Hugh Thomas

Hugh is interested in the Neolithic to Bronze Age monumental landscapes of Saudi Arabia, specifically the transition from a ritual to funerary landscape that occurred in the region between c.5000-2800 BCE. This was part of his research in the Aerial Archaeology in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Project (AAKSA), a multifaceted project which he directed from 2020-2023, and included remote sensing, helicopter photography, ground survey, and excavation. The project identified hundreds of thousands of stone-built structures across the Northwest of Saudi Arabia. These include monumental Neolithic ritual structures known as ‘mustatil’, Bronze Age funerary structures, and domestic structures of all periods. This work will continue as the Prehistoric AlUla and Khaybar Excavation Project (PAKEP), recently started at the University of Sydney (2023-2027).