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@PAKEP_KSA

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‘Prehistoric AlUla and Khaybar Excavation Project’ (PAKEP), conducting archaeological work in AlUla & Khaybar. Previously AAKSA Project. Supported by @RCU_SA .

Joined February 2021
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1 year
BIG NEWS! We are excited to announce our new project, the Prehistoric AlUla and Khaybar Excavation Project (PAKEP), run by the University of Sydney. This project utilises the existing data from the UWA AAKSA project, but asks new questions about #AlUla and #Khaybar . 1/14
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@PAKEP_KSA
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3 years
'The mustatils: cult and monumentality in Neolithic north-western Arabia' is out today. This work is part of the University of Western Australia's @UWAresearch work in #AlUla and #Khaybar as part of @RCU_SA archaeological program. Download here: Thread 1/
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11 months
There is a lot of spectacular archaeology in Saudi Arabia, even just over the border from our current research area. For example, over the last number of years our team has identified a number of amazing sites in the province of Ha’il. 1/8
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2 years
This spectacular tomb is part of a funerary avenue near Al Hait, in the province of Ha’il. It reminds us that these beautiful tombs are found across Saudi Arabia, often in long chains, which we call funerary avenues. 1/
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3 years
Our mustatil article should be out tomorrow. It will change how we view the Neolithic in Saudi Arabia- and perhaps the world! #StayTuned #AlUla #Khaybar
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4 months
As announced last week, our publication on ‘Standing Stone Circles’ (SSC) has been accepted for publication in Levant. So what are SSCs? Here is a quick guide. When we first identified them in 2018, we had no idea. Now we know these are domestic structures or simply, houses! 1/8
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3 years
Introducing the AAKSA Project! Based at the University of Western Australia ( @UWAresearch ), the project is part of the Royal Commission for AlUla’s ( @RCU_SA ) extensive archaeological surveys tasked to document the rich archaeological landscapes of #AlUla & #Khaybar , Saudi Arabia.
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2/ We have recorded over 1000 of these structures, covering an area of 200,000km². This is remarkable when we consider these Neolithic structures are 7000 years old! So, what is a mustatil?
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13/ We were fortunate that other colleagues at @oatweet and Wael Abu-Azizeh have also excavated mustatils (Publications forthcoming) which has helped us greatly with our research. See what they found in the documentary Architects of Ancient Arabia
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3 years
Through remote sensing, helicopter aerial photography, and ground survey, our project has identified well over 120,000 archaeological sites/structures in #AlUla & #Khaybar . This is a massive data set but it is just scratching the surface of #SaudiArabia . Archaeology is everywhere
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4 months
We are happy to announce that our first publication on the 'Standing Stone Circles' of #AlUla has been accepted for publication in the journal, Levant. It was led by Jane McMahon, who is doing her PhD on these amazing structures,some of which are almost 8000 years old.Stay tuned!
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New Paper Out! This paper, led by @jane_cmcmahon , is on the Standing Stone Circles, a form of Neolithic domestic structure found in #AlUla . Read for free: Since identifying these structures in 2018, we have excavated lots of them-here is what we found 1/10
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5 months
The @PAKEP_KSA team have made a fantastic discovery. Over the last several days, we have been excavating a late Neolithic/Chalcolithic Collective Burial! Dating to at least 6,000 years old, we have identified at least 11 individuals inside. Excavation is continuing. 1/3
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1 year
A question we are regularly asked is “How do you know mustatil are ritual structures?” Well our new paper is out! This paper explores our excavation results of a mustatil. The paper is #OpenAccess (free) and can be read here (). Read on for results 1/
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11 months
Everywhere we travel in #AlUla and #Khaybar , we find hearths (ancient fireplaces). Thousands of them! We excavate a number of them and sample the charcoal left inside to determine when it was last used and what was burnt inside. Some of our hearths are over 6,000 years old!
