26 May 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

In Oman, a 4,000-year-old Early Bronze Age settlement was unearthed

A large settlement dating back more than 4,000 years has been discovered in Oman.

Archaeological excavations in the Wilayat of Rustaq, South Al Batinah Governorate, have revealed a large settlement, dating back to more than four thousand years ago, Oman News Agency (ONA) reported on Sunday.

The discovery was made during an archaeological excavation in a site known by the locals as Al-Tekha and located on the outskirts of the Al-Hajar Mountains on the western bank of Wadi Al-Ghashab, near the confluence of Wadi Al-Sahtan with Wadi Al-Ghashab.

The excavation was completed by the joint archaeological mission of the Department of Archeology at Sultan Qaboos University represented by Dr. Khaled Douglas and the Italian University of Pisa represented by Dr. Sara Pizzimenti.

The archaeological investigation revealed that the site was occupied for the first time during the Early Bronze Age in the third millennium BC, indicating one of the communities of the Umm an-Nar civilization, which saw significant and widespread prosperity in the Omani Peninsula.

The site spreads over a vast area of land of more than 70 hectares, which makes it one of the largest settlements of Umm an-Nar culture in the Omani Peninsula.

ONA wrote, a large number of domestic buildings of various sizes were found in its central area, in addition to several circular tombs that spread on the western side of the settlement, whose outer walls were elaborately built of white well-cut limestones.

It was also revealed that there are some huge circular towers in different areas of the settlement, some of which are more than forty meters in diameter, built of mud bricks walls based on huge stone foundations.

The presence of public buildings and huge towers indicates the importance of the cultural role played by the inhabitants of the settlement during the Early Bronze Age, which may have represented a major and important cultural center in the north of the Sultanate in general Al Batinah Plain region in particular.

The ceramic sherds and archaeological findings discovered by the expedition also suggest that the people of the settlement had strong trading contacts with neighboring civilizations such as the Indus Valley’s Harappa civilization and the Mesopotamian culture.

The ruins of copper furnaces discovered within the settlements suggest that the people’s subsistence economy was primarily reliant on copper production, smelting, and commerce. Copper mines from which copper was extracted have not yet been found, but the archaeological mission is seeking to search for it in the coming seasons.

The archaeological mission began its excavations at the site in early January 2022, as the first season of this mission at the site, with a plan to follow up the research and excavation work for many years in the future.

Cover Photo: The site spreads over a vast area of land of more than 70 hectares, which makes it one of the largest settlements of Umm an-Nar culture in the Omani Peninsula. Photo: ONA

Related Articles

Ancient Latin texts written on papyrus reveal new information about the Roman world

11 January 2023

11 January 2023

Researchers funded by the European Union have deciphered ancient Latin texts written on papyrus. This work could reveal a lot...

A rare Saint George seal was found during excavations near Suzdal

27 June 2023

27 June 2023

The archaeological survey of the Suzdal Opole, initiated by the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences more...

Archaeologists unearthed the ruins of an imposing stoa from the Greco-Roman era in Sicily

1 April 2024

1 April 2024

Archaeologists have unearthed the ruins of an imposing stoa from the Greco-Roman period in the small village of Tripi in...

First Major Iron Age Cemetery Discovered in the UAE: A 3,000-Year-Old Burial Site in Al Ain Region

22 April 2025

22 April 2025

A groundbreaking archaeological discovery has emerged from the Al Ain Region of the United Arab Emirates, revealing a 3,000-year-old necropolis...

A 4000-year-old Fabric Found in a Cave of Skulls in the Judean Desert is the Oldest Dyed with Insect Dye

15 July 2024

15 July 2024

Researchers discovered an ancient textile dyed with kermes (Kermes vermilio) in Israel’s Cave of Skulls that dates back to the...

A new study reveals, Anglo-Saxon Kings were generally vegetarian, but peasants treated them to huge meat feasts

22 April 2022

22 April 2022

Very few people in England ate large amounts of meat before the Vikings settled, and there is no evidence that...

1,000-Year-Old Mass Grave in Peru Shows Victims Bludgeoned with Star-Headed Maces

26 May 2025

26 May 2025

Archaeologists from the University of Wrocław have uncovered a 1,000-year-old mass grave at the El Curaca site in southern Peru,...

‘Astonishingly Preserved’ Ancient Roman Well Found in Cambridgeshire was An Engineering Failure

22 August 2024

22 August 2024

In an excavation at the site of future highway improvements in Cambridgeshire, the team from MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology)...

Britain’s first Roman funerary bed is discovered in central London after 2,000 years

7 February 2024

7 February 2024

Archaeologists excavating a construction site in London have unearthed the first Roman “flat-packed” funerary furniture – a fully intact Roman...

A New Late Ancient Necropolis Discovered on Hvar Island

10 June 2021

10 June 2021

The protective investigation in the garden of the Radoevi Palace in the town of Hvar on the Croatian island of...

Bronze Age women’s jewelry set discovered in Güttingen carrot field, Swiss

17 October 2023

17 October 2023

A set of Bronze Age women’s jewelry was discovered by archaeologists in Güttingen, Thurgau canton, northeastern Switzerland, in a freshly...

Stone Penis Found in Medieval Spanish ruins Had Violent Purpose

11 June 2023

11 June 2023

Archaeologists found a six-inch stone penis while excavating the Tower of Meira (Torre de Meira) in the city of Ría...

Archaeologists Unearth 2500-Year-Old Settlement in North Macedonia

10 April 2025

10 April 2025

Recent archaeological excavations at Gradishte, near the village of Crnobuki in North Macedonia, have unveiled a significant ancient settlement that...

In Lviv, Ukraine, a secret room where Jews were hiding in city sewers during the Nazi Holocaust has been unearthed

7 November 2021

7 November 2021

In the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, diggers have uncovered new hiding spots in underground sewers where some Jews managed...

Archaeologists have uncovered oldest Roman forum in Hispania, at the site of a named unknown city

3 September 2023

3 September 2023

Archaeologists have uncovered an ancient Roman forum from more than 2,000 years ago at the site of an unknown city...