Neanderthals ventured into southern Arabia 55,000 years ago, expanding their range
A study of stone tools from JKF-1 beside an ancient lake near Jubbah, Saudi Arabia, suggests Neanderthals inhabited the Arabian interior about 55,000 years ago—far south of where they were previously thought to live. By analyzing hundreds of tool flakes and comparing them to Neanderthal and Homo sapiens patterns, and dating the sediments with optically stimulated luminescence, researchers find evidence that Neanderthals made the JKF-1 tools. The date corresponds to a wetter period with a refilling lake, which could have drawn Neanderthals into the desert interior. No Neanderthal bones have been found in Arabia, so the evidence remains indirect and subject to further confirmation.