Age: 115,000 years. Archaeologists have found evidence of human presence in unexpected locations (photos included).

A group of archaeologists has uncovered human footprints that were left approximately 115,000 years ago. These are the oldest human footprints found on the Arabian Peninsula. They were discovered among traces of prehistoric animals, and this finding provides new insights into the migration and lives of ancient humans prior to the Ice Age. The research has been published in the journal Science Advances, reports Earth.

According to the scientists, they did not expect to find human footprints in the northern part of Saudi Arabia, in the middle of the desert, which were made by members of the Homo sapiens species around 115,000 years ago. The reason for this is that no prolonged presence of ancient humans had previously been identified in this region. A total of seven distinct footprints were found, which have been well-preserved alongside traces of prehistoric animals.

These footprints were located in an area that was once home to a lake, and archaeologists believe they represent the oldest human traces on the Arabian Peninsula. They concluded that the human footprints were formed in a very short time span.

The scientists believe that these footprints belong to Homo sapiens, considering the archaeological evidence of this species' spread in the region between 130,000 and 80,000 years ago in the Levant and Arabia. Additionally, the larger size of the footprints suggests they were made by Homo sapiens rather than Neanderthals.

Archaeologists found no evidence of animal bones being damaged by knives near the human footprints. This indicates that there is no proof that humans hunted in this region. Therefore, the scientists believe that ancient humans likely arrived at the lake for a brief period, probably in search of drinking water.

At the same time, the scientists are unable to answer why these footprints were not covered by those of another group of people. It is hypothesized that these traces were left by the last visitors to the region when the climate was still temperate and before the onset of the Ice Age.

This new discovery also provides some insight into the ecosystem that existed 115,000 years ago. Around the human footprints, the scientists found traces of animals such as elephants, camels, and antelopes. This indicates that the conditions in this region were significantly different from the arid desert that exists there now. Most likely, like humans, animals came to the lake to drink, and their footprints were permanently preserved in the fossils.