The research, published online Aug. 12 in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews, hints that Neanderthals may have lived farther south than scientists thought, though more evidence is needed to confirm that conclusion.
The study focused on stone tools discovered at Jebel Katefeh-1 (JKF-1), an archaeological site beside an ancient lake near the city of Jubbah, in Saudi Arabia's Nefud Desert (also spelled Nafud or An Nafūd). No Neanderthal bones have ever been found in Arabia, so researchers wondered who was making tools there.
Neanderthals have traditionally been viewed as a cold-adapted, primarily European species. But that picture has been changing for years, as evidence has placed them thousands of miles east in Siberia as well as in the Middle East.
Using statistical techniques, the researchers compared the flakes' shapes across time and space. Based on the differences between stone tools from other sites where the toolmakers' identities were well established, the researchers created a statistical model to help them identify whether a group of stone tools was made by Neanderthals or H. sapiens.
To pin down when those tools were made, the team dug a new trench at JFK-1 and dated grains of sand from the soil using a method called optically stimulated luminescence, which reveals how long ago those grains were last exposed to sunlight.
Specialized stone tools led researchers to conclude that Neanderthals, not modern humans, made tools in the Nefud Desert. (Image credit: Palaeodeserts Project)Neanderthals were the only group living in southwest Asia 55,000 years ago. This date, together with the tools’ shape, is why the researchers think Neanderthals made them, even though no Neanderthal bones have yet been found in Arabia.
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Still, Bretzke said the underlying assumptions deserve scrutiny. Several comparison sites used in the computer model are surface sites, where artifacts can accumulate over vast stretches of time, rather than a single occupation where artifacts are discarded over a short period, he told Live Science, but he finds the paper's conclusion plausible.
"Do I believe there were any Neanderthals in northern Saudi Arabia? Yes," Bretzke said. "Do I think we have solid evidence to prove that belief? No."
How much do you know about our closest relatives? Find out with our Neanderthal quiz!
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