A trove of life-sized animal rock engravings recently discovered in the Northern Arabian Desert may indicate that the notoriously arid region was populated around 12,000 years ago, contrary to previous beliefs that the area was once uninhabitable. Published in the journal Nature Communications last month, the findings help fill a long-standing gap in the region’s archaeological timeline at the end of the last Ice Age and beginning of the Holocene period.During a survey of three archaeologically unexplored areas in Saudi Arabia’s Nefud Desert — Jebel Arnaan, Jebel Mleiha, and Jebel Misma — researchers found 176 massive petroglyphs carved into sandstone cliffs and boulder facades. Layered in thick, dark rock varnish, the petroglyphs were carved on elevated ledges at heights up to 128 feet. The archaeologists explained that “the difficulty in getting to and engraving these rock surfaces, and their enhanced visibility by height were clearly attractive for the engravers,” who “likely risked their lives to create this art.”The study was conducted in 2023 by an international team of researchers and heritage specialists led by archaeologist Maria Guagnin of the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology in Germany. It was funded by the Saudi Heritage Commission, established as part of the Saudi government’s multitrillion-dollar tourism and economic program Vision 2030, which has been criticized as an attempt to whitewash ongoing human rights violations.Engravings depicting camels, gazelles, an ibex, a horse-related mammal, and a bovine ancestorA majority of the engravings depicted desert-acclimated animals, including wild camels, ibex, horse-like mammals, and gazelles, save for a few renderings of human figures and one carving of an extinct bovine ancestor. They were typically found superimposed over earlier, “more cartoonish” carvings, “reflecting a stylistic evolution over time,” the researchers wrote.Researchers believe that ancient nomadic hunter-gatherer groups may have used these engravings to document networks of freshwater sources, dispelling previous beliefs that there was no human activity in the area during this period. At the time, volatile cool weather patterns had created widespread dryness across the Arabian Peninsula, resulting in dune migrations and mass exoduses from the region.The researchers’ theories were supported by sedimentary analyses indicating the presence of seasonal lakes, which would have allowed early occupants to live in an otherwise dry ecosystem. The authors also referenced the singular depiction of the bovine animal in the petroglyphs, which was known for being an “obligate drinker” and would not have been able to survive without access to fresh water.“The engravings, which may have been created over a time span of millennia, would have reminded people of ancient symbolisms and beliefs of their group, which likely structured their highly seasonal lives and thus enhanced their ability to thrive in these marginal landscapes,” the authors wrote.Arrowheads, bladelets, and beads excavated from the archaeological sites (photo by Antonio Reiss)Researchers also excavated 16 bone fragments and 1,200 stone tools and decorative beads from the three sites. They believe that these artifacts, some of which were unearthed directly below the rock engravings, indicate relationships between early Arabian communities and neighboring Levantine populations to the north, which would have required traveling long distances via complex routes.“The durability of the images may have facilitated the remembrance of meaning and symbolism across generations of people using these sites,” they added.