We present a database comprising records of wildlife species >2 kg identified in depictions or man-made objects from Egypt and Nubia from the Last Glacial Maximum to the end of the Ptolemaic Period in Egypt (c.22,000BC–30BC) as reported in the literature. The categories of representations include: tomb reliefs and paintings, temple reliefs, rock art (engravings and paintings), ostraca, stelae, palettes, depictions on ceramics or various other objects, statues, figurines, amulets, various other objects or object parts shaped as wildlife species. The database is deposited in the Open Quaternary Dataverse (Harvard Dataverse) and provides a resource for researchers across disciplines investigating topics related to regional zoogeography and interactions between climate, human populations and biodiversity during the Holocene. The database was compiled as part of the Leverhulme-funded Biodiversity in Egyptian Archaeology during Societal Transitions (BEAST) project and has been used in the research reported in Lazagabaster et al. 2024, Bro-Jorgensen et al. 2025, and Spedding et al. 2025.
This paper presents the first continuous, spatially-explicit reconstructions of the palaeodistributions of 65 plant species found regularly in association with early agricultural archaeological sites in West Asia, including the progenitors of the first crops. We used machine learning to train an ecological niche model of each species based on its present-day distribution in relation to climate and environmental variables. Predictions of the potential niches of these species at key stages of the Pleistocene–Holocene transition could then be derived from these models using downsampled data from palaeoclimate simulations. Our models performed well against independent contemporary test data, but their ability to predict the occurrence of specific species at archaeological sites was much more variable, probably reflecting a tendency of the method to underestimate the species’ fundamental niche. Nevertheless, the majority of species are predicted to have had more restricted geographic distributions under past climate conditions compared to today. Crop progenitors and several wild food species are modelled to have been concentrated in the Levant and, to a lesser extent, Cyprus and Western Anatolia, suggesting these regions may have served as glacial refugia. The average size of species’ niche shrunk by an average of c. 25% from the terminal Pleistocene to the Early Holocene, indicating that economically significant plants were adapted to cryo-arid conditions and did not, as often assumed, initially respond positively to the ‘ameliorated’ climate of the Holocene.
The Early and Middle Holocene (10,000–3,000 BCE) in Southern Arabia witnessed significant climate change and variation in material culture across space and time. This study investigates the potential impact of 1) shifts in population density and 2) climatic fluctuations on the primary drivers of social development and technological innovation in this key timeframe. Our primary goal is to assess whether and to what extent climate change impacted human societies and their technological knowledge, particularly lithic technology. This research is based on a comprehensive collection of radiocarbon dates from surveyed and excavated sites (n = 346), the distribution of projectile points (n = 662) and their technological traits, and published palaeoclimatic records from cave speleothems (n = 2). All proxies encompass two regional case studies, i.e. Sultanate of Oman and United Arab Emirates. Long-term trends in lithic technological traits are explored using aoristic analysis to facilitate measuring their relationship with demographic (e.g., summed probability distribution of radiocarbon dates) and palaeoclimatic proxies. Our results suggest that wetter climates during the Early Holocene facilitated population growth, while increased aridity during the Middle Holocene led to population decline and potential patterns of isolation and subsequent cultural heterogeneity. Nevertheless, technological innovations and social adaptations may have played a critical role in mitigating the impacts of environmental changes. This study enhances our understanding of the complex interactions between human technological diversity, population density, and environmental fluctuations in a key period for the formation of local sociocultural trends in the eastern half of Southern Arabia.
This contribution investigates the formation of karst depressions containing metres of fine sediment and prehistoric artefacts at an elevation of around 1000 m a.s.l. in the central part of the Al-Hajar Mountains in south-eastern Arabia. Through field reconnaissance, satellite imagery analysis and laboratory methods, we highlight the origin of their thick sediment deposits and the factors enabling their retention in an otherwise erosional landscape. Comprehensive analyses of heavy minerals and microfossils reveal that the sediment deposits accumulated in the depressions of the Sint Karst Plateau (local term: huyul, sg. hayl) contain alluvially redeposited aeolian materials rather than in situ weathering products. The basal terra rossa incorporates dust from surrounding rock formations, while the overlying silt originates from more distant sources, presumably coastal shelves exposed during marine regression (for instance, from the Arabian Gulf). The sediment aggradation and flooding observable at huyul is attributed to clogging by suspended silt particles during the infiltration of floodwater – a process similar to siltation in modern recharge dams, although occurring at a much different temporal scale and hydraulic pressure. Satellite imagery confirms that similar clusters of karst depressions exist elsewhere in the Al-Hajar Mountains at elevations between 700–1500 m a.s.l. and that they are specifically associated with near-horizontal karst plateaus with a distinctive criss-cross pattern of fractures. These mountain plateau huyul represent valuable palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental archives and have preserved aeolian dust no longer present in steep terrain of equal elevation.
The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) is a key reference point for understanding past climate, but its complexity can lead to ambiguities in scope and interpretation. In this study, we applied a suite of geochemical techniques -XRF, grain size, and pollen analysis- to a well-dated sedimentary sequence from the lower central plain of Thailand. Our results show a gradual increase in fluvial runoff and precipitation from 26.5 to 24.6 cal ka BP, followed by reduced discharge around 24.6–24.1 cal ka BP, correlating with Heinrich event 2. A subsequent decline in runoff until 23 cal ka BP was followed by a distinct increased precipitation between 23–22.8 cal ka BP, with an abrupt shift to drier conditions post 22.8 cal ka BP. Comparing our records with other paleo records from the Sundaland imply that the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) did not shift significantly north during the LGM. Instead, we suggest an ENSO-like phenomenon modulated tropical rainfall during the LGM as a result of the exposed Sunda Shelf, which enhanced precipitation and created a climate similar to the present tropical wet-dry or savanna climate, with pronounced seasonality. Our results highlight the complexities associated with tropical climate variability, challenging the conventional uniformity of cool and dry conditions during the LGM.