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3 years
Very happy to announce our new article is out-"Dating the pendant burials of north-west Arabia: First radiometric results from the Khaybar Oasis, Saudi Arabia" in Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy. Conducted by @UWAresearch and funded by @RCU_SA . Thread/1
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3 years
It isn't just rectangles (mustatil) we are interested in. #AlUla is also known for triangles, including this beautiful example. The triangles often point towards tombs, sometimes from great distances away. Research is ongoing as to their function and date.
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2 years
Sitting in an open helicopter taking photographs of archaeological sites may not appeal to everyone. But helicopter photography is one of the best ways to record large numbers of sites in one day. This was crucial in #AlUla & #Khaybar , where the archaeology is incredibly dense.
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5 months
This large 'pendant burial' (on the left) was one of the targets of excavation in #Khaybar . We managed to find some human remains inside, which we will radiocarbon date in a month or two. What date the remains come back as? Our evidence suggests this tomb is from 2500-2000 BCE!
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3 years
3/ Mustatil are complex monumental structures consisting of two thick ends (base and head) connected by 2 or more long walls to create a series of courtyards, that look like big rectangles (mustatil, in Arabic) from the air. Mustatils range in length from 20m to over 600m.
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In 2021, we published our 1st article about the funerary avenues of N/W Saudi Arabia- especially #Khaybar (read here for free ) We said that the avenues may be as early as c.2660 BCE. Well, they could be even earlier, as far back as 2870 BCE. Here's how 1/
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Sometimes we come across structures which we have never seen before. It is amazing just how much archaeology there is both in #AlUla and #SaudiArabia !
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2 years
One type of structure we haven’t been able to scientifically date yet is the Triangle. They are commonly found with tombs but were they built at the same time? Soon we will hopefully have answers 1/2
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Stay tuned! Coming tomorrow!
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1 year
We now have a second mustatil with a large orthostat stone in the centre of the main chamber. We interpret it as a 'betyl', a sacred stone that represents an unknown deity. We found a similar one at 0008222 (2nd pic). Read about it for free: #AlUla
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2 years
Scale can be hard to visualise when looking at archaeology, especially with big structures. Here is a #mustatil in #Khaybar which is 197m in length. Mind-boggling when you realise it was built c.7000 years ago. The c.4000 year old funerary pendant behind it is 89m #MustatilMonday
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2 years
One of the goals of this upcoming season is to try obtain scientific dating of the stone triangles that dot the landscape. They are associated with Bronze Age burials, but no one has directly dated them before. How will we do that? You’ll find out in a few weeks!
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3 years
Along funerary avenues we regularly find Bronze Age burial structures 'facing' each other. We still don't know why. Were the people buried in them related? The same tribe or group? Married? Unfortunately, we may never know. Here is a beautiful example from #Khaybar . #SaudiArabia
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2 years
The 'funerary avenues' of #Khaybar (and beyond) are one of the most phenomenal archaeological sites in the Middle East. Thousands of tombs flanking paths leading between oases and into rich pastures. These tombs are approximately 4,500 years old! 1/2
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2 years
Our new paper is out!!! ‘Kites of AlUla County and the Harrat Uwayrid, Saudi Arabia’ is #OpenAccess in Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy (AAE) and can be downloaded here: This paper was spearheaded by @BeccBanks . Here is a thread about the paper. 🧵1/13
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10 months
One of the big questions we hope to answer this season is about the segmented triangular tailed 'pendant' tombs (the picture shows one). We have multiple Bronze Age C14 dates for almost every other common tomb type- except for these. Our estimate is c.2500-2200 BCE. 1/2
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9 months
In 2018, we photographed two tombs in the east of #AlUla . The photos showed two different types of monumental Bronze age tombs, both extremely well preserved! Last week we had the opportunity to visit these. They are so far away that we had to camp, which was lovely! 1/4
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3 years
A few days ago we were able to survey these #Mustatil in #Khaybar ! We first photographed these beautiful structures in 2018 and this season we finally climbed the volcano and intensively surveyed them, including taking some wonderful drone photographs and video.
