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Jebel Faya

April 08, 2024

Jebel Faya (Arabic: جَبَل ٱلْفَايَة, romanized: Jabal Al-Fāyah; FAY-NE1) is an archaeological site and limestone hill[3] or escarpment near Al Madam in the Emirate of Sharjah, the UAE, located about 50 km (31 mi) east of the city of Sharjah,[4] and between the shoreline of the Gulf and Al Hajar Mountains.[2] It contains tool assemblages from the Paleolithic, Neolithic, Iron Age, and Bronze Age. Because its deepest assemblage has been dated to 125,000 years ago, it was thought to be the world's most ancient settlement yet discovered of anatomically modern humans outside of Africa at the time of its discovery in 2011.[1] Finds of a yet earlier date (50,000 years) have since been found at Misliya cave in the Levant.[5][6][7]

Jebel Faya
جَبَل ٱلْفَايَة
Jebel Faya, as seen from the desert East of the range
Highest point
Coordinates25°07′08″N 55°50′49″E / 25.119°N 55.847°E / 25.119; 55.847[1]
Naming
Language of nameArabic
Geography
Jebel Faya
Location in the United Arab Emirates
Jebel Faya
Jebel Faya (Middle East)
Jebel Faya
Jebel Faya (Asia)
LocationUnited Arab Emirates
Parent rangeAl Hajar Mountains[2]

The finds from excavations at Faya and surrounding digs are displayed at the Mleiha Archaeological Centre.

Site history edit

See also: Archaeology of the United Arab Emirates, History of the United Arab Emirates, and List of Ancient Settlements in the UAE

Excavations at Jebel Faya were first conducted between 2003 and 2010 by Simon J. Armitage, Sabah A. Jasim, Anthony E. Marks, Adrian G. Parker, Vitaly I. Usik, and Hans-Peter Uerpmann.[1] Knut Bretzke, Nicholas J. Conard, and Hans-Peter Uerpmann also reported on the FAY-NE1 sequence after conducting excavations between 2009 and 2013.[8] Additional excavations have studied the site's environmental and geologic context (see Bretzke et al. 2013, Parton et al. 2015, and Rosenberg et al. 2011). Although Jebel Faya's Paleolithic-aged context has been more intensively studied, in 2013 Hans-Peter Uerpmann, Margarethe Uerpmann, Adelina Kutterer, and Sabah A. Jasim published findings on the Neolithic period at the site.[9]

Findings edit

Site description edit

Jebel Faya is a limestone mountain outlier in the Central Region of the Emirate of Sharjah, measuring about 10 and 20 km (6.2 and 12.4 mi) long.[4][2] The archaeological site itself is called FAY-NE1, a rock shelter located at the northeastern endpoint of Jebel Faya.[1] Archaeologists have excavated several trenches at the site, with an area of over 150 meters2 excavated in total. It has a 5 m (16 ft) deep stratified sequence of archaeological levels, containing deposits from the Bronze and Iron Ages, the Neolithic, and the Paleolithic.[1][8]

Environmental context edit

Paleolithic occupations at Jebel Faya have been linked to humid periods in southern Arabia, in which freshwater availability and vegetation cover of the area would have increased and supported human subsistence. In 2013, Bretzke et al. analyzed sediment columns from trenches at FAY-NE1. While Assemblages A, B, and C showed evidence of vegetation, the layers lacking archaeological deposits showed evidence of desiccation.[10] Additional studies of alluvial fan records[11] and relic lake deposits[12] in the region have supported this theory that humid periods may have offered multiple opportunities for human dispersal in southern Arabia.[13]

Deposits edit

The Paleolithic layers at FAY-NE1 were first described by Armitage et al. and were dated using single-grain optically stimulated luminescence (OSL). The horizons are as follows, from top to bottom:[1][8][14]

Assemblage A

Dated to approximately 40,000 years ago. Recovered tools include burins, retouched pieces, end scrapers, sidescrapers, and denticulates.

Assemblage B

Not yet dated. Recovered tools resemble those of Assemblage A.

