4 ms·

It is funny that they use Stonehenge as the metric for being old. I know it's the BBC...but still... Stonehenge is much younger than what they say this site in

It is funny that they use Stonehenge as the metric for being old. I know it's the BBC...but still... Stonehenge is much younger than what they say this site in Saudi Arabia is and there are FAR older sites than either of these in that region of the world (Middle East). >This is important because it is evidence of a highly organised, cultic society, much earlier than was previously thought – predating Islam in the region by 6,000 years. Another weird comparison to the date of the origin of Islam. As if that was previously the oldest thing from that region.

AlotOfReading 4y ago
The founding of Islam is quite an important date in Arabian archeology, because it was illegal to excavate pre-Islamic sites until the 1960s and even today there's less funding and support for these kinds of sites.
- tomrod 4y ago
  Really? Wasn't Tutankhamun;s unearthing from the early 1900s?
  - ggm 4y ago
    Egypt was run as a french language, but british protectorate. It did not achieve full independence until after the suez crisis of 1956. It has a sizable coptic minority. (French because the egyptian rulers considered french modernising and much as Ataturk adopted western dress and alphabet, the Egyptians favoured french language to "modernise" their state) Technically, Egypt was a secular state until 1980 when Islam became the official state religion. Saudi Arabia was part of the Turkish Empire, until after WW1. The modern Saudi State, and islamic rules on Archeology did not apply across much of the earler 20th century, or was simply disregarded by western archeologists. Iraq, Iran, Syria and Jordan and Lebanon have extensive archeological sites which clearly pre-date the rise of Islam.
  - AlotOfReading 4y ago
    Tutankhamun was buried in Egypt, not Arabia. Egyptian archaeology is considered its own, separate specialty with a different history and different rules / norms. Take this as the opinion of someone who isn't an Arabian archaeologist, but researchers working in the peninsula have long had to deal with the sensitive issue of pre-islamic sites. Getting access is still a bit difficult today (especially Yemen) and most of the leading researchers are careful to be politically well-connected and avoid stepping on too many toes.
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AlotOfReading 4y ago

The founding of Islam is quite an important date in Arabian archeology, because it was illegal to excavate pre-Islamic sites until the 1960s and even today there's less funding and support for these kinds of sites.

tomrod 4y ago
Really? Wasn't Tutankhamun;s unearthing from the early 1900s?
- ggm 4y ago
  Egypt was run as a french language, but british protectorate. It did not achieve full independence until after the suez crisis of 1956. It has a sizable coptic minority. (French because the egyptian rulers considered french modernising and much as Ataturk adopted western dress and alphabet, the Egyptians favoured french language to "modernise" their state) Technically, Egypt was a secular state until 1980 when Islam became the official state religion. Saudi Arabia was part of the Turkish Empire, until after WW1. The modern Saudi State, and islamic rules on Archeology did not apply across much of the earler 20th century, or was simply disregarded by western archeologists. Iraq, Iran, Syria and Jordan and Lebanon have extensive archeological sites which clearly pre-date the rise of Islam.
- AlotOfReading 4y ago
  Tutankhamun was buried in Egypt, not Arabia. Egyptian archaeology is considered its own, separate specialty with a different history and different rules / norms. Take this as the opinion of someone who isn't an Arabian archaeologist, but researchers working in the peninsula have long had to deal with the sensitive issue of pre-islamic sites. Getting access is still a bit difficult today (especially Yemen) and most of the leading researchers are careful to be politically well-connected and avoid stepping on too many toes.

deleted 4y ago

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