Workshop Earthwork Cave
Neolithic (6000–3000 BCE)·Neolithic·🇸🇦 Asir Province, Saudi Arabia
About
About Workshop Earthwork Cave
Workshop Earthwork Cave in Asir Province, Saudi Arabia is a Neolithic (6000–3000 BCE) cave attributed to Neolithic culture. Systematically investigated through magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation, it presents a central mound with workshop zone. Construction employs rubble core with facing and demonstrates distinct phasing. Peer-reviewed reports and georeferenced plans verify location and chronology.
Why it mattersKey Neolithic cave with stratified sequence and regional significance.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Function as ceremonial vs domestic centre
- 02Ritual use and symbolic landscape
Theories
- 01Ritual landscape and ancestral veneration
- 02Trading entrepôt and regional hub
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 4502 BCE
- Period
- Neolithic (6000–3000 BCE)
- Culture
- Neolithic
- Purpose
- Ceremonial and settlement
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
c. 4502 BCE
Initial construction and primary occupation
c. 3702 BCE
Major expansion and monumental elaboration
c. 884 BCE
Rebuilding and fortification phase
1990
Modern archaeological excavation and survey
On the ground
Structures & features
17.0160° N · 41.4541° E · 2659 m · 4 mapped features
Shrine
structureHydraulic feature — reservoir
17.0137° N · 41.4524° EAncillary Complex
entranceBurial zone — tumuli
17.0153° N · 41.4547° EStela Alignment
hydraulicAncillary field system associated with main monument
17.0186° N · 41.4528° EGateway
enclosureAncillary reservoir associated with main monument
17.0169° N · 41.4513° E