- Challenges traditional view of transition from
nomadic pastoralism to nascent urbanism
ALULA, Saudi Arabia, Nov. 2, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- New archaeological research has revealed an
exceptional Bronze Age town in the Khaybar oasis of northwest
Arabia, confirming a major transition from mobile, nomadic life to
settled, town life in the second half of the third millennium
BCE.
The finding infers that oases such as Khaybar were carefully
controlled and valued landscapes that, with the advent of
agriculture, supported permanent populations as centres for
exchange and interaction with mobile communities. This nascent
urbanism profoundly impacted the region's socio-economic
organisation.
Known as al-Natah, the newly discovered town provides evidence
for differentiated functional areas – residential and funerary –
within fortifications. Al-Natah was built around 2400-2000 BCE and
endured until 1500-1300 BCE. Home to some 500 people across 2.6
hectares, it was protected by a stone rampart that encircled the
Khaybar oasis.
People in al-Natah lived in dwellings with the ground floor
possibly used for storage, with living spaces above. They walked
along narrow streets and buried their dead in stepped tower tombs.
They prepared food with mortar and pestle, made and traded pottery,
and travelled extensively. They worked metals, grew cereals, and
raised animals.
His Highness Prince Badr bin Abdullah
bin Mohammed bin Farhan Al Saud, Governor of the Royal
Commission for AlUla and Minister of Culture for Saudi Arabia, stated: "This important
archaeological discovery highlights the Kingdom's global
significance in the field of archaeology and confirms the depth of
civilisation that the land holds. This discovery reinforces the
Kingdom's efforts in protecting cultural and historical heritage
and emphasises the importance of exchanging knowledge and expertise
with the world to enhance awareness of our shared human
heritage."
His Highness added, "This discovery confirms the
Kingdom's commitment to preserving the world's heritage and
promoting cultural heritage in accordance with the provisions of
Saudi Vision 2030. It also highlights the importance of
strengthening international partnerships to present this rich
legacy to future generations and the world."
The discovery was led by Dr Guillaume
Charloux of the Khaybar Longue Durée Archaeological Project
and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), and
includes Saudis from the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), Dr
Munirah Almushawh, a co-director of
the project, and Saifi Alshilali, a historian and a member of the
local community in Khaybar.
The research was sponsored by the RCU and the French Agency for
the Development of AlUla (AFALULA). RCU's Archaeology, Collections
and Conservation team is directing an ambitious archaeological
research programme in AlUla.
The discovery furthers the emergence of AlUla and Saudi Arabia as global centres for
archaeological research and intercultural dialogue. By
commissioning and championing revelatory research on past human
activity, RCU is demonstrating its archaeological leadership and
responsible custodianship of cultural heritage.
Published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One, the research
challenges the picture of mobile pastoral-nomadism as the dominant
economic and social way of life of northwest Arabia in the Early
and Middle Bronze Ages.
Dr Charloux, stated: "Our discovery challenges the
model of northwest Arabia in the Bronze Age. Al-Natah confirms that
rural urbanism arose earlier than believed, making it possible to
consider the complexity of a sedentary settlement in a walled
Bronze Age oasis."
During the coming autumn fieldwork season, RCU is supporting 10
archaeological projects comprising more than 100 archaeologists and
associated specialists in AlUla County and Khaybar.
The article can be found here:
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0309963
For an image gallery and captions, including a rendering of what
al-Natah might have looked like, visit:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_Jbw6gbmTHGG27DGtdyMcVwxc-M8y_k4
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https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2546742/RCU_Fig_14.jpg
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