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2 months
We get asked a LOT about human bones and aDNA. We try to avoid posting human remains due to ethical concerns, but today we want to approach it scientifically. So here is a thread about bones/aDNA. Warning: next tweets will have images of partially preserved human remains. 1/
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3 years
Happy to announce that our paper on dating the funerary structures of NW Arabia, including these spectacular funerary avenues at #Khaybar , has been accepted for publication. We also just submitted another paper about our ongoing work with @RCU_SA . Watch this space! @UWAresearch
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15/ The fact that these structures are found over more than 200,000km² suggests these Neolithic peoples shared similar religious beliefs and had a shared building tradition.
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The density of funerary structures in northwest Saudi Arabia is truly staggering! Each one of these tombs likely represents the burial place of one or more individuals in the Bronze Age (Tombs date to c.2500 BCE onwards) and were reused for millennia. #Khaybar #AlUla
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12/ The horns are beautifully preserved and are comprised of a bone core and a keratin sheath. Keratin is what our nails are made of. What you see in this picture is the keratin. Now consider that this horn is over 7000 years old. The preservation is outstanding!
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3 years
There are many different types of stone structures in #KSA and it is easy to be confused by all the different shapes and what they were used for. In this thread, we will present the main types of structures our project has documented, the names we use, and some basic information.
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The walk up to this site was extremely difficult but was certainly worth it. We recorded this structure a few days ago in #AlUla . It used to be a ringed cairn and a triangle, but was later converted into this funerary pendant.
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4/ The base of the mustatils often have circular/semi-circular cells constructed outside the main entrance. These cells generally had large orthostat stones placed inside them. Where the stone wasn’t suitable for this, they stacked stones to create pillars.
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6 months
This little doorway is most likely 5000-7000 years old. When we talk about the remarkable preservation of archaeological remains in #AlUla , this is what we mean. It may look like a pile of stones to us... but this structure probably witnessed the lives of generations of families.
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3 years
Sometimes during a survey you come across spectacular things not related to archaeology. These marks in the rock are called Cruziana, they are preserved burrows of trilobites, creatures that lived between 500-250 MILLION YEARS AGO! These were found in #AlUla .
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2 years
The @aaksa_project is just one of many archaeological teams working in the region- sometimes we are lucky to fly over some of their excavations! Here is the site of Dadan in #AlUla , which is a must visit location for any visitor.
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#AlUla is home to a variety of complex funerary structures, such as these ‘pendants’. Resembling a piece of jewellery, these monuments have a burial structure, or ‘head’, & arrangements of long ‘tail’ structures. The AAKSA project has recorded thousands of these burial monuments.
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Sometimes you visit a site and it takes your breath away. This photograph was taken in early 2019, a few days after it rained. Hadiyah.
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7/ The long walls of the mustatils are relatively low, often only a few courses high. It is very easy to step over them - so we can tell they were not designed as animal pens or to collect water. They were built to define a space.
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Have been in #Khaybar for the last week, performing ground survey at a number of important sites. Khaybar really is an archaeological paradise.
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3 years
Here is @MryamAa and @janecmcmahon excavating a mustatil. This is Maryam's first excavation but she is doing phenomenally. We are very excited to play a small part in supporting Saudi Arabia's up and coming generation of female archaeologists.
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4 months
One of the more unusual structures in northwest Saudi are these. We call them I-type structures (because they look like a serifed I). We have published about I-types 3 times and more are coming (i.e ) but what do we actually know about them? A thread 1/6
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11 months
The archaeology of Ha'il, and indeed all of Saudi Arabia is truly phenomenal! There are discoveries out there that will change how we view history, not just in this region, but the entire world. We can’t wait to see it! 8/8
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5/ We also often find unusual I-shaped structures near mustatils. At present, we are unsure of what these features were used for.
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8/ Most mustatils only have two or three long walls, which creates one or two courtyards. Although, some have up to four courtyards. Here is a mustatil with three.
