Archaeologists have discovered over 170 monumental rock engravings in northern Saudi Arabia, dating back 12,800 to 11,400 years. These life-sized animal depictions, created after a period of extreme aridity, highlight early human adaptation in the desert. The findings reveal connections to distant Neolithic communities and underscore a lost cultural identity.
An international team of archaeologists, led by the Heritage Commission of the Saudi Ministry of Culture through the Green Arabia Project, has unearthed significant evidence of early human presence in northern Arabia. The discoveries were made at three sites—Jebel Arnaan, Jebel Mleiha, and Jebel Misma—along the southern edge of the Nefud Desert.
The team documented over 60 rock art panels containing 176 individual engravings, including 130 highly detailed, life-sized figures of animals such as camels, ibex, equids, gazelles, and aurochs. Some engravings reach up to 3 meters long and more than 2 meters tall, etched onto towering cliff faces as high as 39 meters. Unlike hidden sites elsewhere, these panels occupy visually commanding locations, with one requiring artists to work on precarious narrow ledges.
Dated to between 12,800 and 11,400 years ago, the art coincides with the return of seasonal water sources following the Last Glacial Maximum, a time of intense dryness. Sediment analysis confirms the presence of ancient temporary lakes and rivers that supported human groups in the arid interior.
"These large engravings are not just rock art - they were probably statements of presence, access, and cultural identity," said lead author Dr. Maria Guagnin from the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology.
Co-lead author Dr. Ceri Shipton from University College London's Institute of Archaeology added: "The rock art marks water sources and movement routes, possibly signifying territorial rights and intergenerational memory."
Nearby artifacts, including Levantine-style El Khiam and Helwan stone points, green pigment, and dentalium beads, indicate long-distance ties to Pre-Pottery Neolithic populations in the Levant. However, the scale and placement of the Arabian engravings suggest a unique adaptation to desert life.
"This unique form of symbolic expression belongs to a distinct cultural identity adapted to life in a challenging, arid environment," noted Dr. Faisal Al-Jibreen from the Heritage Commission.
The interdisciplinary study, involving experts from institutions like KAUST, Griffith University, and others, fills gaps in the archaeological record of northern Arabia during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition. It was published in Nature Communications in 2025.