Assemblage C

Dated to approximately 125,000 years ago. Recovered tools include small hand axes, foliates, end scrapers and sidescrapers, and denticulates. Evidence of the Levallois production technique is unique to Assemblage C.[1]

Stone tools are thought to have been associated with Homo sapiens living in Africa at that time, and this shows that modern sapiens may have expanded Africa more quickly than thought.[14]

Paleolithic Assemblages D and E are also present, but have not been discussed in detail due to a small number of finds.[8]

Neolithic levels edit

The Neolithic levels at FAY-NE1 consist of approximately 1 meter of sediment. A layer of sand above Assemblage A seals the Neolithic context from the Paleolithic. This layer contains Faya arrowheads and shell fragments, dated to about 9500 years BP. Hans-Peter Uerpmann and his colleagues attribute these artifacts to the first reoccupation of the site since its last abandonment in the Paleolithic. The layers above this sand level are less distinct and have not provided significant information about late Neolithic occupation.[9]

Significance edit

Although no human fossils have been found at Jebel Faya, Armitage and others have argued that the Assemblage C artifacts, dated to 125,000 years BP, were produced by anatomically modern humans (AMH). This is because Assemblage C resembles contemporary east and northeast African technology more than the technology found at sites elsewhere on the Arabian peninsula.[1] As a result, the evidence at Jebel Faya has been used to support the idea of an early dispersal of AMH from the Horn of Africa across southern Arabia and into southern Asia.[15] According to this theory, modern humans dispersed out of Africa before the eruption of the Toba supervolcano 70–75,000 years BP. This claim is based on excavations at Jwalapuram in India by Petraglia et al., who argue that assemblages found in pre- and post-Toba eruption layers indicate the continuous presence of AMH.[16] For Petraglia and his colleagues, the presence of AMH at Jebel Faya 125,000 years ago could be evidence of an early dispersal route out of Africa, which humans could have followed to south Asia.[15] However, there is strong opposition to this notion, as critics have argued that the Assemblage C evidence is not enough to confirm the presence of AMH from Africa. According to Paul Mellars, who believes that significant modern human dispersals did not occur until after the Toba eruption, “There's not a scrap of evidence here that these were made by modern humans, nor that they came from Africa.”[17]

Studies about Jebel Faya's environmental context have indicated the potential for human dispersals out of Africa during humid periods in southern Arabia. These periods coincide with occupation at FAY-NE1, and depict activity at Jebel Faya as a cycle of occupation and abandonment according to the availability of water and vegetation.[10][11][12][13] However, although these studies demonstrate the site's attractiveness during humid periods, there is an ongoing debate about the identity of its occupants.[8]

Due to their dissimilarity from any other Middle or Late Stone Age assemblages, Assemblages B and A have been attributed to indigenous developments, which may indicate that Jebel Faya was inhabited continuously.[1] However, this conclusion has been questioned due to genetic evidence of a more rapid dispersal of AMH out of Africa, meaning the Paleolithic assemblages may be the products of unrelated populations.[15]

