{"id":4451,"date":"2026-01-28T14:38:03","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T13:38:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eveha-international.com\/?p=4451"},"modified":"2026-02-26T16:00:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T15:00:24","slug":"thaj-2018-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eveha-international.com\/?p=4451&lang=en","title":{"rendered":"Th\u00e2j – 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Direction
J\u00e9r\u00f4me Rohmer<\/strong> (CNRS, UMR 7041 ArScAn)
Ahmad al-Jallad <\/strong>(Leiden University, Leiden Center for the Study of Ancient Arabia)
Mahmood<\/strong> al-Hajiri<\/strong> (Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage)<\/h6>\n\n\n\n
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How Eveha Participates
Archaeological excavations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Location
Saudi Arabia<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Fig. 1 : The gate area under excavation (\u00a9 Mission arch\u00e9ologique de Th\u00e2j ; photo Th. Creissen).

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In 2018, the archaeological mission at Thaj focused on different areas.
Most of \u00c9veha International’s participation concentrated on the southeast gate of Thaj, under the leadership of Damien Gazagne.
Fieldwork uncovered the defensive system of one of the city’s entrance gates, covering an area of 500 m\u00b2. The stratigraphic sequence reaches a depth of 2.5 meters and has made it possible to document the late phases, from the 4th to the 13th century AD.
At the end of the unrest in the region, at the beginning of the 4th century AD, the gate, which had been blocked, was reopened and a traffic route was reestablished. The area was occupied until the mid-7th century and was finally abandoned at that time. Only a medieval cemetery occupied part of the space at a much later date.
Inside the ramparts, a district of the city continued to be explored by a Saudi team.
Outside, a suburb that had already been partially explored in previous years was the subject of further investigation. This focused on craft sectors\u2014pottery workshops in particular\u2014but also revealed the early phases of occupation of the area, characterized by the presence of a monumental building constructed of carefully cut and fitted large stones.
In the southern necropolis, several funerary monuments were excavated, including large tumuli or \u201cwhite circles.\u201d In some cases, the skeletons were still present, but the majority of the tombs appear to have been looted.
Finally, in the northern part of the city, geophysical surveys combined with the digging of a few mechanical trenches have provided a new perspective on this part of ancient Th\u00e2j, which appears to have been very sparsely urbanized.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fig. 2 : Potter’s kiln and suburban quarter of the southeast zone (\u00a9 Th\u00e2j Archaeological Mission; photo Th. Creissen).

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Fig. 3 : Excavation of the southern necropolis (\u00a9 Mission arch\u00e9ologique de Th\u00e2j ; photo Th. Creissen).

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Fig. 4 : Geophysical surveys under way in the northern part of the walled city (\u00a9 Th\u00e2j Archaeological Mission; photo Th. Creissen).

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Campaigns<\/h2>\n\n\n