Archaeologists have discovered the remains of dozens of people buried about 7,000 years ago in a stone tomb in Oman on the Arabian Peninsula.
The tomb, located near the coast in the central province of Al Wusta,
is one of the oldest man-made structures ever found in Oman. It is located in the stone desert.
Image credit: Roman Garba and Alzbeta Danielisova, CAS Institute of Archeology in Prague.
"No bronze or older graves are known in this region," said Alzbeta Danielisova, an archaeologist from the Institute of Archeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences.
The tomb was discovered about 10 years ago in satellite photographs and archaeologists think it dates from around 5000-4600 BC. The walls of the tomb were made of rows of thin stone slabs called ashlar, inside there are two round burial chambers, divided into separate compartments.
The entire tomb was covered with an ashlar roof, but partly collapsed, possibly due to the annual monsoon rains.
Bones were found in the burial chambers, indicating that the dead were left to decompose before they were placed in the tomb; their skulls were placed near the outer wall, and their long bones were directed towards the center of the chamber.
Similar remains were found in a smaller tomb next to the main tomb; archaeologists think that it was built a little later.
The skulls and bones of more than twenty bodies were found in the tomb; archaeologists believe they were buried there at different times after the bodies were left to decompose elsewhere.
Image credit: Roman Garba and Alzbeta Danielisova, CAS Institute of Archeology in Prague.
The results of the study of human remains will help archaeologists better understand the lifestyle and culture of the ancient communities that occupied the area about 7,000 years ago.
