4,000-year-old ancient city discovered in oasis of Saudi Arabia

This discovery reveals important insights into social complexity.

Archaeologists have discovered the remains of a 4,000-year-old fortified city in a beautiful oasis in northwestern Saudi Arabia. This important discovery shows how ancient peoples transitioned from a nomadic to an urban lifestyle. The site, called Al Nata, was long hidden within the walled oasis of Khaybara, a lush region surrounded by dry desert.

French archaeologist Guillaume Charloux and his team led the discovery, which includes an amazing wall 14.5 kilometers long. The results were published earlier this year. According to a recent study published in the journal, these ancient barriers were built around a residential area, providing tangible evidence of organized living. PLOS One.

The city is believed to have been built around 2400 BC, during the Early Bronze Age. It is thought to have housed up to 500 inhabitants, highlighting its importance in the historical landscape of the region. This discovery not only expands our understanding of the social and architectural developments of the time, but also highlights the decisive shift towards urbanization in this part of the Arabian Peninsula.

According to study authors“Preliminary archaeological surveys and soundings have revealed a 2.6 hectare fortified city built around 2400-2000 BC and lasting until at least 1500 BC and possibly 1300 BC, but with possible interruptions , functionally divided into a residential area, a likely decision-making zone. and necropolis.”

The emerging dwellings were built according to a standard plan and connected by small streets. Compared to neighboring oasis centers, researchers suggest that Bronze Age Northwest Arabia, largely dominated by pastoral nomadic groups and already integrated into long-distance trade networks, was dotted with interconnected monumental walled oases centered around small fortified cities .

And in comparison with the modern situation in the Southern Levant, we also believe that the archaeological evidence suggests a “low urbanization” (or “slow urbanization”) characteristic of Northern Arabia, indicating weak but increasing social complexity throughout the Early and Middle Bronze Age century

The study highlights the process of “slow urbanism” during the transition from nomadic to sedentary life, with fortified oases such as an-Nata facilitating exchanges between nomadic pastoralists. Although smaller than Mesopotamian or Egyptian cities, this unique path of urbanization in northwest Arabia was more gradual and region-specific.