Dating Saudi Arabian Desert Surface Assemblages with Arabian Ostrich Struthio camelus syriacus Eggshell by C14: Propositions for Palaeoecology and Extinction (original) (raw)

Camels in Saudi oasis during the last two millennia; the examples of Dûmat al-Jandal (Al-Jawf Province) and al-Yamâma (Riyadh province).

By its extraordinary adaptability to live in a hyper arid environment, the camel (Camelus dromaderius) is certainly the animal that best characterizes the Arabian Peninsula. If a rich ethnographic literature exists showing the economic importance of this species through the last two millennia, few archaeozoological remains confirm this importance. This article presents preliminary archaeozoological data (skeletal representation, ageing and sexing bone, bone traces) from two archaeological assemblages from Saudi Arabia: Dûmat al-Jandal (Al-Jawf oasis) and al-Yamâma (Al-Kharj oasis).

Middle Pleistocene vertebrate fossils from the Nefud Desert, Saudi Arabia: Implications for biogeography and palaeoecology

The current paucity of Pleistocene vertebrate records from the Arabian Peninsula e a landmass of over 3 million km 2 e is a significant gap in our knowledge of the Quaternary. Such data are critical lines of contextual evidence for considering animal and hominin dispersals between Africa and Eurasia generally, and hominin palaeoecology in the Pleistocene landscapes of the Arabian interior specifically. Here, we describe an important contribution to the record and report stratigraphically-constrained fossils of mammals, birds and reptiles from recent excavations at Ti's al Ghadah in the southwestern Nefud Desert. Combined U-series and ESR analyses of Oryx sp. teeth indicate that the assemblage is Middle Pleistocene in age and dates to ca. 500 ka. The identified fauna is a biogeographical admixture that consists of likely endemics and taxa of African and Eurasian affinity and includes extinct and extant (or related Pleistocene forms of) mammals (. alba) and reptiles (Varanidae/Uromastyx sp.). We infer that the assemblage reflects mortality in populations of herbivorous animals and their predators and scavengers that were attracted to freshwater and plant resources in the inter-dune basin. At present, there is no evidence to suggest hominin agency in the accumulation of the bone assemblages. The inferred ecological characteristics of the taxa recovered indicate the presence, at least periodically, of substantial water-bodies and open grassland habitats.

Prehistoric camels in south-eastern Arabia: the discovery of a new site in Abu Dhabi's Western Region, United Arab Emirates

A remarkable new site consisting of a concentration of as many as forty or more camel skeletons has been discovered in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region in the United Arab Emirates. Eight camel bone samples (from six individuals) from the site have been AMS radiocarbon dated by the Leibniz Laboratory for Radiometric Dating and Stable Isotope Research, Kiel University, Germany, revealing that they date from the second half of the fifth millennium BC. The site is located in an interdunal area to the south-east of the Baynunah Plantation, not far from the Ruwais–Habshan pipeline. The spread of camel bones extends over an area of about 10,000 m2. Preliminary analysis of the bones suggests that they are from wild dromedaries. Other archaeological finds associated with the camel bones include a finely made flint arrowhead. This important newly discovered site will provide a valuable opportunity to examine a large sample of wild camel bones during the later prehistory of south-eastern Arabia. Future detailed investigations at the site will throw fresh light on the early interactions between the communities inhabiting late prehistoric Arabia and the camel.

Taphonomic and zooarchaeological investigations at the middle Pleistocene site of Ti's al Ghadah, western Nefud Desert, Saudi Arabia

Quaternary Science Reviews, 2019

In recent years, the Arabian Peninsula has emerged as a key region for elucidating hominin and faunal evolution and dispersals between Africa and Eurasia. Central to this research is the middle Pleistocene site of Ti's al Ghadah (TAG) which has yielded a diverse and abundant fossil faunal assemblage and the earliest chronometrically dated evidence for hominins in this part of the world. Here, we present the first detailed taphonomic study of the large Unit 5 fossil assemblage from the site. We aim to assess which actor/s were responsible for the accumulation of the assemblage and evaluate evidence that might be consistent with the accumulation of fauna by hominins. We also describe, for the first time, fossils and lithic artefacts from stratigraphic horizons not previously considered, providing taphonomic insights into their accumulation. The taphonomic work shows that the Unit 5 faunal assemblage was accumulated by ambush predators, likely large felids and hominins, in a lake side environment, and that carcasses were subsequently scavenged by more durophagus carnivores such as hyenas and canids. Less can be reliably said regarding the newly described fossil assemblages given their poor preservation and significant wind abrasion, but large carnivores again appear to have played a role, and hominins probably played a role in the accumulation of at least one of these. This study provides the first detail insights into the interplay between hominins, carnivores, and herbivores in Arabia, and suggests that watering holes have been a focus on the Arabian landscape for resources since the middle Pleistocene.

