An Introduction to the Rock Art of Khaybar
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: ABSTRACT Between 2020 and 2024, the Khaybar Longue Durée Archaeological Project recorded 2333 rock art panels around the oasis of Khaybar in northwest Arabia. This dataset documents changing visual expression in a previously under‐researched region. The rock art broadly follows chronological and stylistic patterns observed elsewhere in northern Arabia. However, engravings of the Neolithic and the first millennium BCE / CE —which are normally abundant—appear comparatively scarce. A major result of the study is the identification of a distinct group of engravings tentatively attributable to the Bronze Age, a period that remains poorly defined in Arabian rock art research. These motifs follow consistent stylistic conventions with representations that are smaller and more stylized than Neolithic engravings, very finely pecked, and focussed on specific anatomic details. In addition, several unusual motifs were observed, including a group of geometric patterns resembling field systems.
DOI: 10.1111/aae.70037
Institutions: The University of Sydney, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Archéologies et Sciences de l’Antiquité, Maison des Sciences de l'Homme Mondes, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Université Lumière Lyon 2, Archéorient, Orient & Méditerranée
Language: English
Subfield: Archeology
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $2,820
OpenAlex ID: W7224825918