Archaeologists have discovered how ancient civilisations prevented pandemics after finding caves where people were sent when they were found to be suffering from diseases like smallpox and the plague.

Over 80 ancient isolation chambers have been found in caves and valleys in Oman to prevent the spread of diseases that could have easily spiralled into a pandemic.

The list of the sites where the ancient method of pandemic prevention through isolation was carried out was commissioned by Oman’s Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, represented by the Directorate General of Antiquities.

The catalogue detailing locations of the sites where the ancient pandemic prevention strategy was carried out comes as the country of just 4 million people faces a fresh wave of COVID-19 infections.

The most recent date of the past 24 hours shows almost 2,000 new cases and 40 deaths in Oman, with 50,000 new cases and almost 800 deaths in June.

The study of the ancient network for plate prevention was commissioned last year to document ancient isolation caves and health quarries spread across the different governorates of Oman.

The Directorate General of Antiquities of the country’s Ministry of Heritage and Tourism said 81 so-called isolation chambers have been found so far where people suffering from the plague would be sent to avoid infecting others.

The quarries were used to isolate people with infectious diseases such as smallpox and the plague and other illnesses that existed in the past.

Many of those diseases, which have largely been eradicated around the world, had to be contained at the time to prevent spread.

The 81 different isolation centres range from big caves to isolated quarries and valleys, or when these were not available, standalone stone buildings.

The discovery of the locations shows people in the region had a strong awareness of epidemics and the need to quarantine infected patients to prevent spread.

The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism will analyse the findings and carry out more research into the network of isolation centres.

Earlier this year, a group of hikers discovered a cave at Al Khatam Mountain near the city of Amerat that had many corridors and chambers, and is believed to have once been a copper mine that was also later used to isolate the sick.