From the research paper, describing previously unsurveyed sites of Neolithic settlement in what's now the Nefud Desert in Saudi Arabia, circa 6 - 16,000 years ago: The drama in the paper comes...
From the research paper, describing previously unsurveyed sites of Neolithic settlement in what's now the Nefud Desert in Saudi Arabia, circa 6 - 16,000 years ago:
Here we report the results of archaeological surveys and excavations at rock art sites with life-sized camel engravings south of the Nefud desert, as well as analyses of spatially associated playa deposits. Three archaeologically unexplored areas were visited during our fieldwork in 2023: Jebel Arnaan (ARN), Jebel Mleiha (MLH), and Jebel Misma (JMI). The three areas span ~30 km along the southern edge of the Nefud desert (Fig. 1). To acquire paleoenvironmental context for the region, playa sediments were excavated and dated at ARN and JMI (Fig. 1). The primary aim of this research was to test if the rock art panels and archaeological deposits represent earlier occupations during the Holocene humid period, resulting in a condensed chronology of rock art production, or if they belong to earlier periods and represent a longer period of human presence in northern Arabia.
The drama in the paper comes from the discovery of life-sized, highly realistic engravings of birds, animals, and humans, often in highly visible but dangerously inaccessible places.
The idea of an ancient artist standing on a tiny, fragile sandstone ledge to carve a full-sized camel train is testament to the human desire to leave messages for posterity.
The paper goes further with examples of the stone tools, ornaments (with pigments indicating long distance travel or trading), and other artifacts found. The artwork is even more amazing when you understand that it was made with stone points and has still endured for thousands of years.
From the research paper, describing previously unsurveyed sites of Neolithic settlement in what's now the Nefud Desert in Saudi Arabia, circa 6 - 16,000 years ago:
The drama in the paper comes from the discovery of life-sized, highly realistic engravings of birds, animals, and humans, often in highly visible but dangerously inaccessible places.
The idea of an ancient artist standing on a tiny, fragile sandstone ledge to carve a full-sized camel train is testament to the human desire to leave messages for posterity.
The paper goes further with examples of the stone tools, ornaments (with pigments indicating long distance travel or trading), and other artifacts found. The artwork is even more amazing when you understand that it was made with stone points and has still endured for thousands of years.