RIYADH, Sept 17 (NNN-SPA) – Saudi Arabia’s Heritage Commission, announced yesterday, the discovery of ancient human and animal footprints, dating back more than 120,000 years in Tabuk, in northern Saudi Arabia.
Jasir Alherbish, head of the Heritage Commission, said, in the capital, Riyadh, that the archaeological discovery in Tabuk, which represents the first scientific evidence of human life on the Arabian Peninsula, was made by a joint team of Saudi and international archaeologists.
According to the results of the archaeological survey, the team identified footprint traces of seven humans, 107 camels, 43 elephants and other animals.
In addition to the footprints, hundreds of fossils were found at the site, including 233 skeletal remains of elephants and oryx, along with signs of the presence of predators at the time, by identifying traces of their tusks on the bones.
Alherbish said, such discoveries “help us better understand the journey of our forebears from ancient civilisation, to where we are today.”
The Heritage Commission is currently overseeing the conservation and restoration of several archaeological sites, which will eventually be open to visitors. Plans to host archaeological exhibitions locally and abroad are also underway.– NNN-SPA