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We are delighted to announce that we have been awarded a grant from the @AustArabCouncil , supported by @dfat for a project ‘Climate, Environmental Change & Human Adaption in Ancient Arabia’. This will support our research with @RCU_SA & @livingmuseum . So, what will this do? /1
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1 year
Did you know that in antiquity lions roamed around AlUla? Here you can see an old rock art panel of a bull being attacked by a lion. This is located a few hundred meters away from a Mustatil- which regularly have cattle horns inside.
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6/ You’d likely enter a mustatil through an entrance in the base, leading into the courtyard. These were generally very small, only 30-50cm in width. Certainly, access was single file and no large animals would have been able to fit through.
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For #MustatilMonday , here is an image of the largest mustatil identified so far. It measures a total of 615m (see the Landcruiser for scale)! Located on the edge of the Nefud in a large group of mustatil. Can you see the base and the head? No? check out the next tweet! 1/3
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2 years
One thing we hope to explore further is the ritual deposits placed inside mustatil, such as this stunning 7000 year old cattle horn. Our paper on this excavation is currently under review, but we hope it will be out soon. #AlUla #Khaybar #Mustatil @RCU_SA
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3 years
Our new paper is out! “The Middle Holocene ‘funerary avenues’ of north-west Arabia” is #OpenAccess in @HoloceneJ and can be downloaded here: . So what did we uncover about the funerary avenues of #Khaybar ? Read on to find out. Thread 1/13
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4,500 years ago, a family walked to the top of this mountain in #AlUla and built a 'pendant tomb' for their loved one. They chose a stunning spot to honour their relative!
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In 2019, we photographed this unusual platform, located 1km away from a mustatil in #AlUla . We wondered if they were connected. In reality- we have no clue what it is or how old it may be. Our new season starts in 2 weeks and this is just one of the targets we hope to excavate!
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This grouping of ‘Pendant burials’ date to around 2500-2200 BCE. However, excavation revealed that all was not what it seems. They make a special appearance in our talk later this afternoon at the @IASArabia seminar! 2:50pm in Auditorium 1 to hear about our preliminary results!
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10/ At the head of the mustatil, you would find a chamber. This was the focus of the structure. In the mustatil we excavated we uncovered large upright stones (betyls) inside the chamber, perhaps stone representations of god(s).
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For #MustatilMonday , here is a stunning example in #AlUla . Our project has excavated 5 mustatil so far! Our first paper on the excavations we have conducted is currently under review. As for this beautiful structure, it is on our list for future study. How good is the entrance!
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The beautiful Jabal Abyad or White Volcano! It really is a natural wonder. We have surveyed several sites in the vicinity of the volcano and will be visiting more in upcoming seasons.
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The long walls of our #Mustatil are slowly being exposed!! The head, where the ritual offerings were placed, is up against the rock wall, where the white mark can be seen.
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This season we were able to excavate this unique funerary structure. The central burial is surrounded by walls radiating out from the cist. Like a child's drawing of the sun ☀️. We have only ever documented 2-3 like this. #AlUla really is the home of unusual burial structures.
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We were fortunate that in 2018 we were able to fly over parts of Ha’il as part of the AAKSA project. The landscape and the archaeology is truly breathtaking. 3/8
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There are only a few hundred sites that have been documented in Ha’il. But we believe there could be up to 100,000! How do we know that? We have experience. These are the sites we identified in AlUla and Khaybar, which is right next door! 2/8
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A well timed aerial photograph from one of the wonderful photographers here at the @aaksa_project
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Sometimes when we come back from a site, we come across stunning rock art panels. #AlUla is covered in beautiful rock art. We record them (just to be safe) and then check if it has been documented by other @RCU_SA archaeology teams!
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For #FieldworkFriday , we celebrate this fantastic group of women (along with some great workmen) who have spent the better part of two weeks excavating a Neolithic mustatil and making some great discoveries. #womeninarchaeology
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14/ We have estimated that one mustatil we surveyed(pictured) was constructed from about 12,000 tonnes of stone, that suggests that communities may have come together to construct these impressive structures. This mustatil is 525m long.
