Archaeologists have discovered 120,000-year-old human footprints at the site of the ancient lake Alasal in the Nafud Desert of Saudi Arabia. Ancient human artifacts discovered in the Nefud Desert illustrate the long history of human habitation in the area. According to research published in Science Advances, the site includes 120,000-year-old human footprints found at Al-Ara Sal, an ancient lake, providing the oldest sample of Homo sapiens in the Arabian Peninsula and delaying the human migration from Africa. Before becoming arid during the last interglacial period, the area was known as “Green Arabia”, with large lakes and rich flora and fauna. Many of the 120,000-year-old footprints were discovered by archaeologists from the Max Planck Institute and the Saudi Heritage Authority. These tracks provide evidence that early humans used inland lake systems as excellent habitat and migration corridors, living and migrating alongside prehistoric elephants and hippopotamuses for about 15,000 years, when climate conditions allowed good living and migration.
Alassah discovery: 120,000-year-old human footprints in Saudi Arabia
Researchers working in Arazar in the Nefd Desert have discovered ancient traces of anatomically modern humans (Homo sapiens). Researchers from the Max Planck Institute and the Saudi Ministry of Culture used optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating to establish a chronology dating back 120,000 years, Science Advances (a research magazine) reported. It represents the first evidence of modern humans in this part of the world, effectively filling a significant space-time gap in models of ancient human dispersal.
green arab phenomenon
An article from the Max Planck Institute shows that about 120,000 years ago, the Nefud Desert was a green and moist place with many lakes and rich grasslands. This period, known as the Last Interglacial, was characterized by a wetter monsoon season that transformed central Arabia into Green Arabia. These environmental changes created new suitable migration routes, allowing humans and megafauna to exploit inland lake corridors across the peninsula.
Living with prehistoric giants
The Alassa site not only contains evidence of human presence, but also hundreds of tracks from other species, including ancient elephants, ancient horses and giant camelids (a group of now-extinct Pleistocene megafauna). The fact that there are no stone tools at the Alassa site tells us that humans used the lake as a “makeshift waterhole”; Alassa therefore provides us with an excellent opportunity to understand how early humans moved through an environment that coexisted with a large number of Pleistocene and modern megafauna.
Challenging the “Out of Africa” model
This discovery changes the timeline of early modern human dispersal. According to the Saudi Ministry of Culture, if modern humans appeared in the Arabian interior about 120,000 years ago, this suggests that Homo sapiens were moving out of Africa earlier and more frequently than previously thought. Additionally, this exhibit demonstrates that when an area had enough water and food to sustain human life, our ancestors could travel not only along the coast, but also inland.
