{
  "abstract": "In 2023, the University of Sydney, in partnership with the Heritage Commission undertook research at a large mustatil site to the southeast of Al-Thamad on the Harrat Khaybar, Saudi Arabia. This site is marked by a concentration of 28 mustatils, as well as a series of other monumental stone-built features, dating from the Neolithic onwards. These are the first mustatils to be investigated on the Harrat Khaybar, where more than 400 have been identified. During fieldwork, all mustatils at the site were documented, with test excavations conducted in three structures. Dateable surface material was also obtained from several other mustatils at the site. The results of these test excavations and surface sampling sheds new light on and gives important insight into the mustatil tradition. Based on this dataset, and the comparative material available from AlUla County, it would appear that the mustatil tradition may have been a cohesive ritual concept extending across a large part of Saudi Arabia, potentially making it one of the earliest, widespread ritual traditions known to date.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Archaeology, University of Sydney Australia, Sydney, Australia",
    "Classics and Ancient History, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia",
    "Vere Gordon Childe Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia",
    "Museum of Natural History of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland",
    "Archaeology Stable Isotope Laboratory, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany",
    "Institute for Prehistoric and Protohistoric Archaeology, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany",
    "The Heritage Commission, Ministry of Culture, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia"
  ],
  "article_type": "Research Article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 7,
  "authors": [
    {
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        0
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      "name": "Melissa Kennedy"
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    {
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        1
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      "name": "Laura Strolin"
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        2
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      "name": "Jane McMahon"
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    {
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        3
      ],
      "name": "Anas Abahussain"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Adel Alqaibari"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Naif Alshehri"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Hugh Thomas"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/80cm353r3tq3x.bib",
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  "doi": "10.1371/journal.pone.0358444",
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  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
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  "native_subjects": [
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      "/Biology and life sciences/Zoology/Animals/Vertebrates/Amniotes/Mammals/Ruminants"
    ],
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      "/Biology and life sciences/Zoology/Animals/Vertebrates/Amniotes/Mammals/Ruminants/Cattle"
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      "/Medicine and health sciences/Anatomy/Digestive system/Teeth"
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      "/Medicine and health sciences/Anatomy/Musculoskeletal system/Skeleton/Skull"
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  "pdf_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0358444&type=printable",
  "pmcid": null,
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  "published": "2026-09-18",
  "publisher": "Public Library of Science",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/80cm353r3tq3x.ris",
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      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0358444"
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  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "plos:zoology",
      "subfield": "zoology-behaviour"
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      "origin": "plos:anatomy",
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  "title": "First results from the mustatils of the Harrat Khaybar: New insights into neolithic cult in Northwest Saudi Arabia",
  "title_text": "First results from the mustatils of the Harrat Khaybar: New insights into neolithic cult in Northwest Saudi Arabia",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:49Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/80cm353r3tq3x",
  "venue": "PLOS One",
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}