Ancient Stones from the Stone Ages

Ancient Stones from the Stone Ages are a collection of ancient stones from the early and middle Stone Ages used by humans of that era for various activities. These stones, crafted and utilized for different functions and in various sizes, have been discovered in multiple locations in the north and west of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, specifically in Wadi Masl ash-Shuwayhitiyyah in al-Jawf Province and Wadi Fatimah in Makkah al-Mukarramah Province.

The ancient stone collection dates back to prehistoric times, with an estimated age ranging from one hundred thousand years to one million years. These artifacts are part of the archaeological exhibits at the Saudi National Museum in the capital, Riyadh.

Stones, along with other archaeological finds and sets from the Kingdom, were chosen for display in the “Roads of Arabia Masterpieces of Antiquities in Saudi Arabia Across the Ages” exhibition. This exhibition embarked on a global journey across museums and galleries in Asia, Europe, and the United States, commencing at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, in 2010.

The collection of stones indicates that humans in the Arabian Peninsula lived through the earliest periods of the Stone Ages and continued their activities into the Neolithic when they began to settle in small villages.

The stone collection was discovered during archaeological surveys and excavations conducted by the antiquities and museums sector in the Kingdom in recent years, and they include finds from Saudi archaeologists and international scientific missions.