Sediment studies confirmed that seasonal lakes and wetlands were beginning to return to the region, creating short-lived opportunities for humans to travel deeper into the desert. The panels included 176 engravings in three previously unexplored areas – Jebel Arnaan, Jebel Mleiha, and Jebel Misma – along the southern edge of the Nefud Desert in northern Saudi Arabia. As such, the researchers believe these panels were hugely significant, not just leisurely doodles in the desert. Narrow cliff ledges would have made this a precarious art project to undertake Maria Guagnin"Across the three areas, 62 rock art panels were recorded, containing 176 engravings," the researchers observed. “The rock art marks water sources and movement routes, possibly signifying territorial rights and intergenerational memory," said co-lead author Dr Ceri Shipton, from the Institute of Archaeology at University College London.