12,000-year-old rock art marked ancient water sources in Arabia's desert

12,000-year-old rock art marked ancient water sources in Arabia's desert

About 12,000 years ago, high up on a cliff in the desert of northern Arabia, an artist—or perhaps artists—was hard at work.

12,000-Year-Old Camel Rock Art In Arabia's Desert Served As Ancient Signs To Water Sources - Ancient Pages

Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com - A research team has discovered over 60 rock art panels featuring 176 engravings in three previously unexplored regions—Jebel Arnaan, Jebel Mleiha, and Jebel Misma—located along the southern edge of the Nefud Desert in northern Saudi Arabia. These engravings primarily depict camels, ibex, equids, gazelles, and aurochs. Studied rock art panels. A […]

Ancient Rock Art Reveals Human Life in the Arabian Desert 12,000 Years Ago

Approximately 12,000 years ago, during the Pleistocene-Chlorocene transition, humans navigated a network of seasonal waters in Northern Arabia, marking significant locations with camels, ibex, wild equids, gazelles, and monumental rock carvings of Auloc, as well as establishing access routes. Jebel Arnaan rock art panel. Image credit: Mariaguanine. As part of the Green Arabia Project, archaeologist [...] The post Ancient Rock Art Reveals Human L…

This 12,000-Year-Old Rock Art Could Have Saved the Lives of Many People

In the desert wilderness of northern Saudi Arabia, a stunning discovery is offering a new perspective on life in the distant past. Researchers have uncovered monumental rock art engravings that are 12,000 years old. These ancient artworks, found on cliff faces and rock panels, could have also served as essential “road signs” for navigating a shifting desert landscape. Published in Nature Communications, the study reveals how these engravings may…