Opening details

Archaeologists were surprised to discover unusual works of art at 16 new rock sites in the middle of the Eastern Desert (also known as Atbay), a sandy and barren region that is part of the Sahara and extends into Sudan. Ancient drawings depict fleets of boats and animals and offer a glimpse into the desert’s lush past before climate change transformed the region thousands of years ago.

The location of this area is surprising for two reasons: It is far from Lake Nubia, the nearest water source, which is more than 60 miles away, and the arid landscape is not ideal for raising animals such as the cattle depicted in the painting. pictures.

Cattle rock art is very important because cattle can no longer survive in this extremely arid desert. This tells us that those who created this art had a close relationship with animal husbandry.
– says the study’s lead author, archaeologist Julien Cooper from Macquarie University in Sydney.

Researchers believe that the subject matter of the artworks, specifically the drawing of a single cow being handled by a shepherd, is clear evidence that this harsh landscape was once a much more hospitable pasture.

Ancient rock paintings depict a shepherd and a cow / Photo: Atbai Survey Project

Julien Cooper adds that this is some of the best evidence of climate change in the region during what scientists call “Africa’s wet period.” Right now, About 5000 years ago the Sahara was much wetterand shepherds wandered through the deserts in search of pasture. Today, only more durable animals such as camels and goats can survive in this desert.

Since most of the drawings are carved into rock, which takes some time, archaeologists believe the person who created them had been in the area for a long time.

Archaeologists have seen rock paintings with images of boats on them, although the location of the find is many kilometers from the nearest reservoir / Photo by Atbai Research Project

“The boat designs are quite different and we believe they are related to people coming from the Nile River and going into the desert. Some of these people may also have been river shepherds who temporarily made the desert their home, while others may have gone into the desert. The archaeologist searched for mineral wealth, especially gold, in the desert.” “We cannot know for sure at this stage,” he said.

After 3000 BC “the local desert became too dry for regular animal grazing. Scholars believe this was a turning point in the history of the entire region. Some of these herders remained in the desert but traded their livestock for hardier animals such as goats” others moved from the desert to the Nile where they played an important role in the history of the formation of city-states in Egypt and Nubia.