Widespread loss of mammalian lineage and dietary diversity in the early Oligocene of Afro-Arabia

Communications Biology, 2021

Diverse lines of geological and geochemical evidence indicate that the Eocene-Oligocene transition (EOT) marked the onset of a global cooling phase, rapid growth of the Antarctic ice sheet, and a worldwide drop in sea level. Paleontologists have established that shifts in mammalian community structure in Europe and Asia were broadly coincident with these events, but the potential impact of early Oligocene climate change on the mammalian communities of Afro-Arabia has long been unclear. Here we employ dated phylogenies of multiple endemic Afro-Arabian mammal clades (anomaluroid and hystricognath rodents, anthropoid and strepsirrhine primates, and carnivorous hyaenodonts) to investigate lineage diversification and loss since the early Eocene. These analyses provide evidence for widespread mammalian extinction in the early Oligocene of Afro-Arabia, with almost two-thirds of peak late Eocene diversity lost in these clades by ~30 Ma. Using homology-free dental topographic metrics, we fur...

A taxonomic and taphonomic study of Pleistocene fossil deposits from the western Nefud Desert, Saudi Arabia

Quaternary Research

Over the past decade, a growing interest has developed on the archaeology, palaeontology, and palaeoenvironments of the Arabian Peninsula. It is now clear that hominins repeatedly dispersed into Arabia, notably during pluvial interglacial periods when much of the peninsula was characterised by a semiarid grassland environment. During the intervening glacial phases, however, grasslands were replaced with arid and hyperarid deserts. These millennial-scale climatic fluctuations have subjected bones and fossils to a dramatic suite of environmental conditions, affecting their fossilisation and preservation. Yet, as relatively few palaeontological assemblages have been reported from the Pleistocene of Arabia, our understanding of the preservational pathways that skeletal elements can take in these types of environments is lacking. Here, we report the first widespread taxonomic and taphonomic assessment of Arabian fossil deposits. Novel fossil fauna are described and overall the fauna are ...

The bird remains from Saruq al-Hadid: Insights into human activity and the environment in late prehistoric southeastern Arabia

Quaternary International, 2020

Saruq al-Hadid, a late prehistoric (c.2000 BCEc.800 BCE) site located in the Emirate of Dubai, U.A.E., have recovered several tonnes of animal bone. Due to a thorough sieving and retention strategy the remains of a range of taxa were collected, from camels to rodents. Within this wealth of material several dozen fragments of a variety of bird species were identified that have given a unique insight into human activity in the interior of southeastern Arabia; from sea birds (an unexpected find, given that the site is 40 km away from the current coastline), to a fragment of raptor that might reflect early hunting practices. The presence of certain bird species in the remains may also be indicative of the site's past environment and suggests it was likely different to the sparsely vegetated mobile dune field it is today. This paper outlines these remains, from their excavation to their analysis. The insights they provide into the nature of the occupation at Saruq al-Hadid are discussed, thereby demonstrating the great utility of studying even a relatively small assemblage of archaeological bird remains. 2. Zooarchaeological bird remains from Saruq al-Hadid: methods of recovery and analysis Saruq al-Hadid is located 40 km from the northern coast of the United Arab Emirates, in the dune fields of the Rub' al-Khali desert

Ancient DNA Reveals Late Pleistocene Existence of Ostriches in Indian Sub-Continent

PloS one, 2017

Ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis of extinct ratite species is of considerable interest as it provides important insights into their origin, evolution, paleogeographical distribution and vicariant speciation in congruence with continental drift theory. In this study, DNA hotspots were detected in fossilized eggshell fragments of ratites (dated ≥25000 years B.P. by radiocarbon dating) using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). DNA was isolated from five eggshell fragments and a 43 base pair (bp) sequence of a 16S rRNA mitochondrial-conserved region was successfully amplified and sequenced from one of the samples. Phylogenetic analysis of the DNA sequence revealed a 92% identity of the fossil eggshells to Struthio camelus and their position basal to other palaeognaths, consistent with the vicariant speciation model. Our study provides the first molecular evidence for the presence of ostriches in India, complementing the continental drift theory of biogeographical movement of ostriches...