AN ancient shark tooth dating back tens of millions of years was found in Bahrain’s desert signifying a crucial geological find in the Southern Governorate.
The tooth, found in Sakhir, was encased in deep geological plates of rocks – 15 to 20 metres high - and was exposed due to weathering.
According to Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (Baca) museums and antiquities director Dr Salman Al Mahari the ancient shark tooth shell roughly dates back 40 million years ago from the Eocene Age.
“We conduct archaeological sweeps on a regular basis to inspect sites for possible artefacts and remains of the past that have a critical historical value,” he told the GDN.
“Although finding the tooth shell has no anthropological importance – as it doesn’t prove human existence – it is considered of important geological significance that proves Bahrain and the region was covered with sea water millions of years ago – it is part of the Dammam Formation of the Middle Eocene age.”
According to Dr Al Mahari, the single encased shark tooth shell was exposed following ‘weathering elements’ and needed ‘a trained eye’ to recognise its importance.
Weathering is the breaking down or dissolving of rocks and minerals on Earths surface. Once a rock has been broken down, a process called erosion transports the bits of rock and minerals away.
He added that there are multiple geological levels witnessed in Sakhir on the rocky ridges – around 15 to 20m high – consisting of different coloured layers such as yellow, white or brown.
“This is a key geological find as it reveals the different eras the kingdom has survived and how Bahrain was formed,” he added. “This is proof that the entire area was covered by sea water and there was an existence of sharks and other marine life.
“The tooth we found was very fragile so we took it to preserve it and we will conduct more field visits to collect more samples for further research.”
Meanwhile, a pile of oyster shells and ashes dating back to the Early Delmon Period (2,300BD to 2,750BC) were also found in a secluded location near Bilaj Al Jazayer.
They were studied by Dr Al Mahari and his team following research and trial excavations conducted by a Danish expedition team in the 1960s.
“After reading the research from the old trial excavation we decided to visit the location and we found the site still intact and inspected it,” he added.
“The site – which is a hill at a height of around 2m and length of 40m – falls around 900m to 1km away from the coast and it has remained untouched.
“We found a pile of marine shells that are evidence of human civilisation at the time because they are the same oysters that were used to extract pearls.
“We also found an area with some ashes that indicate that people resided in this location and cooked.”
According to Dr Al Mahari, the significant archaeological discovery indicates human activity where individuals depended on the sea for livelihood – through fishing – or trade through extracting pearls.
He also revealed that efforts are underway to protect the site as well as collect more samples to arrange, chronologically, the history of various locations in Bahrain.
“Wherever you go in Bahrain you will find archaeological remains – especially in exposed areas in the Southern Governorate – which is why it’s necessary to raise awareness about the protection of these sites,” added Dr Al Mahari.
“We urge people who see sand dunes to keep away from them to avoid their destruction as we search these sites for critical historical and archaeological information regarding Bahrain.”
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