Riyadh: The Heritage Commission, in collaboration with the University of Vienna, has conducted a new international scientific study uncovering evidence that specialized production systems emerged in the oases of northwestern Arabia during the Bronze Age. The findings point to an early form of product production identity, offering new insights into the history of trade and innovation in the Arabian Peninsula more than 3,500 years ago.

According to Saudi Press Agency, the study, published in PLOS One, drew on archaeological excavations at the oasis of Qurayyah in the Tabuk Region. It found that the two-color pottery discovered at the site was produced through a consistent manufacturing tradition characterized by stable features. These characteristics helped the products spread widely, reflecting a clear production identity associated with both product quality and origin.

The study involved an international team of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East, the Austrian Archaeological Institute, the Austrian Academy of Sciences, TU Wien, and the University of Sydney. The research partnership sought to employ advanced technologies to study and analyze archaeological finds.

The researchers conducted advanced archaeological and laboratory analyses of a collection of pottery vessels unearthed at the oasis of Qurayyah. The findings helped revise earlier assumptions about what was known as 'Midianite Pottery,' suggesting that this pottery type may have originated in the oasis in northwestern Arabia. The results showed that the earliest painted pottery at Qurayyah dates to around 3,600 years ago, with production peaking around 3,200 years ago.

The pottery spread across areas extending north to the southern Levant and Egypt and south to northern Arabia. Production continued until the end of the Iron Age in the mid-first millennium BCE. The study underscores the historical importance of the oasis of Qurayyah as a major production center in northwestern Arabia during ancient times.

It also highlights the Heritage Commission's role in supporting archaeological research, strengthening international scientific partnerships, and using research to deepen knowledge of Saudi Arabia's history and showcase its cultural heritage globally.