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The Wādī Sūq period (c. 2000 – 1600 BCE) is characterised by a decrease in sedentary sites in inland regions and in variegated burial shapes compared to the preceding Umm an-Nar period (c. 2700 – 2000 BCE). One of the factors causing this cultural shift is the aridification of the 4.2 ka event. However, the scarcity of Wādī Sūq sites with radiocarbon dates in central Oman prevents us from understanding human activity and its diachronic change during this period. One of the potential sites resolving this issue is the cave of Mugharat al-Kahf, the Wādī Tanūf, the Ad-Dākhilīyah, Oman, with previous excavations yielding the Wādī Sūq pottery, stone vessels, and the charred date stones whose radiocarbon dates ranged between 2000 – 1500 calBCE (Miki et al. 2020, 2022). To acquire further evidence of human activity in this cave during the Wādī Sūq period, we excavated a new test pit (TP4), and this paper reports our findings and results of the radiocarbon measurements. New radiocarbon measurements on the charcoal samples revealed a sequence of human activity involving the use of fire, spanning from 1900 to 1600 calBCE. In addition, we discovered a well-preserved ceramic vessel placed upright near a large rock in front of the neighbouring rock shelter. These new findings confirm repeated use of the cave during the Wādī Sūq period, providing a refined chronology for this period in inland Oman.

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