The find was made as part of one of the large-scale archaeological research and excavation projects
“People could have known for hundreds of years where they weretheir relatives were buried - unheard of for that period, ”said Melissa Kennedy, Assistant Director of the Aerial Archeology Project in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
This is the earliest evidence of a domesticated dog in the Arabian Peninsula, with previous evidence dating back about 1,000 years later.
The research team discovered a tomb withusing satellite imagery, and then using aerial photography from a helicopter. In the volcanic highlands, 26 fragments of the bones of one dog were found, as well as the bones of 11 people - six adults, a teenager and four children. The dog's bones showed signs of arthritis, suggesting that the animal lived to middle or old age with humans.
Zoo archaeologist Laura Strolin proved that it isindeed a dog, having analyzed, in particular, one bone of the animal's left front leg. The width of this bone was 21.0 mm, which is in line with the range of other ancient Middle Eastern dogs. For comparison, in wolves of that time and in the same place, the width of the same bone ranged from 24.7 to 26 mm.
Rock carvings found in this region indicate that the Neolithic people used dogs to hunt mountain goats and other animals.
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