Camel Sculpture

Environmental & Science Education, STEM, Anthropology, Archeology, Culture, Society

Ed Hessler

More than 7000 years before present (ybp) reliefs of camels were carved in a rock formation in Saudi Arabia. At that time the climate of the Arabian Peninsula was notably cooler and wetter than it is today.

It is thought that the camel's are probably the world's oldest surviving large-scale animal reliefs. The reliefs appeared to have been restored time and time again as the animal features eroded. The study on which this is based is published in the Journal of Archaeological Science and assessed erosion patterns, analysed tool marks, and dated animal bones at the site. Their age (~7000 yo) made these camel emains older than such ancient landmarks as Stonehenge (5000 yo) or the Pyramids at Giza (4500 yo) and even predate the domestication of camels which led to the economic development in the region.n 7000-8000 years old.

The story is behind a paywall at the journal but BBC news provides many photographs and comments.

What a lovely discovery telling us more about camels and humans.

h/t NatureBriefing