Guagnin, Maria;
Shipton, Ceri;
Stileman, Finn;
Jibreen, Faisal;
Alsulaimi, Malek;
Breeze, Paul S;
Stewart, Mathew;
... Petraglia, Michael; + view all
(2023)
Before the Holocene humid period: Life-sized camel engravings and early occupations on the southern edge of the Nefud desert.
Archaeological Research in Asia
, 36
, Article 100483. 10.1016/j.ara.2023.100483.
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Shipton_Guagnin et al_Sahout Rock Art and Epipalaeolithic_August 2023 clean.pdf - Accepted Version Access restricted to UCL open access staff until 24 September 2025. Download (1MB) |
Abstract
The Neolithic of northern Arabia is characterised by monumental stone structures, ephemeral ‘hearth sites’ indicative of a highly mobile lifestyle, and a rich rock art heritage with iconic representations of domesticated livestock. However, the character and timing of occupation prior to the spread of pastoralism (ca. 6000 BCE) remains elusive, with only one stratified Epipalaeolithic site and two surface early Neolithic sites so-far known in the Jubbah Oasis. Here we present Sahout, a newly documented rock art site with Neolithic and earlier occupations, on the southern edge of the Nefud desert. The rock art is dominated by life-sized, naturalistic, engravings of camels, which are in some cases superimposed with Neolithic imagery of domesticated sheep. Surveys and test excavations carried out in the vicinity of the rock art revealed a lithic assemblage with similarities to the late Epipalaeolithic and Pre-Pottery Neolithic of the Levant. Radiocarbon ages from two test trenches and two hearths indicate repeated occupation at Sahout between the Terminal Pleistocene and the Middle Holocene, which partly mirror the rock art sequence. Investigations at Sahout indicate that rock art production in northern Arabia may have begun earlier than previously thought. Research also suggests a broader geographical extent to human occupations prior to the Holocene humid period.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Before the Holocene humid period: Life-sized camel engravings and early occupations on the southern edge of the Nefud desert |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.ara.2023.100483 |
| Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ara.2023.100483 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
| Keywords: | Sahout; Saudi Arabia; Rock art; Wild camel; Helwan retouch; PPN |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Institute of Archaeology UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Institute of Archaeology > Institute of Archaeology Gordon Square |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10184159 |
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