Archeologists Analyzing Satellite Images Stumble on 4000-Year-Old Enormous Syrian Military Network, Stuns Them

In 2017, archeologists analyzed multiple satellite images from northern Syria that revealed a massive Bronze Age military network. The network was uncovered on the edge of the Fertile Crescent and contained several forts, towers, and enclosures, stated Newsweek.

The site was situated east of Hama and spread around 7,000 square km, according to Phys.org. Since the site has not been inhabited a lot by the human population, the fortified surveillance network remains in a good state. Several ceramics found in the network have been dated back to the second millennium B.C. by experts who had analyzed the site in the past.  Researchers believe that the network also originated around that time.

In 1960, access to aerial monitoring allowed experts to get a full picture of the region. The team found a consolidated military network between Fertile Crescent in the west and steppes in the east. This is the first instance of such an elaborate fortified system being uncovered in this region. Researchers believe that the network was built to protect the urban areas. The aerial exploration was conducted by the Franco-Syrian mission "Marges arides de Syrie du Nord" which took into account satellite images from 1960 to 2017.

The enclosures in the network were observed to be running along the mountainous ridge in the steppes of central Syria. The fortresses were found to be made of unsculpted basalt and had walls that were several meters wide and high in comparison to the surrounding structures. Experts also noted that all the fortresses were placed in such a way within the network, that inhabitants within one of them could easily see people in the other. 

Researchers believe that the network was built using a design pattern that allowed communication through light (or smoke) signals. In this way, important information could quickly be passed on to major centers of power. Along with defending the territory, the network could have also been used to monitor transports moving in and out of the city, according to experts. The finding aligns with what is known about Syrian tribes in the second millennium B.C., as per Newsweek. The group fortified many sites employing massive cyclopean stone blocks. This tendency of fortification could be a result of constant struggles taking place in the region at that time. 

In the Middle Bronze Age, the Neo-Sumerian Empire, the Old Assyrian Empire, and the Babylonian Empire were trying to gain control of Syria, IFL Science stated. Each empire had a specific area in the country under their control and spent a lot of resources to protect their territory from annexation. The effort to protect their regions and multiple other factors cause people from that age to establish several structures. These structures have now become important archeological artifacts of today. Struggles causing deliberate destruction of artifacts by some parties are putting these structures in danger. Archeologists are hoping that more such findings like the military network come to light so that more about the rich history associated with the area can be known and preserved.