We can indeed speak of an adventure, and what an adventure indeed! When we arrived five years ago, we already knew that we were dealing with an exceptional heritage site and that research would bring its share of exciting discoveries. What we did not expect was the density, richness and excellent state of preservation of the archaeological discoveries we would make, including ceramics, in situ statuary within intact archaeological contexts and so on. This allowed us to make significant and decisive advances in terms of chronology and exchange between different peoples and civilizations. There were so many highlights that it's quite hard to choose between them! The one that certainly comes to mind is the discovery by the Dadan Saudi-French team (CNRS/KSU) of a new colossal Lihyanite statue weighing almost a ton, reused in a late wall of the great sanctuary of the god Dhu Ghaybat. Its removal, which we organized at the AlUla Museum with the Royal Commission for AlUla, in spring 2022 was a great moment. By chance, this coincided with when we were coordinating with our partner on the loan of another colossal statue belonging to the same series to the Musée du Louvre in Paris. It now sits in room 314 of the Oriental Antiquities section and it is always thrilling to visit it.
Horizon Afalula
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What is your assessment after more than five years of archaeological research and adventure across the territory of AlUla?
Director of Archaeology at AFALULA
INGRID PÉRISSÉ-VALÉRO
3 QUESTIONS FOR ...
This is based on complementarity between specialists which helps deepen research and optimizes discoveries made in the field. Traditional archaeological methods are combined with the expertise of historians, geologists and biologists, topographers and geophysicists, together with experts in photogrammetry and 3D scanning. It is a genuinely collective approach to interpreting the discoveries made. New technologies are playing an increasingly important role and training in the latest cutting-edge techniques allows seasoned archaeologists and students alike to master these new tools. They enrich and complement traditional methods and enable intergenerational transmission of knowledge.
How are interdisciplinary and cooperative approaches between cutting-edge technology and traditional professions in archaeology orchestrated?
We are only at the very beginning, both in the AlUla region and across the rest of the Kingdom, where several thousand sites have been identified by local authorities and remain to be studied. The scale of the task is colossal. The discoveries of our researchers in AlUla and Khaybar raise fundamental questions about the occupation of the Peninsula in the Neolithic period, and the emergence of proto-urban phenomena in the Bronze Age in a region where it was not expected. This also raises the question of the connections that these oases maintained between themselves and the outside world from the early days of the caravan trade right up until modern times. I often use the term blank page – under the sand there are still many archaeological sites whose study will redraw our history books, that is for sure.
What is left to discover in the region?
What is your assessment after more than five years of archaeological research and adventure across the territory of AlUla?
We can indeed speak of an adventure, and what an adventure indeed! When we arrived five years ago, we already knew that we were dealing with an exceptional heritage site and that research would bring its share of exciting discoveries. What we did not expect was the density, richness and excellent state of preservation of the archaeological discoveries we would make, including ceramics, in situ statuary within intact archaeological contexts and so on. This allowed us to make significant and decisive advances in terms of chronology and exchange between different peoples and civilizations. There were so many highlights that it's quite hard to choose between them! The one that certainly comes to mind is the discovery by the Dadan Saudi-French team (CNRS/KSU) of a new colossal Lihyanite statue weighing almost a ton, reused in a late wall of the great sanctuary of the god Dhu Ghaybat. Its removal, which we organized at the AlUla Museum with the Royal Commission for AlUla, in spring 2022 was a great moment. By chance, this coincided with when we were coordinating with our partner on the loan of another colossal statue belonging to the same series to the Musée du Louvre in Paris. It now sits in room 314 of the Oriental Antiquities section and it is always thrilling to visit it.
What is left to discover in the region?
We are only at the very beginning, both in the AlUla region and across the rest of the Kingdom, where several thousand sites have been identified by local authorities and remain to be studied. The scale of the task is colossal. The discoveries of our researchers in AlUla and Khaybar raise fundamental questions about the occupation of the Peninsula in the Neolithic period, and the emergence of proto-urban phenomena in the Bronze Age in a region where it was not expected. This also raises the question of the connections that these oases maintained between themselves and the outside world from the early days of the caravan trade right up until modern times. I often use the term blank page – under the sand there are still many archaeological sites whose study will redraw our history books, that is for sure.
How are interdisciplinary and cooperative approaches between cutting-edge technology and traditional professions in archaeology orchestrated?
This is based on complementarity between specialists which helps deepen research and optimizes discoveries made in the field. Traditional archaeological methods are combined with the expertise of historians, geologists and biologists, topographers and geophysicists, together with experts in photogrammetry and 3D scanning. It is a genuinely collective approach to interpreting the discoveries made. New technologies are playing an increasingly important role and training in the latest cutting-edge techniques allows seasoned archaeologists and students alike to master these new tools. They enrich and complement traditional methods and enable intergenerational transmission of knowledge.
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