Archaeologists have uncovered a vast fortified structure around a desert oasis in northwestern Arabia that dates back some 4,000 years.
Research published in Journal of Archaeological Science: Report It turns out that the oasis of Khyber in Saudi Arabia was completely walled in pre-Islamic times. A rampart is a type of fortification that usually consists of a bank or wall of a certain length.
This oasis is one of the natural wonders of northwestern Saudi Arabia, supporting a wealth of native plant and animal life. It is a source of fresh water and has been a place of human activity since ancient times.
Scientists from France’s National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the Royal Commission for AlUla combined field surveys and remote sensing data with architectural research to find that the ramparts were originally about nine miles long, but have now grown to about half that length. It became clear that this was not enough. Saved today.
Scientists also estimate that the walls were about 5 to 8 feet thick and about 16 feet tall. This vast fortress encompassed an area of approximately 1,100 hectares (2,718 acres).
This fortified structure had never been discovered before, as the local desert landscape had been significantly reshaped over time. (A remarkable fortress built much later in the Middle Ages is clearly visible within the area of the oasis.)
Researchers estimate that the walls date back to the Bronze Age, between 2250 BC and 1950 BC.
The Khyber ruins have similarities to other walled oases dating back to the Bronze Age recorded in the region. Evidence shows that the oases of the northern Arabian desert were inhabited by sedentary peoples between 4000 BC and 3000 BC.
The latest discoveries shed new light on human occupation of the region and provide new information about the complexity of pre-Islamic societies.
The oasis of Khyber clearly belonged to a network of walled oases in northwestern Arabia, but the discovery of the wall raises questions about why it was built and the nature of the inhabitants who built the fortress. I am.
“The purpose was probably primarily conservation, designed to demarcate agricultural areas and sedentary populations,” said study author Guillaume Charroux, a CNRS researcher. newsweek. “Defense was not carried out by military forces, but passive defense.”
Last year, archaeologists discovered a giant hatchet in northwestern Saudi Arabia that is thought to be more than 200,000 years old. An international team of researchers discovered prehistoric stone artifacts during an archaeological survey in the desert region known as the Kullu Plain.
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