What’s the point? Variation and innovation of Neolithic arrowhead technology in northwest Arabia

Once a lacuna in prehistoric archaeology, a rich Neolithic record is now apparent in northern Arabia; concentrated during the 5th and 6th millennia BCE, which is represented by habitational and hunting sites, as well as monumental structures such as mustatils. Affinities between Levantine and Northern Arabian industries have been presented as evidence for connectivity, or even migration. This is particularly the case regarding arrowhead technologies, which have functioned as ‘type fossils’ in culture-historical schemes. In this study we conduct an attribute analysis of Neolithic arrowheads recovered through the AAKSAU-EX and PAKEP projects in AlUla (العلا al‑ʿUlā) County, Saudi Arabia. Our results reaffirm certain affinities to Levantine toolkits, supporting a long history of interaction. However, the appearance of distinct arrowhead forms also signals local expressions of material culture, adding to a list of idiosyncrasies in the subsistence, architectural, and ritual customs of the region. With this evidence, the appropriacy of Levantine-lithic cultural designations is questioned for northwest Arabia.