Several thousand years before the pyramids rose over ancient Egypt, people living on the Arabian Peninsula constructed a different kind of marvel. Called a mustatil, it was drastically different than a pyramid, arranged in a 2-dimensional rectangle and characterized by short walls and open courtyards.
Mustatils, named after the Arabic word for rectangle, were once extremely common across the landscape. The remains of over 1600 are known in Saudi Arabia today — though their purpose in the ancient world remains a mystery.
In the past few years, scientific surveys and excavations have finally started to bring these mysteries to light. One group of researchers from Australia, Saudi Arabia, and Switzerland have been digging into the past of a particular 7000-year-old mustatil to understand how it was used.
On Wednesday in the journal PLOS One, they describe new findings based on extensive excavations and analysis. Animal bones, ritual stones, and human burials reveal that the site was a place for cult sacrifice and pilgrimage — and may have served multiple roles over the centuries.
Archaeologists Discover Ritual Sacrifices at Mysterious 7,000-Year-Old Monuments
Mustatils, named after the Arabic word for rectangle, were once extremely common across the landscape. The remains of over 1600 are known in Saudi Arabia today — though their purpose in the ancient world remains a mystery.
In the past few years, scientific surveys and excavations have finally started to bring these mysteries to light. One group of researchers from Australia, Saudi Arabia, and Switzerland have been digging into the past of a particular 7000-year-old mustatil to understand how it was used.
On Wednesday in the journal PLOS One, they describe new findings based on extensive excavations and analysis. Animal bones, ritual stones, and human burials reveal that the site was a place for cult sacrifice and pilgrimage — and may have served multiple roles over the centuries.
Archaeologists Discover Ritual Sacrifices at Mysterious 7,000-Year-Old Monuments
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