Archaeologists are helping us reimagine life in ancient Saudi Arabia. With ‘packable’ housing, diverse diets and evidence of trade, these communities were more complex than we once thought.
To date, little has been known about people living in north-western Saudi Arabia during the Neolithic – the period traditionally defined by the shift to humans controlling food production and settling into communities with agriculture and domesticated animals.
The project Over the past five years, our team of researchers has studied 431 standing stone circles in the AlUla and Khaybar regions of north-west Saudi Arabia, as part of an ongoing project sponsored by the Royal Commission for AlUla. Of the 431 structures, 52 have been surveyed in detail and 11 excavated.
We theorise the space created between the two rows of stone acted as a foundation for timber posts wedged between the rows to support the dwelling’s roof. Another slab in the centre supported a central timber post lashed to it. This means they could respond to changes in their environment with flexibility – giving them resilience at a time when climate change would have been affecting the availability of water and vegetation.
They left behind materials collected from near and far. While the local basalt was sufficient for everyday tools, the best materials made from chert were brought up to the Harrat Uwayrid to make fine arrowheads, drills and scrapers.
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