Palaeolithic Period: 300,000–8000 BCE

The Palaeolithic period has generally not been well documented on the western shores of the Gulf. This is because most remains have been submerged under the waters of the Arabian Gulf due to geological conditions. Before 14,000 BCE the land was dry, after which the sea level began to rise and gradually flood the land. This continued until about 7,500 BCE when the sea stopped rising and the shoreline was left as we know it today.

As part of the Tigris-Euphrates river system, the land that is now the Gulf was lush and green, offering its inhabitants the basic means for survival including plants to gather and animals to hunt. One of the earliest pieces of evidence of human activity which has been passed down to us is the lithic industry, where types of stone were worked through various techniques to create tools. These objects have been able to withstand the test of time mainly due to the hardness of their material.

The Palaeolithic, or Old Stone Age, is one of the major periods of prehistory and is characterised by the appearance of the first human species. This period is also known as the ‘Carved Stone Age’, as humans used and worked stones to create tools. The first basic tools were simple cutting, chopping and grinding tools, later evolving into more and more complex forms that were increasingly difficult to make. This period is divided chronologically into three periods: the Lower, Middle and Upper Palaeolithic, the dates of which vary between continents and populations.

KAPEL, H., 1967, Reports of the Danish Archaeological Expedition to the Arabian Gulf - Volume one, Atlas of the stone age cultures of Qatar. Jutland Archaeological Society Publications Vol.6. Aarhus.
NA’IMI, F. & GILLEPSIE, F., 2011, Heritage without Borders, 3rd Joint GCC Archaeology Exhibition.