Nefud Desert, Saudi Arabia | Researchers Discovered 12.000 Year - Old Animal Petroglyphs

An international team of researcher operate in northern Saudi Arabia’s Nefud Desert, occupying a great oval depression, a desert 290 kilometres long and 225 kilometres wide, with an area of 65.000 square kilometres, noted for its sudden violent winds, which account for the large crescent - shaped dunes and characterized by its sand having a brick - reddish colour has discovered a series of massive rock carvings dating back 12.000 years.

The carvings depict life - size animals such as camels, deer, gazelles, ibex, wild bulls, and wild donkeys, some images reach three metres in length and two metres in height, meticulously carved with primitive stone tools, demonstrating advanced artistic skill and coordinated group effort, according to Al - Arabiya, renowned Saudi state - owned international Arabic news television channel, based in Riyadh and a subsidiary of MBC Group.

Luninescence dating of the underlying sediments confirmed the carvings are around 12.000 years old. Stone tools, arrowheads, beads, and even a shell bead were found nearby, suggesting cultural and trade connections with neighobouring Levantine communities in the Middle East.

These rock carvings, shedding light on prehistoric human presence in the region and filling in a significant archaeological gap, according to the researchers were not merely decorative but served as visual maps marking seasonal water sources essential for human and animal survival.

In an era of extreme drought, these signs guided nomadic tribes to critical water supplies, ensuring their survival in the Nefud Desert where rain comes once or twice per year.

The desert is so difficult to cross that the Bedouins crossed it exclusively along the N – S direction, taking care not to stray from the areas of al – Shaqīqa and al – Ğubba, where there are the only two wells capable of providing water to travellers, in a region that can count on just 35 - 40 mm of rainfall annually.

Link

https://tvbrics.com/en/news/Researchers-uncover-animal-petroglyphs-in-saudi-arabia/