An extraordinary discovery is challenging scientists’ understanding of human presence in the region.
In the heart of the Nefud Desert in northern Saudi Arabia, archaeologists have uncovered a spectacular discovery that could well rewrite part of human history. More than 100 gigantic rock engravings, dating back over 12,000 years, have now been documented in this arid region, long thought to have been almost uninhabitable at the time.
A far more complex human presence than previously imagined in this part of the world
Published in the journal Nature Communications and reported by Futura, the study, carried out by researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology and University College London, reveals an artistic heritage of exceptional scale. Carved into the desert rock faces are camels, horses, gazelles, ibexes and aurochs, some depicted on a monumental scale reaching up to two metres in height.
These works are believed to have been created between 12,800 and 11,400 BCE, during a period when climatic conditions were particularly harsh. Until now, evidence of human activity from this era in the region had been extremely scarce: a few tools, almost no skeletal remains, and very few traces of habitation.
Researchers studied 60 engraved panels spread across three previously unexplored areas south of the Nefud Desert: Jebel Arnaan, Jebel Mleiha and Jebel Misma. The discovery suggests that human groups nevertheless occupied these territories and developed a sophisticated visual and symbolic culture there.
Monumental artworks created under extreme conditions
Some of the engravings were discovered on steep cliffs that were difficult to access, to the point that drones were sometimes needed to photograph them. Scientists have therefore highlighted the remarkable technical skill of these prehistoric artists, who were capable of working at height on sheer rock faces.
During the excavations, the teams also uncovered more than 500 stone tools, green pigments and mineral beads. These objects may point to exchanges with other populations in the Levant, revealing the existence of cultural networks far broader than previously expected.
According to the researchers, these immense frescoes were not merely decorative: they may also have served to assert a cultural identity, mark territory, or indicate vital resources such as water and game in this extreme environment.
Are you keen on archeology? Find out more in these articles:
- In Scotland, British scientists have just discovered a remarkable man-made island (it’s more than 5,000 years old!)
- In Egypt, archeologists just unveiled a newly revealed relic from King Tutankhamun’s tomb (and you can actually see it!)
- At Pompeii, archaeologists have just discovered a doctor and his medical instruments among the victims of Mount Vesuvius
- In Europe, an ancient Roman-era treasure discovered at the bottom of a famous 150-metre-deep lake
