The skeletal remains of dozens of individuals were found buried in an ancient 7,000-year-old stone tomb situated in Oman, along the Arabian Peninsula.
7,000-Year-Old Stone Tomb in Oman
According to Live Science, the tomb is situated close to Nafūn in the central Al Wusta province of the country. Though it is a stony desert, the burial area is located beside the coast.
Alžběta Danielisová, an archaeologist from the Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Republic in Prague, notes that there are no other Bronze Age or older graves found across this region. Live Science also adds that this stone tomb is among the oldest human-made structures that have ever been spotted across the entire country.
The stone tomb was found roughly a decade ago based on satellite shots. Archaeologists think that it is from between B.C. 4600 to B.C. 5000. Danielisová is directing the tomb excavations for the institute under the Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS).
According to Radio Prague International, the rocks are coated with over 500 depictions of donkeys, horses, camels, and also turtles. On top of this, there are also more than 200 inscriptions in the South Arabic dialect that have yet to be decoded.
Live Science also adds that a report revealed that the walls of the stone tomb consisted of thin stone slab rows, known as ashlars. There were also two round burial chambers that were chunked into individualized compartments.
There were also many bone clusters within the chambers that showed that the dead bodies were already decomposing prior to being placed inside the tomb. Skulls were placed close to the exterior walls, while the lengthy bones pointed towards the chamber's center.
Archaeologists will then be proceeding with biochemical, and anthropological analysis of the skeletal remains to know more about their demographics, mobility, and diets. They are also hopeful to find close ancient settlements that used to house people.
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Deeper Look Into Ancient Oman
This work on the stone tomb in Oman is among the many archaeological efforts that scientists from the Czech Republic are conducting. A statement from CAS notes that the efforts include a journey to the Dhofar province in Oman, which was found to house a stone hand ax that could be from 300,000 and 1.3 million years ago.
The archaeologists are making use of dating techniques that the CAS' Nuclear Physics Institute provided. These methods will also be used to know more about the 2,000-year-old stone trilith rows that were found across the country since the 19th century.
The specialists are also looking into inscriptions close to the tomb. Some appear to be depictions, while others seem to be names and words.
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