Rock Art Suggests that Cows Used to Graze in the Lush, Verdant Sahara

The discovery of rare rock art depicting cattle in the Sahara Desert implies past lushness with abundant resources for diverse animal life.

The Eastern Desert of Sudan, known as the “Atbai,” hosts nomadic communities and was surveyed by archaeologists between 2018 and 2019. Their aim was to investigate interactions between local nomads and external cultures.

Rock Art Discoveries

Archaeologists examined rock art along hypothetical routes across the flat, hyper-arid deserts from Gebel Rafit to Wadi Halfa, near the Sudan-Egypt border. In Wadi Halfa, among the driest and most desolate parts of the Sahara, they uncovered 16 new rock art sites dating back 4000 years. What surprised them the most was the presence of cattle depicted in nearly all of them.

Julien Cooper, lead author of the study from Macquarie University, New South Wales, expressed intrigue at discovering cattle carved into desert rock walls. Moreover, this finding challenges the current dry Sahara environment. Thus, it suggests a previous lushness, providing crucial evidence for a once “green” Sahara.

Despite the rarity of painted rock art in the Eastern Desert, archaeologists discovered a portrayal of a cow with a swollen udder alongside a figure, possibly engaged in milking, indicating the presence of cattle pastoralists in the region.

Expansion of Pastoralist Rock Art Tradition

Additionally, painted cattle have also been found at Wadi Rasras, located east of Aswan in Egypt. The painted depictions of a cow with a swollen udder suggest the existence of a pastoralist rock art tradition across the entire Atbai region. Additionally, previous discoveries at a site called ‘Gebel Sayd’ included depictions of hunting scenes and various animals, including cattle, antelopes, and giraffes.

The researchers assert that the newly discovered rock art presents a starkly different image of the Sahara Desert as a savanna teeming with pools, rivers, marshes, and watering holes inhabited by diverse wildlife. Today, the region experiences minimal rainfall. For instance, despite its location near the Nile River, Wadi Halfa receives an average annual rainfall of 0.02 inches (0.5 millimeters); therefore, precipitation is often absent for many years.

Human Adaptation to Environmental Changes

The ‘African humid period,’ marked by heightened summer monsoonal rainfall, likely began about 15,000 years ago. By approximately 3,000 BCE, as this period waned, lakes and rivers formed from the increased rainfall started to dry up, replaced by sand, prompting the migration of many human inhabitants toward the Nile.

Julien Cooper noted, “The Atbai Desert around Wadi Halfa, where we discovered the new rock art, almost completely depopulated. Those who stayed behind abandoned cattle in favor of sheep and goats. This transition would significantly impact human life. As a result, it would consequently lead to dietary changes due to limited milk supplies, shifts in the migratory patterns of herding families, and alterations in the identity and livelihood of those dependent on cattle.”

Read the Original Article on: New Atlas

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