RECENT ROCK ART AND EPIGRAPHIC INVESTIGATIONS IN SAUDI ARABIA

RECENT ROCK ART AND EPIGRAPHIC INVESTIGATIONS IN SAUDI ARABIAAuthor(s): Majeed KhanSource: Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies, Vol. 21, Proceedings of the TwentyFourth SEMINAR FOR ARABIAN STUDIES held at Oxford on 24th - 26th July 1990 (1991), pp.113-122Published by: ArchaeopressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41223107 .

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113

RECENT ROCK ART AND EPI GRAPH 1С INVESTIGATIONS IN SAUDI ARABIA

Dr Majeed Khan

During this century, a great deal of theoretical reconstruction of the evolution of ancient Arabian scripts has been put forward by European philologists, suggesting that the Arabs borrowed writing from outside. In view of the variety of scripts and forms that are found in the Arabian Peninsula, most of which are closely related to each other, such as Thamudic, Lihyanite and al-Musnad al-Janubi (ESA), it appears more logical to trace the origin of these scripts within the boundaries of the Peninsula.

Recent methodical and comprehensive rock art investigations in Saudi Arabia (Khan et. ai_ 1985 , 86 , 87 , 88) have suggested that a hitherto unexplored body of evidence can shed light on the origin of writing and its possible evolution. It suggests a difference source - one to which philologists have paid little or no attention - that is "rock art11 itself.

During the five year rock art and epigraphic survey of Saudi Arabia (1985-1990) over 1000 rock art sites were recorded from different parts of the country. It is suggested that rock art was used as a means of communication in prehistoric Arabia (see Khan 1989). The relative, tentative chronology of rock art in Saudi Arabia suggests that the earliest rock art (Phase 1) is distinguished by having large-sized human and animal figures depicted in bas or low relief with detailed realistic physical features, except the faces, which are usual ly obscure, (Pl.l).

In the later period of Phase 2 a change occurred in art style and no more large-sized human and animal figures with realistic physical features were depicted. Instead, the human and animal figures became smaller and more schematised compared to Phase 1 (see Pl.l). In the subsequent third phase of Saudi rock art large compositions of human and animal figures associated with non-representational and geometrical motifs suggest that rock art gradually changed its course and was, perhaps, used for recording some kind of abstract messages. The figures became schematic, outlined and, for the first time, the stick human figures appeared in rock art compositions. This marked the appearance of a new trend in rock art in which highly schematic stick-like animal and human figures were depicted in association with several geometrical and other non-representational motifs. The limbs of human figures were further simplified and schematised. Schématisation implies simplification of reality. The mode of schématisation generally involved the elimination of fine realistic details and the simplification of contours to use such motifs for symbolic communication. The rock art of Saudi Arabia shows a tradition of continuous schématisation in each cultural period from the earliest phase of rock art to the last phase, preceding the literary period. Ultimately, the



114

prehistorie artist of Arabia reached a point from which further simplification of human and animal figures was possible. At this period the rock art was not used just to portray certainmodels but, perhaps, to record certain abstract messages, the artist split the limbs and then used them as signs and symbols. Thus, in some cases, the arms are absent (X)/ while on others the legs are not shown (V). In some one arm is absent (ft ) and on others the leg is absent (4J), so that a difference is created by reducing or deleting some limbs or, in some cases, by changing the limb positions such as upraised arms, stretched arms, "U" shaped arms and "Vй shaped arms.

The following panel is located at Wadi Damm, near Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia (P1.3):

In this illustration, human stick figures are situated in close association with each other, each one showing a variation in its arm, leg and body posture. The artist has differentiated one figure from the other, through positions of arms and legs and through the attitude. It appears that the figures in this composition are arranged in a formulatic manner. The artist has assembled a constellation of motifs, which gives the impression that if the figures have been arranged with some specific purpose and intention, then the limb positions are indicative of a systematic formulation which is intended to communicate abstract ideas.

Another example comes from Al-Ula, northwestern Arabia, with the following composition:

~ť ^ť rf у ^ Below is another example from Raniya, southern Arabia:

From the above compositions, it appears that in prehistoric Arabia there was a system of communication which may be compared to a pictographic-cum-ideographic writing system. In each of the above compositions, some signs are almost identical to some of the Thamudic * (Bedouin) alphabetic letters such as : v o -•" ^ ^k

* The term "Thamudic" writing, named after an ancient Arabian tribe, does not seem to be appropriate for a script which is located, not only over a large part of the Arabian Peninsula, but also as far as Jordan and Syria. Of course, there were several tribes living in these areas who were using the same script. As the writing is mostly located in the deserts of Arabia it is more appropriate to call it a 'BEDOUIN SCRIPT1. Furthermore, this term also suggests the evolution of the so-called "Thamudic" from the "Proto-Bedouin" . I therefore propose to rename "Thamudic" as "Bedouin" script.



