Fig. 2. Critical dates relating to fossil evidence for H. sapiens outside of Africa during MIS 5 compared with the bracketed age for the Alathar footprints.

(A) LR04 stack (top) (blue line) displaying the marine δ¹⁸O record (62). (B) Dated evidence for H. sapiens occupation of the Levant and the western Nefud Desert based on fossil evidence. Ages for occupation of the Levant are based on thermoluminescence (TL) ages from Skhul (63) and Qafzeh (64); see (65) for more detailed discussion. Al Wusta lake and fossils represent the Bayesian modeled age for units 2 and 3 (carbonate lake sediment and waterlain sands) (4). (C) OSL ages for the two lake samples from Alathar between which the hominin and faunal footprints lie (this study). (D) Summer insolation at 30°N (bottom) (orange line) (66).