Southern Arabia Population Patterns and Intensity of Cultural Exchanges Across the Holocene Humid Period

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.