Uncovering the Secrets of Stone Age Herders in the Nefud Desert
Key Highlights :
The Nefud Desert in northern Saudi Arabia is a dry and unforgiving landscape, but thousands of years ago it was a much different place. Around 7,000 years ago, a small group of Stone Age herders sat around a fire near a small lake, leaving behind tools that tell us about their lives and culture. Recently, researchers have uncovered these tools and used microscopic analysis to determine what they were used for.
The Stone Age herders lived in a much wetter and greener Arabia than exists today, with grasslands, trees, and shrubs growing near water sources. They moved around the landscape with their herds of cattle, sheep, and goats, searching for the best pastures. Along the way, they stopped to make small camps near lakes and left behind thousands of rock art images depicting their daily lives.
At one such camp near the Jubbah Oasis in the Nefud Desert, researchers discovered 170 small fireplaces, 17 of which were excavated and radiocarbon dated to between 7,200 and 6,800 years ago. What was surprising was the number of grinding tools found at the site, which seemed to be of great importance to the herders. The tools were broken into smaller pieces and placed on top of the fire, and some had holes drilled into them to attach a rope.
To figure out what the grinding tools were used for, researchers turned to microscopic analysis. Experiments showed that grinding different materials, such as bone, pigment, or plants, leaves distinctive microscopic marks on the surface of the grinding tools. The microscopic study revealed the tools were used for a range of purposes, including processing bones and grinding plants. It is thought that the herders broke open animal bones to get to the marrow, which is high in fat and would have provided extra nutrition. Plant remains did not survive, but it is believed that the herders ground wild plants to make simple breads or pounded plant fibers to make baskets or rope.
The grinding tools also showed evidence of pigment being processed. Red shale, a rock found in nearby mountains, can be used like a crayon or ground into red powder and mixed into paint. This painted rock art is rare, as it is often washed off by rain and wind, but the grinding stones provide evidence that painted art may have been much more widespread in the past.
The Stone Age herders were highly mobile and the grinding tools allowed them to produce food resources and plant materials that were vital to their lifestyle. The tools were valuable and used for multiple purposes, and even when broken into smaller pieces they were still placed on the fire. It is still unclear why they were placed on the fire, but it is thought that they may have been used to cook or dry their meat.
The grinding tools discovered in the Nefud Desert provide a unique insight into the lives of Stone Age herders thousands of years ago. They reveal a people who were highly mobile and used their tools to produce food resources and plant materials to survive in a harsh environment. As well as providing an insight into their lives, these tools also offer a glimpse at a time when the Arabian landscape was much different than it is today.
