The Discovery of a 5,000-Year-Old Society in Morocco Reveals an Ancient Farming Culture

New research is changing the way that historians understand ancient farming culture in North Africa.

In a study published in the journal Antiquity, archaeologists write about the discovery of a 5,000-year-old society in Morocco outside of the Nile Valley. This society not only practiced advanced farming techniques, but also likely traded goods with other cultures.

The site, known as Oued Beht, was originally uncovered by French colonists nearly 100 years ago but has since been overlooked. The study authors had a strong sense that the area was due for further examination and gathered a team of experts to excavate it.

“For over 30 years, I have been convinced that Mediterranean archaeology has been missing something fundamental in later prehistoric North Africa,” says Cyprian Broodbank, a University of Cambridge archaeologist and co-author of the study, in a statement. “Now, at last, we know that was right.”

At the site, the team found an abundance of stone tools and pottery shards. Radiocarbon dating of preserved organic materials placed the culture around 3400–2900 B.C.E.

The team also gained insights into the ancient people's diets. Seeds discovered in large, constructed pits revealed that the civilization cultivated barley, wheat, peas, pistachios and olives. Additionally, the remains of sheep, goats, pigs and cattle demonstrated their reliance on livestock.

Previously, researchers believed the area was populated by nomadic peoples who followed the grazing paths of herd animals and hunted and gathered for food. This new research proves that some societies in the area were stationary and practiced Neolithic techniques, such as farming, growing crops and raising animals.

"What we're doing here is not plonking down a [single farming society] into a pastoral world," Broodbank tells Live Science's Sierra Bouchér. "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."

According to the research, the society in Oued Beht was a large-scale farming settlement and roughly the size of early Bronze Age Troy. The people who lived in the area likely came from various genetic backgrounds, and places such as the Sahara, Iberian Peninsula and Middle East.

The researchers believe there has been a significant gap in archaeological knowledge of the area between c. 4000 and 1000 B.C.E. They are hoping the new discovery will inspire more studies.

"Our discoveries prove that this gap has been due not to any lack of major prehistoric activity, but to the relative lack of investigation, and publishing,” the team says in the statement. “Oued Beht now affirms the central role of the Maghreb in the emergence of both Mediterranean and wider African societies."

Julia Binswanger | READ MORE

Julia Binswanger is a freelance arts and culture reporter based in Chicago. Her work has been featured in WBEZ, Chicago magazine, Rebellious magazine and PC magazine.