115,000-year-old human footprints discovered in an inappropriate place
Imagine unintentionally finding human footprints that were left behind around 115,000 years
ago while walking the same route that our ancestors once took.
When a team of archaeologists discovered the earliest known human footprints on the Arabian
Peninsula, this is exactly what happened to them.
These imprints, which were found among the footprints of extinct creatures, are an important
finding for the study of pre-Ice Age life and human migration.
The Arabian Peninsula's first signs of human habitation
The fossilized tracks were discovered in a unique lakebed area of northern Saudi Arabia in 2017.
There were seven distinct footprints in the trails.
The researchers stated, "Here, we present fossils and footprints of hominin
and non-hominin mammals from the Alathar lacustrine deposit in the western
Nefud Desert, Saudi Arabia."
"We contend that the footprints are probably the oldest evidence of our species in
the Arabian Peninsula, dating to the last interglacial and hence contemporaneous
with an early spread of H. sapiens out of Africa."
Footprints of people in comparable states
The Arabic name for the lakebed, "the trace," suggests that it was a crowded place more
than 100,000 years ago.
The footprints, which were discovered in comparable levels of preservation, were probably
created in a relatively short amount of time, according to the scientists.
Similar findings have been reported in an experimental examination of contemporary human
footprints in mud flats, which revealed that fine details vanished in two days and that impressions
became unidentifiable in four.
According to the researchers, "fine features were lost after two days and prints were rendered
unidentifiable within four days in an experimental study of modern human footprints in mud flats,
and comparable discoveries have been made for other non-hominin animal tracks."
Even though the impressions may fade quickly due to the soft surface, mud appears to be nature's
ideal medium for documenting history.
For instance, species that were trapped in a mudslide during the Burgess Shale event were
kept whole.
The footprints of our forefathers
Given how complicated history is, a number of theories have been put out on the upright
primates of that time period.
The tracks were made by individuals of our own species, Homo sapiens, according
to growing evidence.
"Given the fossil and archaeological evidence for the spread of Homo sapiens into the Levant
and Arabia between 130,000 and 80,000 years ago, and the lack of Homo neanderthalensis
from the Levant at that time, we argue that H. sapiens was responsible for the tracks
at Alathar," the researchers said of the seven hominin footprints that were confidently identified.
The researchers also pointed out that the Alathar footprints' sizes are more in line with those
of early Homo sapiens than those of Homo neanderthalensis.
Quick trips to the lake
The animal bones that were discovered nearby did not have any markings from tools
or knives, according to the scientists. To put it another way, there was no sign of hunting.
Is it possible that the humans stopped by for a drink?
fossils, footprints, and sediments from the Alathar paleolake.
(A) Alathar paleolake deposits in plan view, with white arrowheads indicating researchers.
(B) Units FS1 through FS3 comprise the first stratigraphic section.
(C) The second stratigraphic section (units SS1 to SS3) is situated toward the center of the
paleolake and lies on top of the first.
(D and E) Proboscipeda isp., an example of an elephant track and trackway.
(F) Lamaichnum isp. Camelid trackway. Forefoot
(G) and hindfoot
(H) of a camelid.
(I) Hippipeda isp, equine track.
(J) The vertebra of the bovid axis eroding from the paleolake sediment.
Photographs courtesy of Richard Clark-Wilson of the University of London's Royal
Holloway and Gilbert Price of the University of Queensland
According to the experts, "the lack of archaeological evidence shows that the Alathar
Lake was only briefly visited by mankind."
It appeared that the main reason for the visit was "the demand for potable water."
The final stages before the Ice Age
The question of who made the fossilized footprints is evident, but it also begs the fascinating
question of why the tracks of one group were not covered by those of another.
According to one theory, they might have been the final people to travel through a temperate
region before the Ice Age destroyed them.
The sound of their footfall, preserved in the dirt, serves as a reminder of a past we might
never truly comprehend.
Ancient animal and human footprints
In addition to demonstrating the existence of early people, the footprints found at Alathar
Lake provide a glimpse of the environment that prevailed 115,000 years ago.
Scientists discovered animal tracks from antelopes, camels, and elephants surrounding
the human footprints.
The study vividly depicts a verdant landscape that was very dissimilar from the dry desert of today.
Like the humans whose footprints were preserved in the mud, these ancient animals probably
congregated near the lake to drink water.
dynamic setting with common resources
Researchers can learn more about the interactions and activities of both people and
animals during this time period by examining the depth and spatial arrangement of the footprints.
The closeness of animal and human footprints, for example, points to a dynamic habitat where
resources such as water drew a range of species, allowing for fleeting but important interactions.
These discoveries aid researchers in reconstructing not only the history of humanity but also
the region's larger biological fabric prior to the severe climatic changes brought on by the Ice Age.
Source earth.com
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