THE highest concentration of mounds ever discovered in a single area of Bahrain is set to be further explored at Abu Saiba in the upcoming archaeological season.
Eleven Tylos-style stone mounds have already been uncovered at the Tylos Necropolis, with more expected in the coming months, according to Dr Pierre Lombard, head of the French archaeological mission in Bahrain.
This was revealed during the third of a series of virtual lectures organised by the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (Baca).
“The Tylos necropolises in Bahrain are quite different from the Dilmun mounds,” explained Dr Lombard.
“The Tylos stone mounds can reach up to 70 metres in diameter, and underneath each one is a large number of graves. The stones atop these mounds likely denote the high social status of the individuals buried there. Typically, we find two to four in close proximity, but a cluster of 11 mounds is huge!”
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.
Since 2017, the French team has been engaged in research at the site, called Mound 1. The historic region is threatened by growing urban sprawl in the area.
The historical potential of this site was first suggested during an archaeological test conducted by the Bahrain Archaeology Directorate in 1983.
Excavation in the area has revealed that a number of these graves have been previously looted, which have been interesting finds, in their own right.
“In one particular grave, we found that there was a very small hole for entering the grave, and we also noticed that the knee of the skeleton was crushed by a small foot, which leads us to theorise that a small child must have been sent into the grave to ensure it did not appear to be disturbed,” Dr Lombard explained.
The excavation work conducted has also revealed an uncommon find in Grave 48 – remains of woven tissue, which is quite rare when exploring such old historical sites.
Dr Lombard’s team has not yet determined what the fragment of cloth is, but their theory is that it is either a small bag or garment, that was buried alongside the young daughter of an affluent member of society at the time.
“Normally, when children were buried at that time, it was in jars, but for a small skeleton to be found in this type of grave is quite rare, and the presence of a nice gold earring, with two pearls, lends credence to our theory that she was the daughter of somebody important,” he added.
The lectures series will continue next Wednesday with Professor Robert Carter of the British archaeological mission discussing the historical monuments along the Pearling Path site in Muharraq.
On September 22, researcher Mustafa Salman of the Baca team will highlight the results of the excavations in Abdullah Juma’s farm in Maqabah.
The series will conclude on September 29 with Dr Masashi Abe of the Japanese archaeological mission, who will talk about archaeological work being carried out in Wadi Al Sail.
naman@gulfweekly.com
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