[Book review] The first peoples of Oman. Palaeolithic archaeology of the Nejd Plateau

Abstract

The Dhofar region in the southwest of Oman is a peculiar, and special, corner of Arabia. It represents the eastern-most extent of the highland spine of Arabia which extends down the west coast and then swings eastwards through Yemen. Traditionally Dhofar had more to do with areas to its west than to the rest of Oman, with social and linguistic connections to areas in modern-day Yemen. Likewise, Dhofar is a primarily Sunni Muslim area in contrast to the Ibadism dominant in the north of Oman. Today Dhofar is clipped by the Indian Ocean Monsoon, the resulting wet season giving a small area of Dhofar a tropical and green character, very different from common stereotypes of Arabia. Due to its geographic position and environmental context, Dhofar is the fulcrum of the southern part of Arabia. Did the region act as a long term “refugia” for prehistoric humans? Was it a region that humans leaving Africa passed through as they, supposedly, followed the Indian Ocean rim?