ANCIENT humans lived in lava tubes inside cave systems around 7,000 years ago, according to a new study.
The lava tube in question is called Umm Jirsan and is located in Saudi Arabia.
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A new lava tube study was published this month in the journal PLOS One.
“Our results reveal repeated phases of human occupation of the site, from at least the Neolithic to the Chalcolithic/Bronze Age.
“Pastoral use of the lava tube and surrounding landscape is attested in rock art and faunal records,” the researchers wrote.
Shepherd is a term to describe someone who raises livestock.
It is often used to describe nomadic pastoralists or ancient agricultural practices.
Long-lost rock art supported the scientist’s claims that those who lived in the lava tube raised certain types of animals.
Sheep and goats can be identified, as can long-horned cattle.
The art was left inside the lava tube, as were the bones of these animals.
Lava tubes are formed when a volcano’s lava flow moves beneath the hardened surface of a lava flow.
After the lava dissipates, a new cave formation may be left behind.
This is what happened in the case of Umm Jirsan and researchers are not sure when the last lava flowed there.
The lava tube in question has horizontal passages about 4,859 feet long.
“The lava tube does not appear to have served as a permanent habitation site, but rather as a location that was likely on grazing routes and that allowed access to shade and water for passing herders and their animals,” the researchers explained in study.
“Before this, as well as during pastoral periods, the lava tube was probably also linked to hunting activities, which probably remained a cornerstone of local economies until the Bronze Age.”
Today, the practice of using lava tubes for shelter is still said to occur in the same region, according to Live Science.
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