An early MIS 3 pluvial phase in Southeast Arabia: climatic and archaeological implications

Climatic changes in Arabia are of critical importance to our understanding of both monsoon variability and the dispersal of anatomically modern humans (AMH) out of Africa. The timing of dispersal is associated with the occurrence of pluvial periods during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5 (ca. 130–74 ka), after which arid conditions between ca. 74 and 10.5 ka are thought to have restricted further migration and range expansion within the Arabian interior. Whilst a number of records indicate that this phase of aridity was punctuated by an increase in monsoon strength during MIS 3, uncertainties regarding the precision of terrestrial records and suitability of marine archives as records of precipitation, mean that the occurrence of this pluvial remains debated. Here we present evidence from a series of relict lake deposits within southeastern Arabia, which formed at the onset of MIS 3 (ca. 61–58 ka). At this time, the incursion of monsoon rainfall into the Arabian interior activated a network of channels associated with an alluvial fan system along the western flanks of the Hajar Mountains, leading to lake formation. Multiproxy evidence indicates that precipitation increases intermittently recharged fluvial systems within the region, leading to lake expansion in distal fan zones. Conversely, decreased precipitation led to reduced channel flow, lake contraction and a shift to saline conditions. These findings are in contrast to the many other palaeoclimatic records from Arabia, which suggest that during MIS 3, the latitudinal position of the monsoon was substantially further south and did not penetrate the peninsula. Additionally, the occurrence of increased rainfall at this time challenges the notion that the climate of Arabia following MIS 5 was too harsh to permit the further range expansion of indigenous communities

Ancient and modern DNA reveal dynamics of domestication and cross-continental dispersal of the dromedary

Dromedaries have been fundamental to the development of human societies in arid landscapes and for long-distance trade across hostile hot terrains for 3,000 y. Today they continue to be an important livestock resource in marginal agro-ecological zones. However, the history of dromedary domestication and the influence of ancient trading networks on their genetic structure have remained elusive. We combined ancient DNA sequences of wild and early-domesticated dromedary samples from arid regions with nuclear microsatellite and mitochondrial genotype information from 1,083 extant animals collected across the species’ range. We observe little phylogeographic signal in the modern population, indicative of extensive gene flow and virtually affecting all regions except East Africa, where dromedary populations have remained relatively isolated. In agreement with archaeological findings, we identify wild dromedaries from the southeast Arabian Peninsula among the founders of the domestic dromedary gene pool. Approximate Bayesian computations further support the “restocking from the wild” hypothesis, with an initial domestication followed by introgression from individuals from wild, now-extinct populations. Compared with other livestock, which show a long history of gene flow with their wild ancestors, we find a high initial diversity relative to the native distribution of the wild ancestor on the Arabian Peninsula and to the brief coexistence of early-domesticated and wild individuals. This study also demonstrates the potential to retrieve ancient DNA sequences from osseous remains excavated in hot and dry desert environments

Ancient DNA suggests modern wolves trace their origin to a late Pleistocene expansion from Beringia.

Grey wolves (Canis lupus) are one of the few large terrestrial carnivores that have maintained a wide geographic distribution across the Northern Hemisphere throughout the Pleistocene and Holocene. Recent genetic studies have suggested that, despite this continuous presence, major demographic changes occurred in wolf populations between the late Pleistocene and early Holocene, and that extant wolves trace their ancestry to a single late Pleistocene population. Both the geographic origin of this ancestral population and how it became widespread remain unknown. Here, we used a spatially and temporally explicit modelling framework to analyse a dataset of 90 modern and 45 ancient mitochondrial wolf genomes from across the Northern Hemisphere, spanning the last 50,000 years. Our results suggest that contemporary wolf populations trace their ancestry to an expansion from Beringia at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum, and that this process was most likely driven by Late Pleistocene ecological fluctuations that occurred across the Northern Hemisphere. This study provides direct ancient genetic evidence that long-range migration has played an important role in the population history of a large carnivore, and provides an insight into how wolves survived the wave of megafaunal extinctions at the end of the last glaciation. Moreover, because late Pleistocene grey wolves were the likely source from which all modern dogs trace their origins, the demographic history described in this study has fundamental implications for understanding the geographical origin of the dog.L.L., K.D. and G.L. were supported by the Natural Environment Research Council, UK (grant numbers NE/K005243/1, NE/K003259/1); LL was also supported by the European Research Council grant (339941‐ADAPT); A.M. and A.E. were supported by the European Research Council Consolidator grant (grant number 647787‐LocalAdaptation); L.F. and G.L. were supported by the European Research Council grant (ERC‐2013‐StG 337574‐UNDEAD); T.G. was supported by a European Research Council Consolidator grant (681396‐Extinction Genomics) & Lundbeck Foundation grant (R52‐5062); O.T. was supported by the National Science Center, Poland (2015/19/P/NZ7/03971), with funding from EU's Horizon 2020 programme under the Marie Skłodowska‐Curie grant agreement (665778) and Synthesys Project (BETAF 3062); V.P., E.P. and P.N. were supported by the Russian Science Foundation grant (N16‐18‐10265 RNF); A.P. was supported by the Max Planck Society; M.L‐G. was supported by a Czech Science Foundation grant (GAČR15‐06446S)