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@PAKEP_KSA
1 year
This year we presented on the Bronze Age tombs of #AlUla and #Khaybar , the stone clearance mounds, and even a poster on the faunal remains of a mustatil. Happy to be doing our part to reveal the wonders of Saudi Arabian Archaeology at @IASArabia ! @RCU_SA @livingmuseum
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@PAKEP_KSA
PAKEP
@PAKEP_KSA
2 months
For #FieldworkFriday , here is the base of a Mustatil in #AlUla we excavated in Nov 2021. Covered in deep sand, it took a number of us several days to uncover it. The structure emerging from the sand is c.7200 years old. Note the standing orthostat stones in the centre-left. 1/2
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@PAKEP_KSA
PAKEP
@PAKEP_KSA
1 year
This Bronze Age Pendant tomb is one of the targets we are excavating this season. It sits on the edge of a major wadi system and dominates the landscape. The people who built it clearly wanted it to be seen.
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@PAKEP_KSA
PAKEP
@PAKEP_KSA
11 months
In Al Ha’it we have identified 3,292 funerary pendants, 390 ringed cairns/towers and a further 3403 burial structures. That is 7086 burial structures in an area of just 300 square kilometres. 6/8
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@PAKEP_KSA
PAKEP
@PAKEP_KSA
3 years
18/ The mustatil are truly impressive. We need to thank RCU for their support. We are just one team of many who are part of @RCU_SA archaeological work in the region. Check out the pioneering archaeological institute they just announced.
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Research in north-west Arabia uncovers one of world's oldest series of monumental structures as...

The Kingdoms Institute – AlUla's global hub for archaeological and conservation research announced earlier this month – is providing the platform for...

www.prnewswire.com
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@PAKEP_KSA
PAKEP
@PAKEP_KSA
3 years
The AAKSA project will be travelling to #SaudiArabia in a few days. Our primary task this season is to perform aerial photography over #Khaybar & #AlUla . This allows us to rapidly survey hundreds of archaeological sites per day.
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@PAKEP_KSA
PAKEP
@PAKEP_KSA
2 years
Pre-Excavation and Post-Excavation! This fascinating #mustatil was one of the main targets for this season and it did not disappoint. We have now excavated 5 mustatil in #AlUla and hope to have the first results submitted for publication shortly. #staytuned
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@PAKEP_KSA
PAKEP
@PAKEP_KSA
2 years
A Neolithic or Bronze Age(?) camp site that looks just like Mickey Mouse! @Disney
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@PAKEP_KSA
PAKEP
@PAKEP_KSA
3 years
9/ Ground survey of dozens of mustatils has shown they generally do not have any artefacts inside or around the structure. We have only found the odd artefact, such as this beautiful obsidian tool.
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@PAKEP_KSA
PAKEP
@PAKEP_KSA
1 year
Early morning fieldwork in #AlUla . Currently excavating a relatively simple #Mustatil . Note the proximity to the dried lakebed in the background. Our project has found a close relationship between Mustatil and water. Read about it for free here:
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@PAKEP_KSA
PAKEP
@PAKEP_KSA
2 years
On the 13th of March 2018, the @aaksa_project aerial photography team flew past this ringed cairn perched high on top of a rocky outcrop in the east of #AlUla . Little did we realise just how important this one photograph would be. Thread 1/11
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@PAKEP_KSA
PAKEP
@PAKEP_KSA
7 months
It may not look like it, but in this image is over 7000 years of Saudi Arabian history, starting with that circular structure on the right. Those are what we affectionately call 'Standing Stone Circles'. What are they? Neolithic houses dating back to almost 6000 BCE!
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@PAKEP_KSA
PAKEP
@PAKEP_KSA
6 months
We have over 100 C14 dates of tombs in #AlUla & #Khaybar . Many of the dates are from the Bronze Age, the others being later reuse. We can see when tombs of the same type have the 'same' date. This allows us to theorise their development. The only tombs we can't date are these 1/3
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@PAKEP_KSA
PAKEP
@PAKEP_KSA
1 year
PAKEP will explore the mustatil in even greater detail than before, including these two beautiful examples in #AlUla . We have data from 6 mustatil now. That may seem like a lot- except we have now identified over 1600 mustatil across KSA. Remember, they are c.7000 years old.
