Archaeologists have unearthed 80,000-year-old stone tools at Jebel Faya in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. This discovery provides significant evidence of early human activity in the Arabian Peninsula. It reveals a continuous human presence spanning 210,000 years.
The international research project was led by the Sharjah Archaeology Authority (SAA) in partnership with universities in Germany and the UK. The findings, published in the journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, indicate that early Homo sapiens established long-term settlements in the region.
The inhabitants of Jebel Faya used a sophisticated toolmaking technique called bidirectional reduction. This method involved precise strikes to create elongated blades and flakes. These multipurpose tools were used for hunting, butchering, and crafting additional implements.