At the moment, however, it is considered possible.[18]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Armitage, Simon; Sabah A. Jasim; Anthony E. Marks; Adrian G. Parker; Vitaly I. Usik; Hans-Peter Uerpmann (28 January 2011). "The Southern Route "Out of Africa": Evidence for an Early Expansion of Modern Humans into Arabia". Science. 331 (6016): 453–456. Bibcode:2011Sci...331..453A. doi:10.1126/science.1199113. PMID 21273486. S2CID 20296624.
  2. ^ a b c Leech, Nick (2015-05-28). "The long read: Out of Arabia, the story of early humanity". The National. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  3. ^ O'Reilly, Mick (2011-01-29). "Humans migrated even earlier". Gulf News. Dubai. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  4. ^ a b Archaeological sites: Rock shelter site at Jebel Faya, Art Destination Sharjah, retrieved 2020-01-30
  5. ^ "Scientists discover oldest known modern human fossil outside of Africa: Analysis of fossil suggests Homo sapiens left Africa at least 50,000 years earlier than previously thought". ScienceDaily. Retrieved 2018-01-28.
  6. ^ Ghosh, Pallab (2018). "Modern humans left Africa much earlier". BBC News. Retrieved 2018-01-28.
  7. ^ "Jawbone fossil found in Israeli cave resets clock for modern human evolution". Retrieved 2018-01-28.
  8. ^ a b c d e Bretzke, Knut; Conard, Nicholas John; Uerpmann, Hans-Peter (2014). "Excavations at Jebel Faya : The FAY-NE1 shelter sequence". Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies. Vol. 44. pp. 69–82. doi:10.15496/publikation-1356.
  9. ^ a b Uerpmann, Hans-Peter; Uerpmann, Margarethe; Kutterer, Adelina; Jasim, Sabah A. (2013-05-01). "The Neolithic period in the Central Region of the Emirate of Sharjah (UAE)". Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy. 24 (1): 102–108. doi:10.1111/aae.12019. ISSN 1600-0471.
  10. ^ a b Bretzke, Knut; Armitage, Simon J.; Parker, Adrian G.; Walkington, Helen; Uerpmann, Hans-Peter (2013-06-25). "The environmental context of Paleolithic settlement at Jebel Faya, Emirate Sharjah, UAE". Quaternary International. The Middle Palaeolithic in the Desert. 300: 83–93. Bibcode:2013QuInt.300...83B. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2013.01.028.
  11. ^ a b Parton, A.; Farrant, A. R.; Leng, M. J.; Telfer, M. W.; Groucutt, H. S.; Petraglia, M. D.; Parker, A. G. (2015). "Alluvial fan records from southeast Arabia reveal multiple windows for human dispersal" (PDF). Geology. 43 (4): 295–298. Bibcode:2015Geo....43..295P. doi:10.1130/g36401.1.
  12. ^ a b Rosenberg, T. M.; Preusser, F.; Fleitmann, D.; Schwalb, A.; Penkman, K.; Schmid, T. W.; Al-Shanti, M. A.; Kadi, K.; Matter, A. (2011). "Humid periods in southern Arabia: Windows of opportunity for modern human dispersal". Geology. 39 (12): 1115–1118. Bibcode:2011Geo....39.1115R. doi:10.1130/g32281.1. S2CID 129464252.
  13. ^ a b Groucutt, Huw S.; Petraglia, Michael D. (2012-05-01). "The prehistory of the Arabian peninsula: Deserts, dispersals, and demography". Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews. 21 (3): 113–125. doi:10.1002/evan.21308. ISSN 1520-6505. PMID 22718479. S2CID 13705573.
  14. ^ a b Roberts, Alice (2018). Evolution: The Human Story. Revised edition. ISBN 978-1465474018.
  15. ^ a b c Petraglia, Michael D. (2011). "Archaeology: Trailblazers across Arabia". Nature. 470 (7332): 50–51. Bibcode:2011Natur.470...50P. doi:10.1038/470050a. PMID 21293370.
  16. ^ Petraglia, Michael; Korisettar, Ravi; Boivin, Nicole; Clarkson, Christopher; Ditchfield, Peter; Jones, Sacha; Koshy, Jinu; Lahr, Marta Mirazón; Oppenheimer, Clive (2007-01-01). "Middle Paleolithic Assemblages from the Indian Subcontinent before and after the Toba Super-Eruption". Science. 317 (5834): 114–116. Bibcode:2007Sci...317..114P. doi:10.1126/science.1141564. JSTOR 20036656. PMID 17615356. S2CID 20380351.
  17. ^ Lawler, Andrew (2011-01-28). "Did Modern Humans Travel Out of Africa Via Arabia?". Science. 331 (6016): 387. Bibcode:2011Sci...331..387L. doi:10.1126/science.331.6016.387. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 21273459.
  18. ^ "BT YTree".

