Interpretting the Neolithic Mustatils of northwestern Arabia.
[sciencythoughts.blogspot.com]
The northwestern part of the Arabian Peninsula was, until fairly recently, believed to have been largely uninhabited until the onset of the Iron Age, in the twelfth century BC. However, recent research has suggested that the area may have been inhabbited for much longer, by peoples with unique cultural identities not seen elsewhere. This research has identified thousands of stone structures across northwestern (and other parts of) Arabia, which have become collectively known as the 'Works of Old Men', and which date from the Middle Holocene (6500-2800 BC) onwards. These structures come in a range of forms, including burrial cairns, tower tombs, 'pendant' tombs, megalithic structures, monumental Animal traps, or 'kites', and a variety of open-air structures.