Rock art provides new evidence on the biogeography of kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis), wild dromedary, aurochs (Bos primigenius), and African wild ass (Equus africanus) in the early and middle Holocene of north-western Arabia
<strong>Aim:</strong> Our knowledge of the prehistoric distribution of animal species is so far largely dependent on the location of excavated archaeological and palaeontological sites. In the absence of excavated faunal remains, many species that were present in the Levant and North Afr...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
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John Wiley & Sons Ltd
2018
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| _version_ | 1826290846049239040 |
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| author | Guagnin, M Shipton, C el-Dossary, S al-Rashid, M Moussa, F Stewart, M Ott, F Alsharekh, A Petraglia, M |
| author_facet | Guagnin, M Shipton, C el-Dossary, S al-Rashid, M Moussa, F Stewart, M Ott, F Alsharekh, A Petraglia, M |
| author_sort | Guagnin, M |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | <strong>Aim:</strong> Our knowledge of the prehistoric distribution of animal species is so far largely dependent on the location of excavated archaeological and palaeontological sites. In the absence of excavated faunal remains, many species that were present in the Levant and North Africa have been assumed to have been absent on the Arabian Peninsula. Here we explore representations of four species that were identifiable in the rock art, but had not previously been reported in north-western Arabia. <strong>Location:</strong> Jubbah and Shuwaymis UNESCO world heritage rock art sites in Ha’il province, north-western Saudi Arabia <strong>Methods:</strong> In total, the rock art panels surveyed and recorded in Jubbah and Shuwaymis contain 6618 individual animal depictions. Species were identified based on diagnostic features of the anatomy. The resulting dataset was then compared to the faunal spectrum reported in the (archaeo)zoological literature. <strong>Results:</strong> The rock art dataset provides evidence that the distributions of lesser kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis), wild camel, and African wild ass (Equus africanus) extended into the north-west of Arabia, and that the engravers may have had knowledge of aurochs (Bos primigenius). <strong>Main conclusions:</strong> The presence of previously undocumented mammal species in Arabia provides new information regarding their distribution, as well as the types of habitat and vegetation that were available in prehistoric landscapes. Moreover, the presence of kudu on the Arabian Peninsula indicates that the identification of palaeo-distributions based exclusively on faunal remains may miss key species in the Afro-Eurasian faunal exchange. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T02:50:26Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:ad82acdc-f2d2-4598-9b63-ca427a25a4f0 |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T02:50:26Z |
| publishDate | 2018 |
| publisher | John Wiley & Sons Ltd |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:ad82acdc-f2d2-4598-9b63-ca427a25a4f02022-03-27T03:36:01ZRock art provides new evidence on the biogeography of kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis), wild dromedary, aurochs (Bos primigenius), and African wild ass (Equus africanus) in the early and middle Holocene of north-western ArabiaJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:ad82acdc-f2d2-4598-9b63-ca427a25a4f0Symplectic Elements at OxfordJohn Wiley & Sons Ltd2018Guagnin, MShipton, Cel-Dossary, Sal-Rashid, MMoussa, FStewart, MOtt, FAlsharekh, APetraglia, M<strong>Aim:</strong> Our knowledge of the prehistoric distribution of animal species is so far largely dependent on the location of excavated archaeological and palaeontological sites. In the absence of excavated faunal remains, many species that were present in the Levant and North Africa have been assumed to have been absent on the Arabian Peninsula. Here we explore representations of four species that were identifiable in the rock art, but had not previously been reported in north-western Arabia. <strong>Location:</strong> Jubbah and Shuwaymis UNESCO world heritage rock art sites in Ha’il province, north-western Saudi Arabia <strong>Methods:</strong> In total, the rock art panels surveyed and recorded in Jubbah and Shuwaymis contain 6618 individual animal depictions. Species were identified based on diagnostic features of the anatomy. The resulting dataset was then compared to the faunal spectrum reported in the (archaeo)zoological literature. <strong>Results:</strong> The rock art dataset provides evidence that the distributions of lesser kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis), wild camel, and African wild ass (Equus africanus) extended into the north-west of Arabia, and that the engravers may have had knowledge of aurochs (Bos primigenius). <strong>Main conclusions:</strong> The presence of previously undocumented mammal species in Arabia provides new information regarding their distribution, as well as the types of habitat and vegetation that were available in prehistoric landscapes. Moreover, the presence of kudu on the Arabian Peninsula indicates that the identification of palaeo-distributions based exclusively on faunal remains may miss key species in the Afro-Eurasian faunal exchange. |
| spellingShingle | Guagnin, M Shipton, C el-Dossary, S al-Rashid, M Moussa, F Stewart, M Ott, F Alsharekh, A Petraglia, M Rock art provides new evidence on the biogeography of kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis), wild dromedary, aurochs (Bos primigenius), and African wild ass (Equus africanus) in the early and middle Holocene of north-western Arabia |
| title | Rock art provides new evidence on the biogeography of kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis), wild dromedary, aurochs (Bos primigenius), and African wild ass (Equus africanus) in the early and middle Holocene of north-western Arabia |
| title_full | Rock art provides new evidence on the biogeography of kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis), wild dromedary, aurochs (Bos primigenius), and African wild ass (Equus africanus) in the early and middle Holocene of north-western Arabia |
| title_fullStr | Rock art provides new evidence on the biogeography of kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis), wild dromedary, aurochs (Bos primigenius), and African wild ass (Equus africanus) in the early and middle Holocene of north-western Arabia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Rock art provides new evidence on the biogeography of kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis), wild dromedary, aurochs (Bos primigenius), and African wild ass (Equus africanus) in the early and middle Holocene of north-western Arabia |
| title_short | Rock art provides new evidence on the biogeography of kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis), wild dromedary, aurochs (Bos primigenius), and African wild ass (Equus africanus) in the early and middle Holocene of north-western Arabia |
| title_sort | rock art provides new evidence on the biogeography of kudu tragelaphus imberbis wild dromedary aurochs bos primigenius and african wild ass equus africanus in the early and middle holocene of north western arabia |
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