External links edit

  • Lost Civilization May Have Existed Beneath the Persian Gulf - December 10, 2010
  • Nature: Early human migration written in stone tools - 27 January 2011
  • Science: Did Modern Humans Travel Out of Africa Via Arabia? - 28 January 2011 (requires subscription or proxy)
  • What's a prehistoric toolkit and how could it rewrite human history? – The Tools of Jebel Faya
  • Jebel Faya (YouTube)
  • Paragliding in U.A.E ( Jebel Faya Sharjah )
  • Stone Axe 150.000 years from Jebel Faya Sharjah أداة حجرية من 150.000 سنة من جبل فاية الشارقة

April 08, 2024
jebel, faya, arabic, ٱل, اي, romanized, jabal, fāyah, archaeological, site, limestone, hill, escarpment, near, madam, emirate, sharjah, located, about, east, city, sharjah, between, shoreline, gulf, hajar, mountains, contains, tool, assemblages, from, paleolit. Jebel Faya Arabic ج ب ل ٱل ف اي ة romanized Jabal Al Fayah FAY NE1 is an archaeological site and limestone hill 3 or escarpment near Al Madam in the Emirate of Sharjah the UAE located about 50 km 31 mi east of the city of Sharjah 4 and between the shoreline of the Gulf and Al Hajar Mountains 2 It contains tool assemblages from the Paleolithic Neolithic Iron Age and Bronze Age Because its deepest assemblage has been dated to 125 000 years ago it was thought to be the world s most ancient settlement yet discovered of anatomically modern humans outside of Africa at the time of its discovery in 2011 1 Finds of a yet earlier date 50 000 years have since been found at Misliya cave in the Levant 5 6 7 Jebel Fayaج ب ل ٱل ف اي ةJebel Faya as seen from the desert East of the rangeHighest pointCoordinates25 07 08 N 55 50 49 E 25 119 N 55 847 E 25 119 55 847 1 NamingLanguage of nameArabicGeographyJebel FayaLocation in the United Arab EmiratesShow map of United Arab EmiratesJebel FayaJebel Faya Middle East Show map of Middle EastJebel FayaJebel Faya Asia Show map of AsiaLocationUnited Arab EmiratesParent rangeAl Hajar Mountains 2 The finds from excavations at Faya and surrounding digs are displayed at the Mleiha Archaeological Centre Contents 1 Site history 2 Findings 2 1 Site description 2 2 Environmental context 2 3 Deposits 2 3 1 Neolithic levels 3 Significance 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksSite history editSee also Archaeology of the United Arab Emirates History of the United Arab Emirates and List of Ancient Settlements in the UAE Excavations at Jebel Faya were first conducted between 2003 and 2010 by Simon J Armitage Sabah A Jasim Anthony E Marks Adrian G Parker Vitaly I Usik and Hans Peter Uerpmann 1 Knut Bretzke Nicholas J Conard and Hans Peter Uerpmann also reported on the FAY NE1 sequence after conducting excavations between 2009 and 2013 8 Additional excavations have studied the site s environmental and geologic context see Bretzke et al 2013 Parton et al 2015 and Rosenberg et al 2011 Although Jebel Faya s Paleolithic aged context has been more intensively studied in 2013 Hans Peter Uerpmann Margarethe Uerpmann Adelina Kutterer and Sabah A Jasim published findings on the Neolithic period at the site 9 Findings editSite description edit Jebel Faya is a limestone mountain outlier in the Central Region of the Emirate of Sharjah measuring about 10 and 20 km 6 2 and 12 4 mi long 4 2 The archaeological site itself is called FAY NE1 a rock shelter located at the northeastern endpoint of Jebel Faya 1 Archaeologists have excavated several trenches at the site with an area of over 150 meters2 excavated in total It has a 5 m 16 ft deep stratified sequence of archaeological levels containing deposits from the Bronze and Iron Ages the Neolithic and the Paleolithic 1 8 Environmental context edit Paleolithic occupations at Jebel Faya have been linked to humid periods in southern Arabia in which freshwater availability and vegetation cover of the area would have increased and supported human subsistence In 2013 Bretzke et al analyzed sediment columns from trenches at FAY NE1 While Assemblages A B and C showed evidence of vegetation the layers lacking archaeological deposits showed evidence of desiccation 10 Additional studies of alluvial fan