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It is possibly the first pictographic-cum-ideographic system of writing known in Arabia which I called "Proto-Bedouin" . Proto-Bedouin compositions are usually located in northwestern Arabia with a few examples in central and southern regions.

Although the Proto-Bedouin writing system as yet cannot be read, we have established that in its compositions each human figure or each specific arm and leg position had some symbolic meaning. So far, human stick figures with 72 different arm and leg positions and attitudes have been recorded (see Pi. 2). If the human stick figures with different forms of limbs and in different attitudes were, in the beginning, pictograms or ideograms, they later seem to have become "word-signs" or logograms (that is signs for words of the language) or a mixture of the two. We seem, therefore, to be discussing a system of prehistoric communication, in which each motif does not represent an object only, but also expresses its function and/or activity such as hunting, fighting, worshipping, searching, giving, taking or carrying. Thus a syllabary of compound "word signs" was developed in which human activities were indicated by schematised human stick figures depicted in various attitudes (see pl. 2). Other signs resemble certain objects like sun (/JpC ), snake (^ ), head ( о ), eyes ( g) ) , arms ( ^ ), man ( X ) and animal ( >j ) . Further simplification of these compound "word signs" and/or ideograms and the introduction of other geometric and non-representational signs obviously resulted in the evolution and development of alphabets.

The further development of pictograhic-cum-ideographic writing and the evolution of word signs from this system should ultimately lead towards a cursive form of writing, as can be seen from this early cursive composition: л -

The following is possibly the earliest development of Bedouin or the so-called Thamudic cursive script (Pi. 4):

The different phases of rock art can be recognised on the basis of superimpositions, overlapping, patina difference (when various phases occurred on the same rock) and can tentatively be dated by relation to archaeological artefacts located near, on or in the vicinities of rock art sites. Thus the earliest or Phase I (Pl.l) could tentatively be attributed to the Neolithic and Phase 2 to the Late Neolithic. Phase 3 should, however, more safely be dated to the Chalcolithic period of Saudi Arabia. Chalcolithic sites are widely located in northern Saudi Arabia (Parr et. al 1973; Zar ins eJL au_ 1979; 1980; Gilmore et_ aJL 1982) . On almost every Chalcolithic site in Saudi Arabia rock art is located either or. the structural remains or nearby rocks and hills. Based on stone artefacts of typical Chalcolithic style located at the vicinities of sites where "Proto-Bedouin" compositions it may be suggested, perhaps, that the initial evolution of the "Proto-Bedouin" system occurred sometime during the late Chalcolithic or Early Bronze Age ca. 2500-1800 B.C. If we accept that the "Proto-Bedouin" is the transitional system of writing between the early pictographic system of communication and the evolution of alphabets, the development of the "Bedouin" or the so-called Thamudic alphabets from the "Proto-Bedouin" system of writing demands a long period of evolution. Therefore, we may suggest a tentative dating for the development of the "Bedouin" or the so-called "Thamudic" script between 1800 B.C. and 1200 B.C.



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The possibility of an independent Arabian evolution of the so-called Thamudic or Bedouin script has not hitherto been considered by epigraphists or philologists. Rather Musnad al-Janubi (ESA) has been considered as the oldest script of the Arabian Peninsula and it has been generally suggested that it might have evolved either from Proto-Sinatic or Phoenician.

I have presented here ample evidence to demonstrate that the Thamudic or the Bedouin writing evolved within the Arabian Peninsula without outside influence. The chronology of rock art clearly indicates that motifs and signs like triangles, squares, dots, circles, rectangles, meandering lines as well as some human stick figures with reduced, simplified or modified limbs, were already in use by the Arab Bedouins even before the origin of any scripts in Arabia. Therefore, we have no reason to suppose that the alphabets of the so-called Bedouin or Thamudic scripts, which include signs identical to a number of forms found as signs or symbols in rock art compositions pre-dating writing, evolved from Proto-Sinatic, Phoenician or any other writing system, particularly when we do not have convincing evidence of evolution of these signs in Proto-Sinatic or Phoenician scripts. Thus we witness a chronological sequence of transitional elements and the evolution and development of images, signs and motifs from one phase to another within the internal structure of Arabian rock art.

