Archaeologists discover 5,500-year-old site where communities came to celebrate and find unity

Long before cities were written in the Middle East, people gathered in the hills of today’s Jordan to build something very different in the settlement.

Archaeologists from the University of Copenhagen have excavated what they describe as “earthworks” at Murayghat. The site is a large early bronze complex marked by houses or houses but also by dolmens and standing stones. It also has rock-cut inserts decorated with intricate corvings. Their research shows that more than 5,000 years ago, communities gathered here not to survive – but to remember, to honor, and to come together in times of need.

A place built for the festival

When researchers first visited murayghat, they were struck by what they could see there. There are no houses. There are no Ovens or Pits for storing grain. Instead, they found more than 95 dolmens – large stone burial monuments – scattered throughout the hillside. Those dolmens come in groups that may represent clan lines or family lines, some of which are placed against the mound of the center that is equipped with houses built of stone and beds made of stone.

The construction is created in the image of the festival area, not the residence. The outer dolmens lacked a roof, setting a climate trend. Curved and straight stone enclosures surround what could have been ceremonial group spaces for offering, feasting, or memorizing at a conference. In the distance, the horn would have been seen rising above the horizon, indicating travelers from all directions were coming.

Celebrations, offerings, and shared memory

While MayAyGhat was not a city, it is undoubtedly alive. Archaeologists uncovered pottery shards, communal vessels, flint tools, grinding stones, animal horn cores, and rare bronze objects. They document the history of community food and community culture.

“Instead of large domestic areas with small chalcolithic areas, our excavations in the early bronze age show the bankruptcy of dolmens circles (stone burials, as well as large megalic structures, and large borders with rest areas), said Project leader Susance Kerner from the University of Copenhagen.

Grindstones and large bowls indicate that food was eaten and prepared on a scale far removed from domestic consumption. People may move from nearby areas to share food together, exchange relationships, and pay tribute to ancestors. The presence of bronze tools, while rare, suggests the technology of metalworking continued with the settlements from the traditional cities.

Responding to Disasters with Stone and Ceremony

The establishment of MurayGhat happened at a time of great development. Between 3500 BCE, when the Chalcolithic period replaced the early bronze age, there were several communities settled in the abandoned region. Various factors may have been responsible for this change, archaeologists believe: Changing weather patterns, reduced water resources, the collapse of trade networks, and the breakdown of central authority.

In such volatile times, the murayghat could offer something to the nomadic tribes and families they longed for – a shared land to make their own. “Murayghat gives us, we think, new evidence of how early societies coped with upheaval by building monuments, and rewrote new roles,” said Kerner.

Instead of rebuilding villages, people choose to mark the world with inaccessible stone. Standing stones and dolmens become the focus of collective identity, uniting communities in the affirmation of a culture of unity and continuity.

Redefining field and social life

Archeological structures consider the murayghat as a “shame of the soil” – a common ground meeting between groups that could not be separated by another place or culture. The location of the dolmens and their alignment to the central rod suggests a collective purpose and shared purpose. Monuments may also function as national markers, proclaiming unity and cooperation rather than conflict.

The results of the project reveal a community that found stability through culture rather than politics. Without central authorities or walled cities, people build unity in festivals and commemorations. The arrangement of Murayghat shows that communities were able to thrive on the move – focusing on traditions, festivals and decision-making, then spreading it to the next time.

The questions are buried in stone

Questions remain despite the progress. Few human remains have been found inside the dolmens, so the specific use of the buildings is still unknown. It is possible that bedrings of bedrock with a light color may have been employed to provide offerings or liquids, but their purpose is questionable. The investigators also wanted to know if Murayghat was visited only by local groups or if it attracted pilgrims from the region beyond.

All these doubts notwithstanding, the site is a powerful testament to the human power of endurance. Faced with environmental shocks and social breakdowns, human beings did not despair. They look to the outside – shared culture, shared space, shared actions that faced change.

Practical Research Results

The results in Murayghat show that sustainability is not based on Central Control or urban aspirations. Oppressive societies can maintain identity and solidarity through mortuary rituals and sharing.

Knowing how early humans adapted to social change without leaders or cities can help today’s researchers understand how societies cope with emergencies such as warming, conflict, and climate change.

MurayGhat shows that meaning and cooperation can exist in an open space, regular meetings, and the eternal human desire to connect – even in times of uncertainty.

Research findings are available online in the journal Leant.

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