Experts In The Middle East Are Using Drones To Unravel Raw Details Of A Mystery Civilization
Imagine if Ancient Egypt had gone undiscovered. That’s what has happened in Saudi Arabia, a country with a rich, age-old history that many people simply do not know about. But a tech-centric excavation should change all that, as light aircraft and drones hover over the area. They’ve already pinpointed some incredible pieces of history that have remained hidden for centuries.
Introducing the Nabataeans
Indeed, the Nabataean people once roamed the area over which these devices now hover, but it looked very different under their watch. The ancient tribe lived nomadically for years before settling down and into a life that focused on trade and agriculture. They also built some incredible structures and sacred sites, some of which have already caught archaeologists’ attention.
Living in an extreme environment
But so much of the Nabatateans’ presence remains undiscovered. And that may in part be down to the tribe choosing to live in a landscape so rough that it caused the Romans to retreat from an intended invasion. Now, though, archaeologists have no need to worry about traversing such an unforgiving terrain. Instead, they’re using drones to find out the secrets of this ancient tribe.
Culturally distinct
During the 4th century B.C., a slew of nomadic tribes wandered their way across the Arabian Desert, constantly in search of water and pasture for their herds. Among them were the Nabataeans, a people whose origins remain shrouded in mystery. Some say they came from Yemen, but they shared nothing – language, deities, script – with this region.
Looking at the language
Others hypothesize that the Nabataeans started out in a region on the eastern side of the Arabian Peninsula, known as Hejaz. This possibility makes more sense, as the Hejaz locals worshiped the same gods as the wandering Nabataeans. Plus, the tribe’s name contains a root consonant, “nbtw,” once used in the area’s Semitic language.
