Ancient humans lived inside a lava tube in the Arabian desert, scientists find

In a groundbreaking discovery in the arid deserts of northern Saudi Arabia, archaeologists have unearthed evidence that human beings once lived within cave-like lava tubes, marking the first instance such evidence has been found.

The natural underground passages, formed during volcanic eruptions, have unveiled secrets dating back thousands of years. Lava tubes are created when the surface lava cools and hardens during an eruption while the molten lava underneath continues to flow. Once the flow stops, it leaves behind hollow tunnels.

While the surface of the desert is hot, “when you are down in the lava tube, it’s much cooler. It’s very sheltered and it would have been a great place of refuge,” Mathew Stewart of Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia, told New Scientist. “It’s transforming our understanding of the prehistory of the Arabian peninsula.”

Mike Morley at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, said the tubes actually served as “prefabricated activity spaces.”

“As a scientist who works primarily in caves, I am excited that we have another type of cave system being used by past human populations,” Mr. Morley said. “These finds represent a treasure trove of archaeological information for Arabia, a massive region that has only recently been investigated systematically for prehistoric archaeology.”

One of the remarkable structures, known as Umm Jirsan, spans more than a mile, the largest known lava tube in Saudi Arabia. Through careful excavation of a trench inside Umm Jirsan, Mr. Stewart’s team uncovered animal bones, stone tools, and fragments of pottery that trace back at least 7,000 years, with potential reach extending up to 10,000 years into the past.