Ancient DNA suggests modern wolves trace their origin to a late Pleistocene expansion from Beringia.

Grey wolves (Canis lupus) are one of the few large terrestrial carnivores that have maintained a wide geographic distribution across the Northern Hemisphere throughout the Pleistocene and Holocene. Recent genetic studies have suggested that, despite this continuous presence, major demographic changes occurred in wolf populations between the late Pleistocene and early Holocene, and that extant wolves trace their ancestry to a single late Pleistocene population. Both the geographic origin of this ancestral population and how it became widespread remain unknown. Here, we used a spatially and temporally explicit modelling framework to analyse a dataset of 90 modern and 45 ancient mitochondrial wolf genomes from across the Northern Hemisphere, spanning the last 50,000 years. Our results suggest that contemporary wolf populations trace their ancestry to an expansion from Beringia at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum, and that this process was most likely driven by Late Pleistocene ecological fluctuations that occurred across the Northern Hemisphere. This study provides direct ancient genetic evidence that long-range migration has played an important role in the population history of a large carnivore, and provides an insight into how wolves survived the wave of megafaunal extinctions at the end of the last glaciation. Moreover, because late Pleistocene grey wolves were the likely source from which all modern dogs trace their origins, the demographic history described in this study has fundamental implications for understanding the geographical origin of the dog.L.L., K.D. and G.L. were supported by the Natural Environment Research Council, UK (grant numbers NE/K005243/1, NE/K003259/1); LL was also supported by the European Research Council grant (339941‐ADAPT); A.M. and A.E. were supported by the European Research Council Consolidator grant (grant number 647787‐LocalAdaptation); L.F. and G.L. were supported by the European Research Council grant (ERC‐2013‐StG 337574‐UNDEAD); T.G. was supported by a European Research Council Consolidator grant (681396‐Extinction Genomics) & Lundbeck Foundation grant (R52‐5062); O.T. was supported by the National Science Center, Poland (2015/19/P/NZ7/03971), with funding from EU's Horizon 2020 programme under the Marie Skłodowska‐Curie grant agreement (665778) and Synthesys Project (BETAF 3062); V.P., E.P. and P.N. were supported by the Russian Science Foundation grant (N16‐18‐10265 RNF); A.P. was supported by the Max Planck Society; M.L‐G. was supported by a Czech Science Foundation grant (GAČR15‐06446S)

Fish exploitation at Bronze Age harbour sites in the Arabian Gulf area

Some 60 000 finds offish bones from Bronze-Age harbour sites on the Arabian shores of the Irano-Arabian Gulf were evaluated with regard to their contribution to the understanding of the role of fisheries within the subsistence activities of the inhabitants. Fishing grounds and potential technologies - as reflected in the spectra offish species - were analysed. Both coastal and open waters were exploited at all sites, the catches usually reflecting an opportunistic approach rather than selective fishing techniques. At the evaluated sites neither tunas at the upper end of the size spectrum nor sardines or other small fish were of any economic importance. On the whole the contribution offish to human nutrition at all sites was very important, although detailed quantifications are impossible due to differential taphonomic loss offish bones versus the remains of other leftovers of Bronze-Age food.Environ 60 000 fragments d'ossements de poissons ont été analysés, provenant de gisements de l'âge du Bronze localisés sur la côte arabe du golfe Arabo-Persique afin d'apprécier le rôle de la pêche dans les activités liées à la subsistance des habitants. L 'étude des milieux marins exploités et des techniques de capture s 'est faite à partir de l'analyse des spectres des espèces de poissons retrouvés. Dans tous les sites, les zones littorales et les zones pélagiques ont été exploitées. Les captures témoignent plutôt d'une approche opportuniste que d'une technique de pêche sélective. Les sites passés en revue montrent que ni les thons à l'extrémité supérieure du spectre, ni les sardines ou autres petits poissons n 'ont joué un rôle économique important. Toutefois, la contribution de la pêche pour la nutrition humaine était partout très importante. Il reste malheureusement impossible de quantifier cette importance par rapport aux autres restes alimentaires de l 'âge du Bronze car des facteurs taphonomiques différentiels ont affecté ceux-ci.Uerpmann Margarethe, Uerpmann Hans-Peter. Fish exploitation at Bronze Age harbour sites in the Arabian Gulf area. In: Paléorient, 2005, vol. 31, n°1. Anciennes exploitations des mers et des cours d'eau en Asie du Sud-Ouest. Approches environnementales. pp. 108-115

