Has Sahara Desert always been barren? A 4,000-year-old rock art holds the answer

Pre-historic rock artdiscoveredby archaeologists on the walls of sites located in the Atbai Desert in Eastern Sudan,builds a picture of the region that is very different from the present arid areas, and appears unbelievable.

Even though the region is currently arid, according to theartworkit once was filled with lush green bushes, pastures, water and also animal life.

Interestingly, theartworkis only around 4,000 years oldwhichhintsthatmostlikelythis part of the Sahara Desert went through a rapid and radical change in just a few millennia.

The archaeologists at Macquarie University, in a new study,have described the 16 rock art siteswhichwerediscoveredin the deserts around Wadi Halfa, which is a city in northern Sudan close to the border withEgypt.

In the different figures depicted in the art, theresearchers discovered illustrations of humans, antelopes, elephants, and giraffes.

According to the archaeologists, cattle also appeared often,whichwas surprising in the wake of the hyper-arid climate of the Atbai Desert.

The region todayreceives almost no annual rainfallwhichhas madecattle pastoralism impossible. In contrast to this, the rock art displays that cattle farming was a common theme of people living in the area in 3000 BCE.

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In a statement, researcher Dr Julien Cooper said, “It was puzzling to find cattle carved on desert rock walls as they require plenty of water and acres ofpasture,and would not survive in the dry and arid environment of the Sahara today."

Cooperheaded a team of archaeologists involvedin theAtbai Survey Project in 2018 and 2019.

“The presence of cattle in ancient rock art is one of the most important pieces of evidence establishing a once ‘green Sahara’,” Cooper said.

Rainfall in Africa led to pastures in Sahara Dessert?

Africabetween15,000 and 5,000 yearsagoreceived increased summer monsoon rainfall across the continent because of periodic variations in the orbit of Earth around theSun.

Because of the downpours, the continent became a flourishing landof grassy pasturewhichwasfilledwith freshwater lakes.

After the wet periodcame to an end, a drastic change took place in the region’s landscape along with many people and other animals who lived here.

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“The Atbai Desert around Wadi Halfa, wherethe new rock art was discovered, became almost completely depopulated. For those who remained,cattle were abandonedfor sheep and goats,” Dr Cooper said.

“This would have had major ramifications on all aspects of human life – from diet and limited milk supplies, migratory patterns of herding families and the identity and livelihood of those who depended on their cattle," the researcher said.

(With inputs from agencies)