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This blog provides a forum for presenting and discussing the latest findings relating to the ancient Indian Ocean, from archaeology, molecular genetics, historical linguistics and other disciplines. It takes a long-term view of the Indian Ocean region, exploring the processes that shaped its cultures, societies and environments from the Pleistocene to the historical period.

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Saturday 11 June 2011

Dispersals across Arabia

Our team identified a Middle Palaeolithic archaeological site deep inside the Arabian peninsula (click here). The archaeological site, called Jebel Qattar, is located along the Jubbah palaeo-lakeshores. Here, we have an archaeological site dating to 75,000 years ago, corresponding with a wet phase in the Arabian Desert. This new archaeological information fits nicely with a model of human migrations in the interior of Arabia, utilizing lakes and rivers during humid periods. See: Trailblazers across Arabia.

4 comments:

  1. I really like very much your article of the "Trailblazers". Really I do feel that there seem to be two windows for the OoA (into South Asia) one c. 125-120 Ka and another 90-80 Ka. I am unable at this moment to decide on one or the other or even if there were two migrations in fact and you seem to acknowledge this difficulty as well.

    However at the end of the article you propose that the 125 Ka. is not compatible with "genetics based age estimates". I must warn you not to take such estimates too seriously: they are no C14 nor anything of the like but just a controversial method (or rather various related methods) of statistical nature. In spite of their popularity both in academic and specially pop-science circles, their scientific value is almost nil.

    For example a simple (but common) error is to use a Pan-Homo divergence estimate (an important underlying datum) of 5, 5.5, 6 or 7 Ma. When in fact it is probably not smaller than 8 or 8.5 Ma (a figure never used AFAIK) and could be even as much as 10 Ma. This in turn implies a systematic error of 15-70% (with the 8 Ma date as "the good one"). So in fact the Armitage dates are not impossible once we take this on account.

    And this is not the only problem of genetic age estimates, which are little more than an erudite speculation.

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  2. I concur with the other comment. Isotopes are affected by the electrical environment, a pattern has been detected of a seasonal nature, ie rates of decay vary on the distance of the earth from the sun!

    Our time on what we recognize as the earth is shorter than we are told and many of those telling us know it.

    Read Arthur DeGrazia for more rather unsettling ideas.

    Given the EM anomaly under the sub-continent, it is likely that the area was devastated by tsunami. In Madagascar and eastern Queensland the waves reached 150 metres. Based on post ice age levels. The ice age ended due to massive heat generated by the impacts.

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  3. Very interesting and enjoyable..I was completely unaware of this.

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  4. This new archaeological information fits nicely with a model of human migrations in the interior of Arabia, utilizing lakes and rivers during humid periods. LOL Elo Boost
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    ReplyDelete