records 11 and relic lake deposits 12 in the region have supported this theory that humid periods may have offered multiple opportunities for human dispersal in southern Arabia 13 Deposits edit The Paleolithic layers at FAY NE1 were first described by Armitage et al and were dated using single grain optically stimulated luminescence OSL The horizons are as follows from top to bottom 1 8 14 Assemblage ADated to approximately 40 000 years ago Recovered tools include burins retouched pieces end scrapers sidescrapers and denticulates Assemblage BNot yet dated Recovered tools resemble those of Assemblage A Assemblage CDated to approximately 125 000 years ago Recovered tools include small hand axes foliates end scrapers and sidescrapers and denticulates Evidence of the Levallois production technique is unique to Assemblage C 1 Stone tools are thought to have been associated with Homo sapiens living in Africa at that time and this shows that modern sapiens may have expanded Africa more quickly than thought 14 Paleolithic Assemblages D and E are also present but have not been discussed in detail due to a small number of finds 8 Neolithic levels edit The Neolithic levels at FAY NE1 consist of approximately 1 meter of sediment A layer of sand above Assemblage A seals the Neolithic context from the Paleolithic This layer contains Faya arrowheads and shell fragments dated to about 9500 years BP Hans Peter Uerpmann and his colleagues attribute these artifacts to the first reoccupation of the site since its last abandonment in the Paleolithic The layers above this sand level are less distinct and have not provided significant information about late Neolithic occupation 9 Significance editAlthough no human fossils have been found at Jebel Faya Armitage and others have argued that the Assemblage C artifacts dated to 125 000 years BP were produced by anatomically modern humans AMH This is because Assemblage C resembles contemporary east and northeast African technology more than the technology found at sites elsewhere on the Arabian peninsula 1 As a result the evidence at Jebel Faya has been used to support the idea of an early dispersal of AMH from the Horn of Africa across southern Arabia and into southern Asia 15 According to this theory modern humans dispersed out of Africa before the eruption of the Toba supervolcano 70 75 000 years BP This claim is based on excavations at Jwalapuram in India by Petraglia et al who argue that assemblages found in pre and post Toba eruption layers indicate the continuous presence of AMH 16 For Petraglia and his colleagues the presence of AMH at Jebel Faya 125 000 years ago could be evidence of an early dispersal route out of Africa which humans could have followed to south Asia 15 However there is strong opposition to this notion as critics have argued that the Assemblage C evidence is not enough to confirm the presence of AMH from Africa According to Paul Mellars who believes that significant modern human dispersals did not occur until after the Toba eruption There s not a scrap of evidence here that these were made by modern humans nor that they came from Africa 17 Studies about Jebel Faya s environmental context have indicated the potential for human dispersals out of Africa during humid periods in southern Arabia These periods coincide with occupation at FAY NE1 and depict activity at Jebel Faya as a cycle of occupation and abandonment according to the availability of water and vegetation 10 11 12 13 However although these studies demonstrate the site s attractiveness during humid periods there is an ongoing debate about the identity of its occupants 8 Due to their dissimilarity from any other Middle or Late Stone Age assemblages Assemblages B and A have been attributed to indigenous developments which may indicate that Jebel Faya was inhabited continuously 1 However this conclusion has been questioned due to genetic evidence of a more rapid dispersal of AMH out of Africa meaning the Paleolithic assemblages may be the products of unrelated populations 15 At the moment however it is considered possible 18 See also editSkhul and Qafzeh hominids Middle