The Bronze Age Tombs of Northwest Arabia: A Chrono-Typological Study From AlUla and Khaybar, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Northwest Arabia is marked by tens of thousands of monumental burial structures, most of which appear to have been built during the Bronze Age. These funerary features range from simple cairns and tower tombs through to large ‘pendant’ burials with elaborate tail constructions. Yet despite their clear presence across the landscape, comparatively little analysis of these structures has been undertaken to date. This paper presents results from the Aerial Archaeology in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Project (AAKSA) and the Prehistoric AlUla and Khaybar Excavation Project (PAKEP) and offers the first chrono-typological study of the Bronze Age funerary landscape from the counties of AlUla and Khaybar, northwest Saudi Arabia.