RARE preserved ancient remains of a child’s coffin dating back thousands of years were among key archaeological finds recently revealed in Abu Saiba.
The French Archaeological Mission in Bahrain, in collaboration with the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (Baca), have been engaged in research at the site since 2017.
They have so far identified 104 separate graves across the seven seasons, with 24 graves excavated this season – including an almost fully-intact child’s grave.
Members of the public were briefed on the importance of the ancient site, which is in the middle of a residential neighbourhood in Abu Saiba and surrounded by houses, and briefed on the key findings of the season.
French Archaeological Mission in Bahrain director Julien Cuny told the GDN that the most interesting find was a young child’s coffin. It was almost intact and had not been plundered, along with its skeleton which will be further studied.
“Our purpose is to detail the culture and funeral gestures of the people of Bahrain at that time – the Tylos Period – as well as the grave goods we have found that are interesting, to estimate the links that Bahrain had with neighbouring regions,” said Mr Cuny, who is also a Louvre Museum curator.
“These findings are critical to estimate the prosperity of the land at that time and the connections with Mesopotamia, India, the Iranian Peninsula and the Mediterranean world.”
Tylos was the historical name used by the Greeks to refer to Bahrain, as the centre of pearl trading, after it was visited by one of Alexander the Great’s naval leaders during the fourth century BC.
According to Mr Cuny, jewellery was found in the child’s grave. The coffin had remained intact for an estimated time of 2,000 years. The skeleton will be studied to estimate the age and gender, as well as to investigate sanitary conditions of the ancient population and note any diseases they suffered from.
“For me, the most interesting find was the remains of the coffin as it’s particularly rare to find such well preserved remains of wood,” he added.
“They are very fragile but we can see more or less the architecture of the coffin and that’s very rare.
“The graves that were non-plundered and remained intact over the years were mostly children’s so this gives us an indication that maybe these graves were more respected.
“The jewellery we found include silver bracelets and rings, as well as fine-stone beads, which is interesting as it means that the population was rich enough to allow itself to lose some of these objects through burial with their deceased.
“This is also interesting to discover that they cared about their deceased so much that they left them gifts which gives us clues regarding beliefs of the time, death and funeral arrangements.”
Mr Cuny added that the team will now study and review the immense data and samples gathered before coming back again next year to excavate a larger segment of the site.
Baca’s museums and antiquities director Dr Salman Al Mahari believes that most of the plundered graves were probably raided by those in charge of the burial sites as indicated by the cracks observed.
“Luckily, some of the graves that we have uncovered weren’t plundered and this allows for comprehensive study and ample samples and data to analyse,” said Dr Al Mahari.
“The significant findings include the skeleton of a child and an old lady, as well as an intact wooden coffin and other intact materials found in the graves.
“The cemetery is in the middle of a residential neighbourhood and its part of Bahrain’s heritage, therefore, it is critical it remains preserved.
“We invited the local community to explore the site to ensure they are aware of the historical and cultural significance of it so that they can play a societal role in protecting it.
“We want the people to get close to the archaeology as they are living close to the mounds.”
Dr Al Mahari revealed that preliminary studies of some of the skeletons had already revealed that people suffered from conditions like arthritis and more fascinating facts will be discovered following comprehensive analysis.
He added that plans are underway to ensure the preservation and fencing of the archaeological site to protect it for the next season of excavation.
reem@gdnmedia.bh
&uuid=(email))