Excavations come up with Stone Age tools

AL AIN — A number of Neolithic sites have been discovered recently at the southeast region of Abu Dhabi near Umm ez Zamoul, not far from the border between UAE, Oman and Saudi Arabia.

By Lana Mahdi

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Published: Fri 3 Mar 2006, 10:59 AM

Last updated: Sat 4 Apr 2015, 7:25 PM

Excavations carried out by the Department of Antiquities and Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey (ADIAS) came up with a large collection of flint tools and artifacts that are still under study. Arrowheads of different types are the most recognisable tools among the collection which also include flakes and limestone mortars.

According to Al Ain National Museum, evidence suggests that stone age people were actively practicing their daily life in several locations west of the road linking Al Qo'a with Umm ez Zamoul. Archaeological investigations indicate that this region which is a desert today would have been different during the Neolithic time. Around seven thousand years ago, the climate in this part of Arabia would have been cooler, with more rainfall and vegetation, they revealed.

Archaeologists pointed out that though similar artifacts have been discovered from other regions of the UAE, this is the first time that they have been found in such inhospitable environment and in such large quantities. Remains of what looks like stone structures have also been identified, though further investigation needs to be carried out before the archaeologists can determine the nature of these structures.

Preliminary evidence indicates that some of these sites may have been originally located on the shores of land locked lakes that may have existed in the region earlier. Exposed limestone terraces that extend scores of kilometres to the west of the Al Hajar Mountains today, might once have been submerged in water. The formation of the sand dunes in the plains, which get higher as they extend to the west towards Liwa Oasis and the exposed sites located between the dunes, reveals that many similar sites might have existed here once, which have disappeared today.


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