Categories: Science

Ancient Footsteps: Unearthing 115,000-Year-Old Human Prints in Unexpected Places


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Picture walking along the very route our forebears traversed, only to stumble upon human footprints imprinted around 115,000 years prior.

This is exactly what transpired for a team of archaeologists as they unearthed the most ancient human footprints currently known on the Arabian Peninsula.

Found alongside the remains of prehistoric creatures, these imprints signify a vital breakthrough in understanding human migration and existence prior to the Ice Age.

In 2017, the fossilized imprints were discovered in a unique lakebed area of northern Saudi Arabia, consisting of seven distinct footprints.

“Here, we present hominin and non-hominin mammal footprints and fossils from the Alathar lacustrine deposit in the western Nefud Desert, Saudi Arabia,” remarked the researchers.

“We propose that the footprints, accredited to the last interglacial and thereby coincident with an early H. sapiens dispersal from Africa, likely signify the earliest proof of our species on the Arabian Peninsula.”

The lakebed, named “the trace” in Arabic, appears to have been a bustling site over 100,000 years ago. The scientists observed that the footprints – discovered in similar conditions of preservation – were probably created within a very brief period.

“A study experimenting with modern human footprints in mud flats noted that fine details vanished within two days and impressions became indistinguishable within four; similar findings have been observed for other non-hominin mammal tracks,” clarified the researchers.

It appears that mud is nature’s ideal medium for preserving historical records, despite the fact that the impressions may erode swiftly from the yielding surface. During the Burgess Shale event, for instance, organisms were preserved flawlessly due to being trapped in a mudslide.

The tracks of our forebears

While the past is intricate, numerous theories have emerged regarding the upright primates of that time. Increasing evidence suggests that the tracks were created by members of our species, Homo sapiens.

“Seven hominin footprints were confidently recognized, and considering the fossil and archaeological evidence for the dispersion of H. sapiens into the Levant and Arabia during the timeframe of 130,000 to 80,000 years ago, along with the absence of Homo neanderthalensis in the Levant during this period, we contend that H. sapiens made the tracks at Alathar,” articulated the researchers.

Moreover, the specialists indicated that the dimensions of the Alathar footprints align more closely with those of early H. sapiens rather than H. neanderthalensis.

Short visits to the lake

The researchers did not discover evidence of tools or knives on the animal bones found in the vicinity. In other terms, there was no sign of hunting.

Does this imply that humans merely stopped by for a drink?

The Alathar paleolake sediments, footprints, and fossils. (A) Plan view of the Alathar paleolake deposits with researchers indicated by white arrowheads. (B) First stratigraphic section (units FS1 to FS3). (C) Second stratigraphic section (units SS1 to SS3) overlying the first but located toward the center of the paleolake. (D and E) Example of an elephant track and trackway, Proboscipeda isp. (F) Camelid trackway, Lamaichnum isp. (G) Camelid forefoot (H) Camelid hindfoot. (I) Equid track, Hippipeda isp. (J) Bovid axis vertebra eroding out of the paleolake sediment. Photo credit: Gilbert Price, The University of Queensland and Richard Clark-Wilson, Royal Holloway, University of London

“The absence of archaeological signs indicates that the Alathar Lake was only momentarily visited by individuals,” the researchers pointed out. The visit, it appeared, was mainly “related to the search for drinkable water.”

Final steps prior to the Ice Age

The fossilized footprints obviously prompt the inquiry of who produced them, yet they also ignite another fascinating query: why weren’t these tracks obscured by another group?

One hypothesis is that they might have been the last individuals to migrate through a temperate environment before being erased by the Ice Age. Their silent prints, preserved in the mud, serve as a reminder of a history we may never fully comprehend.

The footprints discovered at Alathar Lake not only disclose the existence of early humans but also provide a snapshot of the ecosystem that thrived 115,000 years ago.

Encircling the human footprints, scientists identified tracks from creatures such as elephants, camels, and antelopes. The research depicts a vibrant environment that was drastically different from the arid desert observed today.

These ancient beings likely congregated near the lake to quench their thirst, paralleling the humans whose prints were cemented in the mud.

Dynamic environment with communal resources

Through examining the spatial distribution and depth of the footprints, researchers can infer aspects regarding the behavior and interactions between both humans and animals during that era.

For example, the closeness of human and animal tracks indicates a vibrant environment where resources such as water drew diverse species, facilitating brief yet crucial interactions.

Such findings assist scientists in reconstructing not merely human history but also the broader ecological narrative of the area before the severe climate transitions leading into the Ice Age commenced.

The research was published in the journal Science Advances.

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