Even in a desert, early humans sought more than water
DUBAI — Archaeological surveys across a 1,500-kilometer stretch of the Rub' al Khali desert in the Arabian Peninsula have uncovered evidence of 55 extinct lakes, but found no stone tools or signs of human occupation at these sites, researchers reported.
The findings challenge the long-held hypothesis that early human populations expanded across 'Green Arabia' wherever lakes formed. Since early humans relied on stone tools for survival, the research team concluded that migration was guided by the availability of both water and toolmaking stones.
The survey, conducted across the vast Rub' al Khali — also known as the Empty Quarter — identified paleolake basins that once held water during humid periods. However, the absence of associated stone artifacts suggests these water sources alone did not attract or sustain human groups.
"Our results indicate that early humans made deliberate choices about where to settle based on a combination of resources," said the research team. "Water was necessary, but not sufficient. The presence of suitable raw material for toolmaking was equally critical."
The study, published in a peer-reviewed science journal, involved extensive fieldwork mapping lake basins and surveying for lithic artifacts. Researchers say the findings require a re-evaluation of models of early human dispersal across the Arabian Peninsula, suggesting that access to raw material may have been as decisive as access to water in shaping prehistoric migration routes.
The research team included archaeologists and geologists who analyzed sediment cores and satellite imagery to identify the extinct lake systems. Their work provides new evidence that early human adaptation to desert environments was more complex than previously understood, involving a strategic balance between water sources and lithic resources.
