Ancient Agricultural Complex Discovered in Morocco, Predating Nile Valley Settlements

Moroccan archaeologist Youssef Bokbot, Cyprian Broodbank of the University of Cambridge and Giulio Lucarini of CNR-ISPC and ISMEO, and other researchers have discovered traces of an ancient agricultural society in the Oued Beht in Morocco, revealing that between 3400 and 2900 BC, a large-scale agricultural community was thriving in the region. According to this discovery published in the journal Antiquity, the Oued Beht site is located in northern Morocco, strategically situated between the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts and the Middle Atlas mountains.

The research began in 2021. The researchers discovered numerous evidence of agricultural activities, deep storage pits and large-scale settlements comparable in size to Troy in the early Bronze Age, reports The Independent. They also discovered a large quantity of stone tools on the site, including thousands of stone axe heads, polished axes and painted pottery pieces. "We found an incredible amount of pottery shards and polished axes," Giulio Lucarini told Express.co.uk. Remains of domestic plants and animals indicating advanced agricultural skills and a well-established livestock system were also discovered, according to La República.

The Oued Beht materials show that Northwest Africa was not isolated, but played an active role in Mediterranean networks. "Our findings prove that this gap is not due to a lack of major prehistoric activity, but to a relative lack of research and publication," the authors said.

This discovery shows that the inhabitants of the Oued Beht site were engaged in agriculture. They cultivated barley, wheat, peas, olives and pistachios on arid lands. "Now, finally, we know that this was true, and we can start to think in new ways, acknowledging the dynamic contribution of Africans to the emergence and interactions of the early Mediterranean societies," said Broodbank, an archaeologist at the University of Cambridge, to Fox News.