AwashReferences edit a b c d e f g h i Armitage Simon Sabah A Jasim Anthony E Marks Adrian G Parker Vitaly I Usik Hans Peter Uerpmann 28 January 2011 The Southern Route Out of Africa Evidence for an Early Expansion of Modern Humans into Arabia Science 331 6016 453 456 Bibcode 2011Sci 331 453A doi 10 1126 science 1199113 PMID 21273486 S2CID 20296624 a b c Leech Nick 2015 05 28 The long read Out of Arabia the story of early humanity The National Retrieved 2020 01 30 O Reilly Mick 2011 01 29 Humans migrated even earlier Gulf News Dubai Retrieved 2020 01 30 a b Archaeological sites Rock shelter site at Jebel Faya Art Destination Sharjah retrieved 2020 01 30 Scientists discover oldest known modern human fossil outside of Africa Analysis of fossil suggests Homo sapiens left Africa at least 50 000 years earlier than previously thought ScienceDaily Retrieved 2018 01 28 Ghosh Pallab 2018 Modern humans left Africa much earlier BBC News Retrieved 2018 01 28 Jawbone fossil found in Israeli cave resets clock for modern human evolution Retrieved 2018 01 28 a b c d e Bretzke Knut Conard Nicholas John Uerpmann Hans Peter 2014 Excavations at Jebel Faya The FAY NE1 shelter sequence Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies Vol 44 pp 69 82 doi 10 15496 publikation 1356 a b Uerpmann Hans Peter Uerpmann Margarethe Kutterer Adelina Jasim Sabah A 2013 05 01 The Neolithic period in the Central Region of the Emirate of Sharjah UAE Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy 24 1 102 108 doi 10 1111 aae 12019 ISSN 1600 0471 a b Bretzke Knut Armitage Simon J Parker Adrian G Walkington Helen Uerpmann Hans Peter 2013 06 25 The environmental context of Paleolithic settlement at Jebel Faya Emirate Sharjah UAE Quaternary International The Middle Palaeolithic in the Desert 300 83 93 Bibcode 2013QuInt 300 83B doi 10 1016 j quaint 2013 01 028 a b Parton A Farrant A R Leng M J Telfer M W Groucutt H S Petraglia M D Parker A G 2015 Alluvial fan records from southeast Arabia reveal multiple windows for human dispersal PDF Geology 43 4 295 298 Bibcode 2015Geo 43 295P doi 10 1130 g36401 1 a b Rosenberg T M Preusser F Fleitmann D Schwalb A Penkman K Schmid T W Al Shanti M A Kadi K Matter A 2011 Humid periods in southern Arabia Windows of opportunity for modern human dispersal Geology 39 12 1115 1118 Bibcode 2011Geo 39 1115R doi 10 1130 g32281 1 S2CID 129464252 a b Groucutt Huw S Petraglia Michael D 2012 05 01 The prehistory of the Arabian peninsula Deserts dispersals and demography Evolutionary Anthropology Issues News and Reviews 21 3 113 125 doi 10 1002 evan 21308 ISSN 1520 6505 PMID 22718479 S2CID 13705573 a b Roberts Alice 2018 Evolution The Human Story Revised edition ISBN 978 1465474018 a b c Petraglia Michael D 2011 Archaeology Trailblazers across Arabia Nature 470 7332 50 51 Bibcode 2011Natur 470 50P doi 10 1038 470050a PMID 21293370 Petraglia Michael Korisettar Ravi Boivin Nicole Clarkson Christopher Ditchfield Peter Jones Sacha Koshy Jinu Lahr Marta Mirazon Oppenheimer Clive 2007 01 01 Middle Paleolithic Assemblages from the Indian Subcontinent before and after the Toba Super Eruption Science 317 5834 114 116 Bibcode 2007Sci 317 114P doi 10 1126 science 1141564 JSTOR 20036656 PMID 17615356 S2CID 20380351 Lawler Andrew 2011 01 28 Did Modern Humans Travel Out of Africa Via Arabia Science 331 6016 387 Bibcode 2011Sci 331 387L doi 10 1126 science 331 6016 387 ISSN 0036 8075 PMID 21273459 BT YTree External links editLost Civilization May Have Existed Beneath the Persian Gulf December 10 2010 Nature Early human migration written in stone tools 27 January 2011 Science Did Modern Humans Travel Out of Africa Via Arabia 28 January 2011 requires subscription or proxy What s a prehistoric toolkit and how could it rewrite human history The Tools of Jebel Faya Jebel Faya YouTube Paragliding in U A E Jebel Faya Sharjah Stone Axe 150 000 years from Jebel Faya Sharjah أداة حجرية من 150 000 سنة من جبل فاية الشارقة Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Jebel Faya amp oldid 1181781100, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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