NEW YORK, BRONX (ORDO News) — Mysterious realistic drawings of camels have been discovered on a rock near the southern edge of the Nanfud desert in Saudi Arabia. Archaeologists are trying to figure out their origin and time of creation. This is reported by Live Science.
Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology in Germany studied a group of these carved figures in detail. The drawings depict a dozen camels at full height.
However, the amazing thing is that these images represent an extinct species that once lived in this part of the desert of the Arabian Peninsula thousands of years ago, but still has no scientific name.
This place was called Sahut and was the subject of research by other archaeologists. The camel carvings were known from another study, but the exact location of the rocks was unknown. Scientists still managed to find this place.
Researchers encountered difficulties due to the presence of other engravings on top of the camels, which made it difficult to identify and date them. Most of the drawings are inside gorges, which makes them difficult to study. However, two samples and two hearths were subjected to radiocarbon dating.
The results showed that Sahut was inhabited during the period from the Pleistocene to the middle Holocene, which corresponds to the time from 2.6 million to 5-7 thousand years ago.
Experts note that the drawings are made in a very realistic style, with details depicting the wool and shape of camels. The researchers suggest that these images were created during the mating season of the camels, confirming the images of males with their special organ used to attract females.
However, more research is needed to definitively understand their origins. The question of who and when created these drawings in the desert remains unresolved.
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News agencies contributed to this report, edited and published by ORDO News editors.
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