Hundreds of ancient stone circles buried across Sudan’s Atbai Desert are revealing new details about a cattle-herding society that lived in the region nearly 6,000 years ago.
Using satellite remote sensing technology, researchers identified 280 circular stone monuments scattered between the Nubian Nile and the Red Sea. The findings, published in African Archaeological Review, point to a large and organized burial tradition tied to nomadic pastoral communities.
Researchers named the structures Atbai Enclosure Burials, or AEBs. The monuments range from 5 to 82 meters (16 to 269 feet) in diameter and appear in several architectural forms. Circular stone walls fully enclose most, while some include a single entrance.
Burial layouts show strong cattle traditions
The structures contained different burial arrangements. Some held simple human burials, while others included compound circles or central graves surrounded by animal remains. Archaeologists uncovered both human and cattle burials inside several monuments, including one site containing about 18 cattle graves.
Researchers said the discoveries reflect a strongly cattle-centered culture, similar to pastoral societies that once lived across the Eastern Sahara during the Middle and Late Holocene periods.
Rock art found across the Atbai region supports that connection. Many engravings prominently feature cattle, suggesting the animals played an important role in wealth, ritual practices, and social identity.
Communities likely worked together to build monuments
Researchers believe the stone circles required significant planning and labor. According to the study, constructing an average enclosure would require about 161 eight-hour workdays for one person. A group of 50 workers could complete the same structure in just over three days.
The monuments also appear closely linked to ancient water access. Many were built near favorable locations for watering livestock rather than evenly spread across the desert landscape. Researchers said the pattern reflects the movement and settlement habits of nomadic cattle-herding groups.
Ancient climate shifts transformed the region
Today, the Atbai Desert is too dry to support large-scale cattle pasturing. But around 6,000 years ago, the region was still transitioning out of the African Humid Period, when large parts of the Sahara were covered by lakes, grasslands, and seasonal rainfall.
As monsoon rains gradually shifted southward, the environment became increasingly dry. Researchers believe many pastoral communities eventually migrated toward regions with more reliable water and grazing land.
However, the study suggests the Atbai region may have remained habitable longer than previously believed. Researchers said the burial tradition appears to have survived until at least the third millennium BCE, long after climate conditions across much of the Sahara had worsened.
The findings provide one of the clearest views yet of an ancient desert society shaped by cattle herding, mobility, and adaptation to a changing climate.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