Animal economy during the Early Bronze Age in South-East Arabia

Animal remains from four Early Bronze Age sites in the UAE and Oman (Hili 8, Tell Abraq, Umm an-Nar and Maysar) are analysed with regard to the animal component of the economies represented. Archaeozoological information from sites at Ra’s al-Jinz and Ra’s al-Hadd (Oman) is used for comparison. The latter sites as well as Umm an-Nar are characterized by a very low contribution of domestic fauna to their subsistence economies. More than 90% (by bone weight) of the analysed faunal remains from these sites derive from marine animals (mostly dugong at Umm an-Nar and turtle at Ra’s al-Jinz). Tell Abraq is intermediate with a contribution of ca 50% from the domesticates, while at the inland sites (Hili 8 and Maysar) domestic fauna provided over 90% of the analysed finds. The wild fauna at all sites corresponds well to the respective environments. The domestic fauna is dominated by cattle at the sites in UAE, while in Oman, sheep and goats were more important. Among these, goat is better represented at all sites. Ass remains are present at all sites with the exception of Umm an-Nar. Most likely they represent domestic donkeys. Dromedary remains are frequent at Umm an-Nar, but are rare or absent at the other sites. There are no indications for domestication of this animal during the Early Bronze Age. Cattle seem to have been used as draught animals in agricultural communities (Hili 8), but potentially also for overland transportation of goods. However, there are no indications for an exchange system which delivered preserved products of marine animals (e.g. dried fish) into the hinterland.Les restes de faune de quatre sites des Émirats Arabes Unis et d’Oman datés du Bronze ancien (Hili 8, Tell Abraq, Umm an-Nar et Maysar) sont analysés en considérant les caractéristiques liées à l’exploitation des animaux dans les économies représentées. Les informations archéozoologiques des sites de Ra’s al-Jinz et de Raa’s al-Hadd (Oman) sont utilisées comme comparaison. Ces deux derniers sites, tout comme Umm an-Nar, sont caractérisés par une faible contribution des animaux domestiques à l’économie de subsistance. Plus de 90 % (d’après le poids des restes osseux) des vestiges de faune analysés de ces sites proviennent de la faune marine (principalement le dugong à Umm an-Nar et la tortue à Ra’s al-Jinz). Tell Abraq présente une situation intermédiaire avec une contribution des animaux domestiques de 50 % environ, tandis que sur les sites de l’intérieur (Hili 8 et Maysar) les domestiques représentent 90 % des trouvailles analysées. La faune sauvage de tous les sites est en concordance avec leurs environnements respectifs. La faune domestique est dominée par les bovins sur les sites des Émirats, alors qu’en Oman, les moutons et les chèvres sont majoritaires. Sur tous les sites, les chèvres sont mieux représentées que les moutons. Les restes d’équidés sont présents partout excepté à Umm an-Nar. Il s’agit principalement d’ânes domestiques. Les vestiges de dromadaires sont fréquents à Umm an-Nar, mais rares ou absents sur les autres sites. Il n’y a pas d’indication de la domestication de cet animal au cours de l’âge du Bronze ancien. Les bovins domestiques semblent avoir été utilisés pour le trait dans les communautés agricoles (Hili 8), mais potentiellement aussi pour le transport de biens à travers la région. Cependant, il n’y a pas d’indices d’un système d’échange qui aurait livré des produits animaux préparés en vue de la conservation (comme par exemple du poisson séché) dans l’arrière-pays.Uerpmann Margarethe, Uerpmann Hans-Peter. Animal economy during the Early Bronze Age in South-East Arabia. In: Archaeozoology of the Near East VIII. Actes des huitièmes Rencontres internationales d'Archéozoologie de l'Asie du Sud-Ouest et des régions adjacentes. Lyon : Maison de l'Orient et de la Méditerranée Jean Pouilloux, 2008. pp. 465-485. (Travaux de la Maison de l'Orient et de la Méditerranée, 49

