The archaeological site of Oued Beht was first uncovered by French colonists in the 1930s but remained largely ignored for nearly 90 years. Moroccan archaeologist Youssef Bokbot had a persistent intuition that the site held significant archaeological potential. Acting on this hunch, Bokbot initiated a collaborative excavation effort with other experts, leading to the remarkable discoveries now making headlines.
The research findings were published on July 31 in the journal Antiquity. The site has yielded an "insane quantity of pottery shards and polished axes," according to Giulio Lucarini, an archaeologist at the Institute of Heritage Sciences at the National Research Council of Italy.
Dating the Ancient Society
By employing radiocarbon dating techniques on charcoal and seed samples found during the excavation, researchers have dated the site to approximately 3400 to 2900 B.C. This period corresponds to the late Neolithic era, a time when farming societies were emerging across various parts of the world. The diversity of artifacts suggests that the groups inhabiting the site had a variety of genetic backgrounds. A 2023 study co-authored by Bokbot indicates that traditional pastoralists from the Sahara, as well as people from the Iberian Peninsula and the Middle East, likely settled in this area.
"You really have Indigenous influxes all meeting in what we now realize is a melting pot," noted Cyprian Broodbank, an archaeologist at the University of Cambridge.
Agricultural Practices and Trade
The inhabitants of this ancient society were primarily farmers, cultivating barley, wheat, peas, olives, and pistachios on the arid land. Evidence of seeds found in large constructed pits supports this agricultural activity. Additionally, the team unearthed remains of domesticated animals such as sheep, goats, pigs, and cattle, indicating a mixed farming economy.
The abundance of pottery and stone ax heads suggests that these Neolithic groups were not only self-sufficient but also engaged in trade with other contemporary societies, including those in the Iberian Peninsula and possibly Egypt and Mesopotamia. This is corroborated by previous findings of ivory and ostrich eggs in Europe, which now have a potential source in North Africa.
Challenging Prevailing Assumptions
Prior to this discovery, archaeologists largely believed that North Africa, much like sub-Saharan Africa at the time, was predominantly inhabited by hunter-gatherers and pastoralists. These nomadic groups followed the migration patterns of grazing lands for their livestock. The discovery at Oued Beht challenges this notion, revealing a stationary, farming-based society that flourished in the region.
"[Before this discovery] there was nothing to say [about farming in] North Africa outside the Nile Valley," Lucarini stated.
Broodbank added, "What we're doing here is not plonking down a [single farming society] into a pastoral world. We're actually showing that this part of the world has gone fully Neolithic, that this is part of the big world of farming. We've just found the tip of the iceberg."
Implications for Future Research
The discovery at Oued Beht opens up new avenues for archaeological research in North Africa. It challenges existing paradigms and encourages scholars to re-evaluate the region's role in early human history. The findings suggest that North Africa was more integrated into the broader Neolithic world than previously thought, participating in extensive trade networks and adopting advanced agricultural practices.
Future excavations and studies are likely to uncover more about the daily lives, social structures, and economic practices of this ancient society. Researchers are particularly interested in exploring the genetic diversity of the population, which could provide further insights into migration patterns and cultural exchanges in the ancient Mediterranean world.
The unearthing of a 5,000-year-old farming society in Morocco is a landmark discovery that reshapes our understanding of early North African civilizations. The site at Oued Beht offers a glimpse into a complex, agriculturally-based society that was deeply interconnected with other ancient cultures across the Mediterranean. As researchers continue to explore this site and others like it, we can look forward to a more nuanced and comprehensive understanding of humanity's shared past.
