On the island of Gaga, west of the city of Abu Dhabi, local archaeologists have discovered evidence of the earliest known settlements in the Arabian Peninsula. The age of the discovered buildings is 8500 years – they are 500 years older than all the previous treasures found.
Stone structures discovered by the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism shed light on the early history of the region. It was previously believed that the Neolithic sea trade routes were responsible for the population growth in the area, but the latest discovery proves that Neolithic settlements existed before.
A team of archaeologists have used cutting-edge techniques to help unravel the history of the country. An analysis of charcoal fragments for carbon-14 showed that the finds were at least 8,500 years old. Thus, they are older than those found on Marawa Island, also off the coast of Abu Dhabi.
“These archaeological finds showed that people settled and built houses here 8500 years ago. The discoveries on Gaga Island show that the desire for innovation and sustainability has been part of the DNA of the inhabitants of this region for millennia,” said Mohamed Al Mubarak, chairman of the department.
The finds will also provide a better understanding of the deep cultural ties between the people who lived in what is now the UAE and the sea. The finds indicate that the islands of Abu Dhabi were the center of human innovation and were actively settled during the Neolithic period, the last stage of the Stone Age – a key era in the history of the development of civilization.
Ancient buildings were simple round rooms with stone walls. They probably belonged to communities that lived on the island throughout the year. Hundreds of artifacts were found in the rooms, including elaborately crafted stone arrowheads that were used for hunting. A 5,000-year-old burial was also found on the island.