During the transition of the Playstocard-Golocene (about 12,000 years ago), people used a network of seasonal reservoirs in the inside of Northern Arabia, labeling and access routes with monumental species of camels, iBex, wild equal, gazelles and auroch.
As part of the Green Arabia project, the archaeologist of the University of Griffith Michael Petralia and his colleagues determined more than 60 rocks -panels containing 176 engravings in three previously unexplored areas – Jebel Arnan, Jebel Mleych and Jebel Misma – along the Southern Arab Arab Arabic.
The engraving, first of all, depicting camels, iBex, Equids, gazelle and Aurochs, include 130 natural figures and naturalistic figures, some of which have a height of up to 3 m and more than 2 m.
Gravri dates from 12,800 to 11,400 years ago, the period when seasonal reservoirs appeared in the region after extreme drying.
These water sources, confirmed by analysis of deposits, supported the early expansion of a person into the inside of the desert and offered rare opportunities for survival.
“These large engravings are not just rock art – they were probably statements about the presence, access and cultural identity,” said Dr. Maria Guagnin, archaeologist from the Institute of Geoanthropology Max Planck.
“Rock -art notes water sources and routes of movement, which, perhaps, designating territorial rights and memory between generations,” added Dr. Keri Shipton, archaeologist from the University College of London.
Unlike previously known sites, where engravings were hidden in crevices, Jebel Mleych and Jeel Arnan panels were engraved on towering faces, some up to 39 m high, in the visually command.
One panel would demand that ancient artists be unreliable and work on narrow ledges, emphasizing the enormous efforts and significance of the image.
Various artifacts, including El Chiam and Helvan-Stone, in the style of levantin style, green pigment and dental balls, involve long-distance connections with Neolithic populations (PPN) to the pattern in the leftist of the leftist.
However, the scale, content and placement of Arab engravings distinguish them.
“This unique form of symbolic expression refers to a separate cultural identity, adapted to life in a complex, arid environment,” said Dr. Faisal al-Jibrin, a researcher engaged in observance of heritage in the Ministry of Culture of Saudi Arabia.
“The interdisciplinary approach of the project began to fill in a critical gap in the archaeological record of North Arabia between the last glacial maximum and the Golotsen, spilling light on the stability and innovation of the early desert communities,” said Dr. Petralya.
Team paper was published in the journal Natural connectionField
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M. Guagnin and othersThe field 2025. Monumental rock art illustrates that people flourished in the Arab desert during the transition of the playpotzeno-head. General Nat 16, 8249; DOI: 10.1038/S41467-025-63417-Y
