Archaeologists find a 9,000-year-old shrine in the desert in Jordan

There are two carved standing stones at a remote Neolithic site in Jordan. A team of Jordanian and French archaeologists said Tuesday that they had found a shrine.

Jordan Tourism Ministry/via AP

A team of Jordanian and French archaeologists said Tuesday that they had found a roughly 9,000-year-old shrine at a remote Neolithic site in Jordan's eastern desert. The ritual complex was found in a Neolithic campsite near large structures that are believed to have been used to corral wild INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals INRDeals The traps are found in the deserts of the Middle East and consist of two or more long stone walls.

The site is unique because of its preservation state, according to Wael Abu-Azziza, co-director of the project. The researchers said in a statement that the shrine sheds an entire new light on the symbolism, artistic expression as well as spiritual culture of these hitherto unknown Neolithic populations. The team included archaeologists from Jordan and the French Institute of the Near East. During the most recent digging season, the site was excavated.