We investigated the rock art (petroglyphs) in the Al-Quwaiyah Governorate (Saudi Arabia) with focus on the Musayqira site. Iconographic analysis showed a broad variety of human depictions, game animals (ibex, ass, ostrich, lion, etc.), domestic animals (cattle, camel, horse, dog, etc.), inscriptions and abstract symbols. Archaeometric measurements by pXRF provided the areal densities of Mn on petroglyphs and intact rock varnish. Varnish accumulation rates were derived from Mn density measurements on inscriptions of known approximate age. Applying these rates to varnish densities on the petroglyphs yielded age estimates. Some of the rock art was incised in fracture fill rather than true varnish, complicating the interpretation of the data. The combination of iconographic and archaeometric data indicated multiple phases of rock art creation, corresponding to the Late Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, and Islamic Period, with different artistic traditions, reflecting changing socioeconomic and ecological conditions.

中文翻译：

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沙特阿拉伯中部 Al-Quwaiyah 省 Musayqira 岩石艺术的图像学和考古学研究

我们调查了 Al-Quwaiyah 省（沙特阿拉伯）的岩画（岩画），重点是 Musayqira 遗址。图像分析显示了各种各样的人类描绘、游戏动物（野山羊、驴、鸵鸟、狮子等）、家畜（牛、骆驼、马、狗等）、铭文和抽象符号。pXRF 的考古测量提供了岩画和完整岩石清漆上 Mn 的面密度。清漆积累率是从已知大致年龄的铭文上的锰密度测量得出的。将这些比率应用于岩画上的清漆密度可以得出年龄估计值。一些岩石艺术是在裂缝填充而不是真正的清漆中切割的，这使数据的解释变得复杂。图像和考古数据的结合表明了岩石艺术创作的多个阶段，