New results from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic Site of Al Uyaynah, Tabuk, in Northwestern Saudi Arabia

Al Uyaynah is a low sandstone mound on an alluvial plain, long known for its extensive surface remains of stone-built circular and rectangular structures. Following test excavations in 2012, more detailed excavation was undertaken in 2016 within one of the largest rectangular stone structures. This demonstrates a sequence with lithic and faunal remains in the time range 7190–6900 cal BC. The lithic industry includes Amuq points, burins, sickle inserts, perforators, awls and scrapers. The faunal remains are dominated by ovicaprids, with goats certainly present, and smaller numbers of cattle, gazelle, and hare. An unusual feature is the large number (>200) of small (2–5 cm) roughlyformed clay objects at the base of the sequence, many with what appear to be deliberately made holes, grooves or inserts of flint and charcoal. We interpret the site as a small village settlement supported by animal husbandry and perhaps crop cultivation, occupied during a relatively short window of improved climatic conditions. Overall, the material shows close affinities with late Pre-Pottery Neolithic B sites in the southern Levant, but with some distinctive features.