28 August 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Saudi Archaeologists have discovered a pre-Islamic Musnad inscription and a bronze bullhead

Saudi archaeologists have discovered the longest pre-Islamic Musnad inscription -of the ancient south Arabian script- and three gold rings and a bronze bull’s head at the Al Ukhdud excavation site in the Najran region.

The Kingdom’s Heritage Commission announced on its official Twitter account that archaeologists have unearthed pre-Islamic artifacts in a region in southern Saudi Arabia.

The commission stated that the discoveries “shed a unique light on the ancient culture” that was present in southern Saudi Arabia. The commission called the discovery “exciting” and the finds “rare”.

Photo: MOC HERİTAGE

The longest Musnad inscription ever discovered at the location is prominent among the artifacts and measures roughly 230 cm in width and 48 cm in height, according to a statement from the commission.

The artifact belonged to a local named Wahib Eil bin Magan, and the inscription provided a unique description of his job as a water carrier.

Inscribed bronze plaques affixed (Musnad) to the wall of a temple were referred to as ms 3 nd in the first couple of centuries AD in Sabaean and Atabanian inscriptions; by the 5th-6th centuries AD, it had come to refer to inscriptions engraved directly on a rock face. Musnad was a term used in early Islamic times to describe any inscription in the pre-Islamic South Arabian alphabet, the earliest examples of which date back to the first half of the first millennium BC.

According to the statement, also located in the field the three similarly sized rings discovered at the site are each topped with a golden butterfly-shaped lobe and have a small lock connecting their two ends.

Concerning the bull’s head, the commission stated that it was a common feature among the pre-Islamic kingdoms of southern Arabia.

The bull-head represented different rituals in ancient cultures including power, fertility, reproduction, great gods, the symbol of divinity, symbol of wisdom. Also, the unearthed bull’s head, unearthed at Al Ukhdud with traces of oxidation, is being restored, the commission said.

Photo: MOC HERİTAGE

Other pieces found at the site include several pottery jars of various sizes and measurements as well as a pottery pot believed to date back to the third century BC.

Cover Photo: MOC HERİTAGE

Related Articles

A rare statue of K’awiil, Mayan god of Lighting have uncovered in Mexico

1 May 2023

1 May 2023

In southeastern Mexico, archaeologists uncovered a rare sculpture of a powerful Mayan god near the path of a large-scale rail...

Ancient settlements that challenge traditional thinking “Karahantepe and Taş Tepeler”

5 December 2021

5 December 2021

After Göbeklitepe in Şanlıurfa, which sheds light on 12,000 years ago in human history and is considered one of the...

Women with Sart Renovate Largest Synagogue of Ancient World

4 August 2023

4 August 2023

Village women take part in the renovation works of the largest synagogue in the ancient world, located in the ancient...

Rare Roman Soldier’s Sun Hat Rediscovered After More Than a Century

12 August 2025

12 August 2025

Bolton Museum has unveiled a rare and fascinating artifact—a Roman sun hat worn by a soldier in Ancient Egypt nearly...

Rare gladiator tombs were discovered in the Ancient City of Anavarza in southern Türkiye

10 August 2022

10 August 2022

Archaeologists have discovered rare gladiator tombs in the ancient city of Anavarza, known as the “Invincible city” in history, which...

Ancient rituals recorded on 2,000-year-old bamboo slips deciphered

18 December 2023

18 December 2023

Scholars of China’s Tsinghua University have deciphered five documents recorded on bamboo slips dating back to the Warring States period...

A Rare Find That Stuns Archaeologists: Ancient 3,500-Year-Old Dagger Found in Germany’s Heartland

22 August 2025

22 August 2025

A simple family walk near the village of Gudersleben in Nordhausen County, in Thuringia, central Germany, has turned into a...

Builders of Massive 6000-year-old Menga Dolmen Likely Understood Geometry and other “Early Science” Concepts

25 August 2024

25 August 2024

Researchers say that a new analysis of the 6000-year-old stone Menga (also known as the Dolmen of Menga), supported by...

High-status Macedonian tomb discovered in ancient Aegae, Central Macedonia

2 April 2024

2 April 2024

In the ancient city of Aegae (present-day Vergina) in Imathia, Central Macedonia, during the construction of the sewerage network, tomb...

3,000-year-old Bronze Age Hoard Discovered During House Building Project in Scotland

31 July 2024

31 July 2024

Recent laboratory investigations of the Rosemarkie find, unearthed during the Black Isle housing development at Greenside in Rosemarkie, Highland Scotland,...

Unique Scythian glass pendants found in the Poltava region of Ukraine

8 October 2021

8 October 2021

Archaeologists have unearthed unique amphora-shaped pendants near the town of Kotelva in the Poltava oblast of central Ukraine. A team...

1400-Year-Old Folding Chair Found in a Woman’s Grave in Germany

30 August 2022

30 August 2022

In Steinsfeld, in the German state of Ansbach, archaeologists have unearthed a 1,400-year-old folding chair from an early medieval woman’s...

3600 years old Unique ancient drinking bowls on display at Boğazkale Museum

15 August 2021

15 August 2021

The 3,600-year-old fist-shaped drinking bowls found in excavations in Hattusa, the capital of the Hittite Civilization, which shaped the Anatolian...

Young Metal Detectorist Discovers Huge Viking Treasure Hoard in Denmark

23 April 2023

23 April 2023

A group of hobby metal detectorists has discovered two Viking treasures buried a few meters apart near the ruins of...

Significant Archaeological Discovery on Failaka Island: Hellenistic Courtyard and Building Unearthed

17 February 2025

17 February 2025

The National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL) has announced a remarkable archaeological find on Failaka Island, revealing a...