RIYADH, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Saudi Heritage Commission announced Thursday the discovery of the oldest known Neolithic urban settlement in the Arabian Peninsula, located at the "Musaywin" site in the northwest Tabuk region.
The settlement, dating back to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period, specifically some 11,000-10,300 years ago, is an early cultural center of Tabuk, the commission said in a statement.
The findings, published in the Asian Journal of Paleopathology, are the result of joint survey and excavation work launched in December 2022 with Japan's Kanazawa University, as well as collaboration with Neom, an arcology and planned city being built in Tabuk, read the statement.
According to the statement, key discoveries at the settlement included stone-built residential structures, a collection of trimmed stones, stone mills used for grinding plants and grains, ornaments crafted from shells, sea snails and gemstones, remains of raw materials used to produce everyday tools and jewelry, as well as human and animal remains that helped determine the settlement's age.
The "Musaywin" site has been listed in the National Antiquities Register, a digital database managed by the commission to document and preserve the country's archaeological and historical sites, since 1978. ■
