The Central Oman Palaeolithic Survey (COPS), initiated by the Institute for Prehistory and Archaeological Science (IPAS) of the University of Basel (Switzerland) was carried out in 2007 & 2008 in the Huqf – Al Haushi area (Central Oman), aimed at the earliest human occupation in the Southern Arabian Peninsula. 1’420 locations have been surveyed and 815 archaeologi­cal sites recorded. 609 of these held flint arte­facts producing ample evidence of a significant and diversified prehistoric legacy in Central Oman.

Today it can be stated that the rich cultural legacy known from the Bilad Ash Sham (i.e. the Northern Arabian Peninsula) during the Pleistocene never was in contact or shows an evident exchange with its southern neighbours. This is in sharp contrast to paleozoological observations demonstrating a steady exchange from the south to the north and vice versa during the same times. These faunal exchanges clearly demonstrate that during short periods of increased monsoon activity during the Pleistocene (i.e. in the last million years) the Arabian Desert was a steppe at several times easing the crossing of Arabia. Plaeoclimatic data from Oman clearly show the presence of several periods of considerably increased rainfall within the last 400’000 years, easing the passage for hunters and gatherers throughout the Arabian Peninsula.

Against initial expectations, people obviously did not follow these migrations. But there was surprisingly a strong cultural boundary separating southern and northern Arabia over an extremely long period. This separation can not be explained by natural constraints. Furthermore the discoveries from the Huqf so far neither show any influence from the Horn of Africa during the Pleistocene.

At least during the Later Pleistocene (i.e. the time between 400’000 – 10’000 years), Southern Arabia witnessed an independent cultural history, with no or insignificant influence from outside. At the end of the Pleistocene (tentatively 30’000 to 10’000 years) a new cultural group appeared, characterised by large foliated tools. This group is genuine to Southern Arabia, as comparable traditions in stone tool technology are absolutely unknown in that time from the Bilad Ash Sham. The COPS and other obser­vations confirmed its cultural originality, traditionally misjudged and assigned to the Neolithic. Due to the comprehensive database of the COPS project, it can definitely be stated, that compared to preceding cultures, the Neolithic period is not that frequent, as previously identified.