South Arabia’s prehistoric monument landscape shows social resilience to climate change

PLOS One | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0323544 May 28, 2025 11 / 24 touchstones. We also analyzed whether labor input responded to environmental factors within the most common monu- ment types; HCTs (n = 100) and triliths (n = 138). No variables were preserved in the ‘one-standard error’ rule models, but in the minimum lambda models, total stone volumes for HCTs increased with fog density (coef = 0.0798), whilst for triliths, total stone volumes decreased with increasing slope steepness (coef = -0.0677). These results are also consistent with an inter- pretation that HCT (episodic) lay within a zone where labor could be convened, closer to the vegetated mountains, while the accretive triliths decline in size where labor expenditures rise in carrying stones up and down steep inclines. Spatiotemporal relationships between monuments Across Dhofar, we documented monument clusters in areas close to important water sources today; the twin springs at Mudhai oasis and the springs at Ayūn, Halūf, and-Hanūn. A visual comparison of the mean center and standard distance (1 SD) of the monument types shows that known boat graves are localized in eastern Dhofar, whilst the other monument types have overlapping, broad distributions (Fig 6). HCT and trilith monuments are more common than the other monu- ment types and occur across the greatest geographical range. Conversely, platform and SCAB monuments occur in low numbers, although the latter show a highly dispersed distribution. Fig 3. The locations of monuments, survey transects, primary roads and springs in Dhofar.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0323544.g003