GUAGNIN, Maria; CHARLOUX, Guillaume; STEWART, Mathew; MORA, Pascal; ALSHAREKH, Abdullah M.; HILBERT, Yamandú; GROUCUTT, Huw; ALQAEED, Ahmad; ALALI, Yasser

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GUAGNIN, Maria
Max-Planck-Gesellschaft

CHARLOUX, Guillaume
Équipe Mondes sémitiques [OM-MS]
ORIENT ET MÉDITERRANÉE : Textes, Archéologie, Histoire [OM]

STEWART, Mathew

Langue

Actes de congrès/Proceedings

Ce document a été publié dans

Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies. 2022, vol. 51 (Supplement), p. 105–128

Archaeopress

Résumé en anglais

The Camel Site, near Sakākā, is a monumental rock art site in northern Arabia with twenty life-sized reliefs of camels and equids.A chronological assessment showed that the site was in use in the sixth millennium BC, and was repeatedly revisited over aprolonged period, perhaps spanning several centuries. Using aerial photography and 3D models, we reconstructed the originallayout of the site. Our results show that the site was probably designed to be approached via one of two main viewpoints thatallowed maximum visibility of the reliefs, and that the location of individual reliefs was chosen for best visibility in the afternoonsun. Reliefs were carved across two tiers, up to a height of c.9 m, giving the site a monumental character. Analysis of individualreliefs, including the use of high-resolution 3D models of eroded reliefs, shows that the reliefs can be grouped by stylistic/technological criteria and that styles changed over time.Reliefs of equids may be linked to a pre-Neolithic tradition of depicting wild equids in the rock art. Faunal remains recovered atthe site included remains of equids found alongside lithic artefacts and beads of various materials. Evidence of possible on-siteprocessing and cooking of equids suggests that the symbology of equids, and perhaps camels, probably extended beyond theirdepiction in the reliefs.< Réduire

Mots clés en anglais

Prehistory

Rock art

Arabia

Neolithic

Faunal analysis

Equids

Project ANR

Religions and Societies in the Mediterranean World - ANR-10-LABX-0072

Origine

Importé de hal

Unités de recherche

Archéosciences Bordeaux - UMR 6034