Rare ancient rock art found in Saudi Arabian lava tube
Sixteen panels, thought to have been created 5,000 to 7,000 years ago, include rare depictions of sheep.
Archaeologists in Saudi Arabia have discovered rare ancient rock art at the entrance to a remote desert lava tube—a cave formed by flowing lava. Located in the volcanic field of Harrat Khaybar, around 125km north of Medina, the art was found near Umm Jirsan, another lava tube where the team identified
The Art Newspaper
July 3, 2024
© Photographs by Stewart et al, 2024; PLOS ONE; CC-BY 4.0
evidence for at least 7,000 years of repeated human occupation. “We found the first documented evidence that people occupied these lava tubes,” says Mathew Stewart of Griffith University in Australia, the lead author of the research paper on the discovery, published in the journal Plos One. “This included lithic artefacts made of obsidian, basalt and chert, as well as various stone structures and rock art.”
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