An illustrated prehistory of the Jubbah oasis: reconstructing Holocene occupation patterns in north-western Saudi Arabia from rock art and inscriptions
An illustrated prehistory of the Jubbah oasis: reconstructing Holocene occupation patterns in north-western Saudi Arabia from rock art and inscriptions
A systematic survey of rock art and associated archaeological features in the Jubbah oasis provides evidence of Holocene occupation from the early Holocene to the present. In total 1249 panels with rock art and inscriptions, and 159 archaeological sites, were recorded on twelve different jebels. Analyses of rock art content and engraving stratigraphy indicate that the iconic Jubbah style had a long tradition among pre-pastoral hunters and continued to be used by early herders. We also identify a distinct body of rock art that pre-dates the Jubbah style and may be associated with a nearby Epipalaeolithic site. Our systematic dataset identifies a body of Bronze Age rock art that is further supported by the material culture and radiocarbon dates obtained from the remains of disturbed cairns. The rock art in Jubbah appears to have been created throughout the Holocene occupation of the oasis and similarities in the representation of animals, choice of location and content of rock art scenes are evident from the Bronze Age to the early modern period, and perhaps into the twentieth century. Moreover, rock art and epigraphy suggest that occupation phases in Jubbah were sustained long enough for the repeated development of unique local characteristics throughout the Holocene.
138-152
Guagnin, Maria
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Shipton, Ceri
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al-Rashid, Moudhy
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Moussa, Fares
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El-Dossary, Sarah
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Sleimah, Mona Bin
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Alsharekh, Abdullah
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Petraglia, Michael
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Guagnin, Maria
9f829a0c-764f-41fd-98ce-24c5a76557ef
Shipton, Ceri
97c2b0d7-74c6-4f8d-a706-ff318728e8df
al-Rashid, Moudhy
a106bf27-7c54-40be-a826-0365142a8fd2
Moussa, Fares
20ec5374-f757-4d76-a194-f7931d0c93b2
El-Dossary, Sarah
3dc6048c-1b27-4d9d-b2c4-7f1f7c786e90
Sleimah, Mona Bin
99ed9e4c-181a-4920-93e3-2677290ef669
Alsharekh, Abdullah
660f9fef-1662-4c71-bb00-6dd0e86a8805
Petraglia, Michael
6811f5e7-712c-47b0-8c75-0de7e53919fe
Guagnin, Maria, Shipton, Ceri, al-Rashid, Moudhy, Moussa, Fares, El-Dossary, Sarah, Sleimah, Mona Bin, Alsharekh, Abdullah and Petraglia, Michael
(2017)
An illustrated prehistory of the Jubbah oasis: reconstructing Holocene occupation patterns in north-western Saudi Arabia from rock art and inscriptions.
Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy, 28 (2), .
(doi:10.1111/aae.12089).
Abstract
A systematic survey of rock art and associated archaeological features in the Jubbah oasis provides evidence of Holocene occupation from the early Holocene to the present. In total 1249 panels with rock art and inscriptions, and 159 archaeological sites, were recorded on twelve different jebels. Analyses of rock art content and engraving stratigraphy indicate that the iconic Jubbah style had a long tradition among pre-pastoral hunters and continued to be used by early herders. We also identify a distinct body of rock art that pre-dates the Jubbah style and may be associated with a nearby Epipalaeolithic site. Our systematic dataset identifies a body of Bronze Age rock art that is further supported by the material culture and radiocarbon dates obtained from the remains of disturbed cairns. The rock art in Jubbah appears to have been created throughout the Holocene occupation of the oasis and similarities in the representation of animals, choice of location and content of rock art scenes are evident from the Bronze Age to the early modern period, and perhaps into the twentieth century. Moreover, rock art and epigraphy suggest that occupation phases in Jubbah were sustained long enough for the repeated development of unique local characteristics throughout the Holocene.
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e-pub ahead of print date: 24 November 2017
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Local EPrints ID: 483451
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/483451
ISSN: 0905-7196
PURE UUID: 3a7b96df-d0e9-4b11-9d19-c7b5212ccaa5
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Date deposited: 31 Oct 2023 17:34
Last modified: 18 Mar 2024 04:00
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Author:
Maria Guagnin
Author:
Ceri Shipton
Author:
Moudhy al-Rashid
Author:
Fares Moussa
Author:
Sarah El-Dossary
Author:
Mona Bin Sleimah
Author:
Abdullah Alsharekh
Author:
Michael Petraglia
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