Evidence of Humans Using Lava Tubes as 'Pit Stops' Found, Experts Say This "Could Fill In Gaps in the Archaeological Rec

Evidence of Humans Using Lava Tubes as ‘Pit Stops’ Found, Experts Say This “Could Fill In Gaps in the Archaeological Record”

The evidence from vast tunnels showed that herders and livestock occupied the space underground to shield themselves from the harsh weather.

BY MAHALEKSHMI P
PUBLISHED DEC 13, 2024



A traveler taking shelter in a cave. (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Jose Torres Gomez / 500px)


Archaeologists gathered evidence of lava tubes beneath the grounds of Saudi Arabia which served as a respite for herders and livestock. New evidence showed that, from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age, travelers used caves, tubes, and tunnel systems to shelter livestock and take rest on journeys from one oasis to another. The investigation was done at the Umm Jirsan tunnel system in northwest Saudi Arabia, where experts gathered evidence of both human and animal interaction within the caves and it dated as far back as possibly 10,000 years ago.

“Our findings at Umm Jirsan provide a rare glimpse into the lives of ancient peoples in Arabia, revealing repeated phases of human occupation and shedding light on the pastoralist activities that once thrived in this landscape,” Matthew Stewart, lead researcher at Australia’s Griffith University, stated according to Popular Mechanics. “This site likely served as a crucial waypoint along pastoral routes, linking key oases and facilitating cultural exchange and trade. Our results reveal repeated phases of human occupation of the site ranging from at least the Neolithic through to the Chalcolithic/Bronze Age,” the authors wrote in the study.

Knewz.com noted that Neolithic herders went underground and occupied these vast tunnels as the cooler air beneath the surface would provide them with a much-needed escape from the sun and wind, and for thousands of years, humans sheltered in the tunnels with their livestock in the tunnels, reported CNN. The herders left behind several objects and even carved pictures on the rocky walls of the lava tube as reported by researchers in the journal PLOS One. The evidence that was left behind in the tubes helped researchers find and fill in the gaps in the lifestyle of ancient people. Certain missing items from the Umm Jirsan helped conclude that the lava tubes were a temporary place for shelter and not a permanent home.



Archaeologists at Umm Jirsan found animal bones that went back 400 years to more than 4,000 years ago, and human remains that ranged from 150 years to about 6,000 years ago. They also found cloth fragments, pieces of carved wood, and dozens of stone tools, the first evidence that humans used the tunnels from at least 7,000 years ago, as per The New York Times. Isotopic analysis revealed that the livestock fed on wild grass and shrubs, while the humans had a protein-rich diet featuring plant consumption. An earlier study showed that hyenas had used it as a den and left behind remains of birds, hares, gazelle, or any possible prey. Dr. Stewart said as hundreds of thousands of animal remains were left by scavenging hyenas.

More:
https://knewz.com/world/evidence-of-humans-using-lava-tubes-as-pit-stops-found-experts-say-this-could-fill-in-gaps-in-the-archaeological-record/