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@PAKEP_KSA
PAKEP
@PAKEP_KSA
5 months
This amazing selection of #mustatil is one of the most spectacular groups of structures in the region of #Khaybar . Each one is between 6000-7000 years old! Keep your eyes peeled for more information about these amazing structures- we hope to publish them in a few months.
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@PAKEP_KSA
PAKEP
@PAKEP_KSA
2 years
The light grey stones you can see @Meluhha_K pointing at is the surface of a c.7500 year old domestic structure in #AlUla ! Imagine the stories the inhabitants told each other whilst sitting on that floor. Who are the people who lived there? That is something we hope to find out.
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@PAKEP_KSA
PAKEP
@PAKEP_KSA
3 years
In this image is 5000 years of history! You may be able to spot 3 mustatil, 7000 year old ritual structures. Around them are numerous tombs including the stunning ringed cairn at the bottom of the image-which dates to about 2000 BCE but was reused 4 times until about 50CE. #AlUla
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@PAKEP_KSA
PAKEP
@PAKEP_KSA
3 years
For #FieldworkFriday , here is Jane McMahon recording a pendant burial east of #AlUla . The preservation of these structures is truly amazing considering some are more than 4000 years old.
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@PAKEP_KSA
PAKEP
@PAKEP_KSA
2 years
This Bronze Age pendant burial(c.2500-2000 BCE) is one of my favourites. When making it they grabbed whatever rocks were closest, leaving a halo of clean space surrounding the structure. Possibly two phases of use in the B.A due to two different types of triangles in tail?
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@PAKEP_KSA
PAKEP
@PAKEP_KSA
10 months
The @PAKEP_KSA team is packing their bags! Our next season starts in 11 days. This season we have some massive things planned. Including hunting for the origins of the #Mustatil ; excavating Neolithic camps; and exploring the early Bronze Age monumental tombs. Stay tuned! 👀👀
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@PAKEP_KSA
PAKEP
@PAKEP_KSA
10 months
This is a Hyrax. As part of PAKEP, we want to look at the homes of Hyrax- as they protect environmental data. If you are in #AlUla or #Khaybar and know spots where Hyrax are commonly seen (Their homes look like the second picture but can be bigger/smaller) Please let us know!!
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@PAKEP_KSA
PAKEP
@PAKEP_KSA
2 years
This is what we refer to as an 'I' type structure. We regularly find them associated with mustatil, often built next to them. They appear to date to the same period (c.7000 years ago), but as of yet, we have no clue why they were built and what they were used for. Any ideas?
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@PAKEP_KSA
PAKEP
@PAKEP_KSA
2 years
One of the questions we always ask- why this spot? Here you can see a large Bronze Age funerary pendant which looks like it is in the middle of nowhere. But 4,500 years ago- this spot must have held some importance to the people who made this tomb. Our job is to try work out why.
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@PAKEP_KSA
PAKEP
@PAKEP_KSA
1 year
We are proud to be working in #AlUla & #Khaybar with a diverse network of talented women from Australia, Saudi Arabia and beyond. #InternationalWomensDay 1/2
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@PAKEP_KSA
PAKEP
@PAKEP_KSA
11 months
There is also a lot of archaeology in the region that appears to be unique! We have never seen this type of horseshoe structure before. Remember, we had no idea what mustatil were until 2018/2019 when they were excavated. So this could also be something truly spectacular. 7/8
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@PAKEP_KSA
PAKEP
@PAKEP_KSA
3 years
The AAKSA project has recorded hundreds of ancient hunting traps, known as 'Desert Kites'. Here are two amazing examples from the Harrat Khaybar, which has some of the best examples of these monumental structures. #Khaybar #AlUla
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