Stone camels found to be some of the oldest animal artwork ever

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A series of camel sculptures found in the Saudi Arabian province of Al-Jawf was initially believed to be around 2,000 years old. A team of archeologists determined the sculptures were actually between 7,000 and 8,000 years old. That makes these stone camels some of the oldest animal artwork ever discovered, changing our narrative of early Arabian settlers.

Having been exposed to the elements for thousands of years, the sculptures were in an understandably poor condition, making them difficult to study.

Fortunately, the archaeologists were able to use optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating to retrace the erosion process back to a point in time when the camels were still more or less untouched. 

The sculptures were photographed multiple times a day, as the position of the sun greatly affects visibility. The archaeologists also photographed the sculptures at night using artificial light, giving them additional data to work with. 

Aside from determining the age of the sculptures, the measurements also taught the archaeologists about the people that carved them and the social purposes the sculptures might have served.

The sheer scope of this creative operation — from the time it took to the kind of tools that were involved — suggests these sculptures must have served an important goal. 

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/IiGB-QMviubGMPXzwKHy4KP9VOM9JyoZE2yEFW-S0JGNxbWIG0fKqCHVrR9ceGNdnGJYJX6-JeGlu_ZckOIio4CS0qPEqDFsUvD97QQGEiem0JA

Source - https://bigthink.com/the-past/saudi-arabia-stone-camels/

[JoeMo 3,889]

Wow!!