"Discover the Ancient Bond: Humans and Livestock in a 10,000-Year-Old Cave Shelter"
In the vast and arid landscape of northwestern Saudi Arabia, a remarkable discovery has shed light on the region's rich history and the resilience of its inhabitants. Nestled within the Harrat Khaybar, a sprawling basalt plain dotted with volcanic craters, lies the Umm Jirsan cave, a sanctuary that has sheltered both humans and their livestock for millennia.
The recent excavation of this lava-tube cave has yielded a treasure trove of insights, painting a vivid picture of the region's past. Researchers have unearthed over 600 animal and human bone fragments, along with 44 stone-tool fragments, the oldest of which date back a staggering 10,000 years. This remarkable finding suggests that the cave has been a refuge for people and their livestock for a remarkable span of time.
"Today, it's a fairly harsh environment," explains Mathew Stewart, a zooarchaeologist from Griffith University in Australia and co-author of the study. "The fossil record is just horrendous, with wind and scorching heat reducing bones and artifacts to dust." Yet, the Umm Jirsan cave has managed to preserve these precious clues, offering a rare glimpse into the region's ancient past.
The distribution of the excavated samples indicates that the cave was not a permanent settlement, but rather a place where people would periodically seek shelter and respite for themselves and their herds. Nearby rock art, depicting people with goats and sheep, lends further credence to this idea, suggesting that the cave served as a resting point along the well-trodden paths of the region's herders.
"People are very lazy," says Melissa Kennedy, an archaeologist at the University of Sydney. "You find the easiest route and you stick to it." Indeed, the discovery of the Umm Jirsan cave reinforces the notion that the herders of this region have been traveling the same routes for thousands of years, seeking out oases and natural shelters like this one to provide for their livestock and themselves.
The significance of this finding cannot be overstated, especially as Saudi Arabia prepares to invest billions of dollars in archaeological studies. "This discovery opens new windows into Arabian research in prehistory," says Ahmed Nassr, an archaeologist at the University of Ha'il in Saudi Arabia. The hope is that further geographical surveys will reveal more such cave sites, potentially uncovering even more of the region's rich and ancient history.
As we delve deeper into the Umm Jirsan cave and the stories it holds, we are reminded of the enduring resilience of the human spirit and its deep connection to the land. This timeless sanctuary has borne witness to the ebb and flow of life in this arid landscape, a testament to the adaptability and resourcefulness of the people who have sought refuge within its walls.
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01131-3
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