Al-Jouf in Saudi Arabia: Site of Earliest Life-Sized Animal Carvings Uncovered so Far

The research results found that a deal of great effort had gone into making the animal carvings. SPA
The research results found that a deal of great effort had gone into making the animal carvings. SPA
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Al-Jouf in Saudi Arabia: Site of Earliest Life-Sized Animal Carvings Uncovered so Far

The research results found that a deal of great effort had gone into making the animal carvings. SPA
The research results found that a deal of great effort had gone into making the animal carvings. SPA

A team of archaeologists found that the camel carvings in Al-Jouf in Saudi Arabia are likely to be the oldest life-sized animal carvings ever discovered, according to a Journal of Archaeological Science study.

The study found that the “camel site,” which includes 21 carvings (17 of them of camels, two of equids, and another that has not been discerned), could be home to the world’s oldest life-sized carvings of animals. The researchers’ results also found that they go back to the Neolithic era and were made between 5200 and 5600 AD.

The method used to carve them differs from that prevalent elsewhere in the Kingdom. They are three-dimensional and appear life-like. The carvings on the site also demonstrated that remarkable rock art production had existed at the time, and remains of animal bones were also discovered.

Discovering the date in which carvings were made is considered among the biggest challenges facing researchers. The team used an array of methods to determine the date of the carvings with high precision, examining tool marks, weathering and erosion patterns, analysis involving fluorescence luminescence, and radiocarbon. The team of researchers included scientists from the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage/ Saudi Heritage Authority, the King Saud University, France’s Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, the Max Planck Institute and the Free University of Berlin.

The research results found that a deal of great effort had gone into making the animal carvings, that it was probably a group effort and that they were made at different times.

There are indications that the carvings had been re-engraved and re-shaped, with new engravings being made to replace segments that had been damaged with time. Parts of the carvings that had fallen off were put back on in their place.

The results also found that the carvings took their eventual form over three stages, and they are: the engraving process, which went on for a long period; that was followed by a period in which no human activity was made, and the site was deserted; finally, in the third and last stage, when they got damaged because of natural causes.



Flights Cancelled to and from Indonesia’s Bali Due to Volcanic Ash

 Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki spews ash and smoke during an eruption as seen from Lewolaga village in Titihena, East Nusa Tenggara, on November 13, 2024. (AFP)
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki spews ash and smoke during an eruption as seen from Lewolaga village in Titihena, East Nusa Tenggara, on November 13, 2024. (AFP)
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Flights Cancelled to and from Indonesia’s Bali Due to Volcanic Ash

 Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki spews ash and smoke during an eruption as seen from Lewolaga village in Titihena, East Nusa Tenggara, on November 13, 2024. (AFP)
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki spews ash and smoke during an eruption as seen from Lewolaga village in Titihena, East Nusa Tenggara, on November 13, 2024. (AFP)

Several international airlines cancelled flights to and from Indonesia's resort island of Bali on Wednesday, after further eruptions of a volcano that has spewed ash clouds as high as 10 km (32,808 ft) and forced thousands to evacuate.

Jetstar and Qantas said they had stopped flights to Bali on Wednesday for safety reasons because of volcanic ash, while plane tracking website Flightradar24 showed flights to the island by AirAsia and Virgin were also cancelled.

Bali is Indonesia's top tourist hotspot and is a popular destination for Australian visitors.

The first eruption of the Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki on Nov. 3 in the East Nusa Tenggara province, about 800 km (497 miles) from Bali, killed at least nine people. It has since erupted repeatedly, including multiple times on Tuesday.

From Nov. 4 to Nov. 12, 80 flights in Bali were cancelled, including from Singapore, Hong Kong, and several Australian cities, said Ahmad Syaugi Shahab, general manager of Bali's Ngurah Rai airport.

Indonesia has close to 130 active volcanoes and sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", an area of high seismic activity atop various tectonic plates.

The ash column from Mount Lewotobi has reached as high as 10 km and authorities have said sand fall has covered surrounding areas.