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2022
- handle: 10670/1.2tk53z
- hal: hal-03974398
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Prehistory Rock art Arabia Neolithic Faunal analysis EquidsSujets proches
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Maria Guagnin et al., « The Camel Site reliefs — an investigation of the site’s original layout and use », HAL-SHS : archéologie, ID : 10670/1.2tk53z
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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.