and incredible variety of environments found across the Arabian peninsula are truly dramatic; tro- cal coastal plains are found bordering up against barren sandy deserts, high mountain plateaus are deeply incised by ancient river courses. As the birthplace of Islam, the recent history of the region is well documented and thoroughly studied. However, legendary explorers such as T.E. Lawrence, Wilfred Thesiger, and St. John Philby discovered hints of a much deeper past during their travels across the subcontinent. Drawn to Arabia by the magnifcent solitude of its vast sand seas, these intrepid adventurers learned from the Bedouin how to penetrate its deserts and returned with stirring accounts of lost civilizations among the wind-swept dunes. We now know that, prior to recorded history, Arabia housed countless peoples living a variety of lifestyles, including some of the world's earliest pastoralists, c- munities of incipient farmers, fshermen dubbed the “Ichthyophagi” by ancient Greek geographers, and Paleolithic big-game hunters who were among the frst humans to depart their ancestral homeland in Africa. In fact, some archaeological investigations indicate that Arabia was inhabited by early hominins extending far back into the Early Pleistocene, perhaps even into the Late Pliocene. This book examines the evolution of human populations in Arabia. Coverage includes environmental change and its impact on human populations, the movement and dispersal of populations, and the origin and spread of food producing economies.