Animal economy during the Early Bronze Age in South-East Arabia

Animal remains from four Early Bronze Age sites in the UAE and Oman (Hili 8, Tell Abraq, Umm an-Nar and Maysar) are analysed with regard to the animal component of the economies represented. Archaeozoological information from sites at Ra’s al-Jinz and Ra’s al-Hadd (Oman) is used for comparison. The latter sites as well as Umm an-Nar are characterized by a very low contribution of domestic fauna to their subsistence economies. More than 90% (by bone weight) of the analysed faunal remains from these sites derive from marine animals (mostly dugong at Umm an-Nar and turtle at Ra’s al-Jinz). Tell Abraq is intermediate with a contribution of ca 50% from the domesticates, while at the inland sites (Hili 8 and Maysar) domestic fauna provided over 90% of the analysed finds. The wild fauna at all sites corresponds well to the respective environments. The domestic fauna is dominated by cattle at the sites in UAE, while in Oman, sheep and goats were more important. Among these, goat is better represented at all sites. Ass remains are present at all sites with the exception of Umm an-Nar. Most likely they represent domestic donkeys. Dromedary remains are frequent at Umm an-Nar, but are rare or absent at the other sites. There are no indications for domestication of this animal during the Early Bronze Age. Cattle seem to have been used as draught animals in agricultural communities (Hili 8), but potentially also for overland transportation of goods. However, there are no indications for an exchange system which delivered preserved products of marine animals (e.g. dried fish) into the hinterland.Les restes de faune de quatre sites des Émirats Arabes Unis et d’Oman datés du Bronze ancien (Hili 8, Tell Abraq, Umm an-Nar et Maysar) sont analysés en considérant les caractéristiques liées à l’exploitation des animaux dans les économies représentées. Les informations archéozoologiques des sites de Ra’s al-Jinz et de Raa’s al-Hadd (Oman) sont utilisées comme comparaison. Ces deux derniers sites, tout comme Umm an-Nar, sont caractérisés par une faible contribution des animaux domestiques à l’économie de subsistance. Plus de 90 % (d’après le poids des restes osseux) des vestiges de faune analysés de ces sites proviennent de la faune marine (principalement le dugong à Umm an-Nar et la tortue à Ra’s al-Jinz). Tell Abraq présente une situation intermédiaire avec une contribution des animaux domestiques de 50 % environ, tandis que sur les sites de l’intérieur (Hili 8 et Maysar) les domestiques représentent 90 % des trouvailles analysées. La faune sauvage de tous les sites est en concordance avec leurs environnements respectifs. La faune domestique est dominée par les bovins sur les sites des Émirats, alors qu’en Oman, les moutons et les chèvres sont majoritaires. Sur tous les sites, les chèvres sont mieux représentées que les moutons. Les restes d’équidés sont présents partout excepté à Umm an-Nar. Il s’agit principalement d’ânes domestiques. Les vestiges de dromadaires sont fréquents à Umm an-Nar, mais rares ou absents sur les autres sites. Il n’y a pas d’indication de la domestication de cet animal au cours de l’âge du Bronze ancien. Les bovins domestiques semblent avoir été utilisés pour le trait dans les communautés agricoles (Hili 8), mais potentiellement aussi pour le transport de biens à travers la région. Cependant, il n’y a pas d’indices d’un système d’échange qui aurait livré des produits animaux préparés en vue de la conservation (comme par exemple du poisson séché) dans l’arrière-pays.Uerpmann Margarethe, Uerpmann Hans-Peter. Animal economy during the Early Bronze Age in South-East Arabia. In: Archaeozoology of the Near East VIII. Actes des huitièmes Rencontres internationales d'Archéozoologie de l'Asie du Sud-Ouest et des régions adjacentes. Lyon : Maison de l'Orient et de la Méditerranée Jean Pouilloux, 2008. pp. 465-485. (Travaux de la Maison de l'Orient et de la Méditerranée, 49