Ancient wall in Morocco reveals complex early societies
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Archaeologists working in Morocco’s Oued Beht region uncovered a substantial wall dating to between 4,000 and 3,500 years ago, demonstrating that communities in northwestern Africa actively shaped their environment during the second millennium BC.
The Oued Beht Archaeological Project had previously found the oldest and largest agricultural complex in Africa outside the Nile Valley, from around 5,400 to 4,900 years ago.
New excavations in 2023 revealed the wall, which represents the earliest known large-scale defensive construction in North Africa beyond Egypt. Researchers believe the wall likely responded to increasing competition for land and resources, suggesting communities felt a need to protect themselves and control movement. This discovery challenges previous understandings of the Maghreb region, modern Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, indicating that societies there were more complex and organized than once thought. The site also shows evidence of repeated use over time.
After the initial prehistoric settlement was abandoned, people returned to the ridge during the medieval period, from the 11th to 13th centuries AD, rebuilding parts of the defensive structure and establishing a small settlement. Excavations at Oued Beht have revealed a large area of human activity spanning at least 25 acres and evidence of farming, craft production, and connections to communities in the broader Mediterranean world, including present-day Spain and Portugal.