In the Bedouin or the so-called Thamudic script there are several forms for each alphabetical letter. Thus, for fla" there are six different forms; similarly for "w" there are six forms and so on. One can actually see an evolution and development of alphabets within the Bedouin or Thamudic script. This might suggest a script which was still undergoing development. The oldest inscription of Musnad al~Janubi so far located dates to about 800 B.C. This inscription is in a well developed form. Perhaps the Arab nomads who settled in villages and towns developed their earlier Thamudic or Bedouin writing into Musnad al-Janubi. Supposing that Musnad ai-Janubi is an offshoot or a developed form of Bedouin or Thamudic, then its origin can safely be placed between 1200 B.C. and 800 B.C.

I therefore suggest that the Bedouin or so-called Thamudic was the oldest script of the Arabian Peninsula and that it evolved independently within Arabia from an earlier rock art system of communications .



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REFERENCES

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Albright, W.F. 1950 'The Chronology of Ancient South Arabia in the Light of the

First Campaign of Excavation in Qataban1 . Bui letin of. the American School of Oriental Research N0.119 Oct. 1950.

1966 'The Proto-Sinatic Inscriptions and their Decipherment'. Harvard Theological Studies (XXII) Cambridge, Mass.

Al-Ansari, Abdul rahman al Tayyib. 1966 A Critical and Comparative Study, of Lihyanite Personal names .

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1974 'Inscriptions f rom Qaryat al-Fau', Bulletin of the Faculty of Arts, University of Riyadh 3 (Ar).

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Diringer, David 1962 The. Alphabets^ A Wax to the History of Mankind .Vols . 1 and

2. London.

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Field, H. 1952 'Camel Brands and Graffitti from Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Iran and

Arabia1 . Supplement tjo the. Journal of the American Oriental Society 1_5 ..

Gardiner , A. 1916 'The Egyptian of the Semitic Alphabet1. J.our.na.1. of_ Egxptian.

Archaeol ogy 3 , 1 - 6 .

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Harris ,Roy . 1986 The Origin of Writing. London.

Healey , John 1990 The Early Alphabets. London.

J aussen and Savignac 1914 M_ is si_on. A r.ch e о 1 _qg^.<iu e_ en Ara bia. Paris.



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Jamme,A. 1948 Cl assií i_ca t i on des с rip ti ve s.ener a I.e. des i ns с r .i? t i ons.

Sud-Arabes. Tunis, 1948.

1966 'Nabataean and Hasaean Inscriptions from Saudi Arabia'. S.tjidi_ Semii.ici.23.

Khan, M. Kabawi,Al Zahráni, A. 1986 'Preliminary Report on the Second Phase of Comprehensive Rock

Art and Epigraphic Survey of Northern Province1. AtlJLL Ю, 82-93.

Khan, M . Dabawi,A. Zahráni, A. Samir,M. Mubarak, A. 1987 'Preliminary Report on the Third Phase of Rock Art and

Epigraphic Survey of Northern Saudi Arabia' . Atla.L/10.

Xhan,M. Kabawi ,A. Sahrani,A. Mubarak,A. Samir^M. 1988 'Preliminary Report on the Fourth Phase of Rock Art and

Epigraphic Survey of Northern Saudi Arabia' . At.Lal_, 11.

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Northern Saudi Arabia. Atlal.* 11.

Livingstone, A. Khan, M . Zahraní, A. Sal luk, S. Shaman, M. 1985 'Epigraphic Survey'. AUai., 9, 129-144.

Pétrie, W. M. Flinders 1906 Researches in. Sinai.. London .

1912 The. Formation, of . A iphab e t.s . London.



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Plate 1: Chronology of Saudi Arabian rock art.

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Plate 2: Proto-Bedouin "word-signs".

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Plate 3

121

A composition of human stick figures in different attitudes, from the Tabuk area.

A composition of Pro to- Bedouin pictographic-cum- ideographic writing ( note lower panel ) , from the Bisha area.

Proto-Bedouin composition from the Al-Ula area.



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Proto-Bedouin writing system

An early stage of the cursive form of Bedouin or so-called Thamudic script .

The early and later stages of Bedouin or so-called Thamudic writing.

Plate 4



RECENT ROCK ART AND EPIGRAPHIC INVESTIGATIONS IN SAUDI ARABIA

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