Archeological Potential of Arabian Lava Tubes
Ancient Bones and Artifacts in Saudi Arabia’s Volcanic Caves
Sep 20, 2008
The scientific study of volcanic caves in Saudi Arabia is in its infancy. The first accurate map of a Saudi lava tube was published in 2002. This is remarkable, considering that the Arabian Peninsula is part of the Cradle of Humanity and was one of the main routes by which mankind’s ancestors left Africa some 70,000 years ago. Arabian lava tubes would have provided shelter and water to ancient peoples and might therefore yield important archeological information.
Lava Tubes in Saudi Arabia
Until today, seven volcanic caves have been surveyed and mapped in Saudi Arabia. All of them are at least one million years old. Five of these caves contain the remains of walls or other structures indicating that they were used by human beings at some point in their history.
In all of these caves, a variety of bones were found lying on the floor. Coprolites and tooth marks suggest these bones were carried into the caves by hyenas, wolves and foxes. In all cases, the present-day “floors” of these caves consist of a layer of sediment at least a meter thick, overlying the original basalt floor.
Umm Jirsan Cave Near Medina
This cave is located in the Khaybar Lava Field, 100 kilometers north of Medina. It measures 1.5 kilometers in length and is presently (2008) the longest volcanic cave system on the Arabian Peninsula.
Over 300 meters from the entrance, speleologists found a large cache of bones, including human skulls. Several of these were removed for carbon dating. The oldest human bone found was part of a skull cap, 4040 years old. A very large animal bone, possibly bovine, was found to be 2285 years old.
It is interesting to note that these bones were found lying on top of the roughly one meter deep sediment covering the original cave floor. It is speculated that older bones may be found beneath the surface, but to date no attempt has been made to dig inside a Saudi lava tube. This is a task which the cave explorers prefer to leave to archeologists.
Elsewhere in the cave, basalt fragments were found. Many are pointed or have a sharp edge and all of them fit the human hand conveniently.
Neolithic Artifacts in Ghostly Cave
This cave is located in the Kishb Lava Field, 244 kilometers east of Mecca. It is 320 meters long and its passages lie seven meters below the surface. A large number of basalt rocks were found piled up to allow human access to the cave.
Inside were found two L-shaped throwing sticks with flat bottoms and curved upper surfaces which give the sticks aerodynamic lift when thrown. Although it has not yet been possible to carbon-date these sticks, it is noted that they resemble implements depicted in Neolithic rock engravings found in western Saudi Arabia.
Arabian Red Fox in Riyadh Cave
Thanks to low humidity and steady, moderate temperatures, desert caves generally provide excellent conditions for preserving their contents. For example, a 2000-year-old naturally desiccated Arabian Red Fox, found in a limestone cave north of Riyadh, almost looks mummified, with even its whiskers and the veins in its ears perfectly preserved.
Saudi Arabia has over 80,000 square kilometers of lava fields and helicopter surveys have pinpointed a huge number of lava-tube entrances. Many of these are quite near old caravan trails and areas which were highly populated in ancient times. As more and more of these caves are investigated, it is hoped that archeologists will make discoveries which will shed new light on the history of the Cradle of Humanity.
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