### Discovery of 4,400-Year-Old Town Sheds Light on Slow Urbanization in Ancient Saudi Arabia

A newly uncovered ancient town in Khaybar Oasis, Saudi Arabia, dating back 4,400 years, suggests that Bronze Age inhabitants of the region urbanized at a slower pace compared to their contemporaries in Egypt and Mesopotamia, according to recent research. Named "al-Natah" and found close to the city of Al-'Ula in the Hejaz region, the settlement provides crucial insights into the development of urbanism on the Arabian Peninsula.

Covering approximately 3.7 acres (1.5 hectares), al-Natah included a central district and a nearby residential area encircle by protective ramparts. The site, first populated around 2400 B.C., was home to roughly 500 residents, as detailed in a study recently published in the journal PLOS One. The residential district yielded a large amount of pottery, grinding stones, and remains of at least 50 earthen dwellings. The central area featured two potential administrative buildings and a necropolis with notable "stepped tower tombs."

No evidence of writing has been discovered at the site, noted study lead author Guillaume Charloux, an archaeologist from the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). Instead, the team focused on material culture and agricultural remains, postulating that the residents of al-Natah cultivated crops nearby. The settlement was protected by a 9-mile-long (14.5 kilometers) wall, a defense mechanism against nomadic raids.

Al-Natah was abandoned between 1500 and 1300 B.C. The exact reasons for its desertion remain unknown, as Charloux acknowledged the scarcity of clues regarding the town's final phase of occupation. During al-Natah's habitation, neighboring regions like Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the eastern Mediterranean were bustling with urban activity. In contrast, urbanization in the Arabian Peninsula seemed to progress more gradually.

The study depicts northern Arabian settlements in a "transitional stage of urbanization" during the third to second millennium B.C., bridging the gap between nomadic pastoralism and established urban centers. While Egypt and Mesopotamia saw urbanization begin in the 4th millennium B.C., evidence suggests that north-western Arabia only started to see similar development in the latter half of the 3rd millennium B.C.

Other experts in the field have lauded the findings. Juan Manuel Tebes, director of the Center of Studies of Ancient Near Eastern History at the Catholic University of Argentina, emphasized the study's significance, aligning it with ongoing archaeological endeavors in the region. He pointed out the contributions of parallel projects, such as Saudi-German and Saudi-Austrian expeditions, which have also expanded our understanding of the area's historical complexity.

Robert Andrew Carter from Qatar Museums further praised the research for its role in deepening the theoretical comprehension of Bronze Age urbanism in the Hejaz area. By providing primary data, the study marks an important step forward in uncovering the early stages of urbanization in ancient Saudi Arabia.