In a significant discovery that alters our comprehension of Mediterranean prehistory, archaeologists have unearthed the earliest and most extensive known agricultural complex in Africa outside the Nile Valley. This site, located at Oued Beht in northwestern Morocco, belonged to a previously undocumented Neolithic farming society that flourished between 3400 and 2900 BC. Detailed in a 2024 report published in Antiquity, this groundbreaking work has recently earned the prestigious 2025 Antiquity Prize, highlighting the Maghreb’s crucial influence on the cultural landscape of the western Mediterranean.

The research initiative, led by Youssef Bokbot from INSAP, Cyprian Broodbank from the University of Cambridge, and Giulio Lucarini from CNR-ISPC and ISMEO, sought to illuminate the poorly understood period of Maghrebian history from 4000 to 1000 BC. This region, strategically positioned as a nexus between Africa and Europe, had long been viewed as an archaeological blind spot concerning prehistoric interactions. The authors of the study noted that the gaps in understanding were not due to a lack of significant activity in the region but rather the result of insufficient investigation.

The excavation at Oued Beht revealed an extensive early agricultural settlement, comparable in size to Early Bronze Age Troy. Artifacts discovered at the site included domesticated plant and animal remains, stone tools, and pottery, marking it as the largest known Final Neolithic farming complex in Africa outside the Nile Valley. The findings also showed notable structural and cultural similarities with contemporary settlements in Iberia, hinting at bilateral cultural exchanges across the Strait of Gibraltar.

Overall, this research underscores the essential role of the north-western Maghreb in the development of complex societies across the western Mediterranean during the fourth and third millennia BC, calling for a reevaluation of the contributions of Africa’s western coastal regions to early Mediterranean civilization.