|
A new Umm al-Nar tomb |
Back |
 |
|
|||
 The Umm al-Nar tomb (UNar2) at Shimal after excavation ended in the winter of 1997/8. The Departement of Antiquities and Museums of Ras al-Khaimah has recently (winter 1997/98) excavated a large tomb of the Umm al-Nar period at the archaeological site of Shimal. It is the second Umm al-Nar tomb at that site; the first was excavated by a German team from the University of Goettingen in 1987/88. The new excavations were supported by Serco/IAL Ltd. The circular tomb is built with great precision. It has a diameter of 14.5 metres making it the largest of its type yet discovered in the Oman Peninsula. Originally the tomb must have stood about 3 metres tall and the outside was lined with high-quality limestone blocks which were perfectly cut and smoothed. The tomb showed a complex arrangement in the interior which was divided into twelve compartments forming three seperate units, each of which may have been used by different families. Preliminary estimates suggest that over 300 individuals were buried in the tomb. Even though the tomb was robbed in antiquity several burials were preserved in situ. The excavation revealed some important new facts about the burial ritual of the inhabitants, which are now better understood. It seems that the bodies were first buried on the floors of the chambers until there was no space left. At this point the remains were taken out and cremated. There is evidence for an upper storey in the tomb where the cremated bones were deposited, leaving the floor of the chambers to be used for new burials. In this way the tomb was used for a period of more than 100 years. Even though the tomb was heavily robbed, the remains of pottery, metal objects, stone vessels and jewellery showed a considerable wealth that derived most probably from the sale of copper to the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia and the Indus valley. Pottery vessels imported from as far as Mesopotamia, Bahrain, Iran and the Indus valley are evidence for heavy involvment in maritime trade with these areas. The discovery of the tomb confirms the place of Shimal as one of the most important archaeological sites in the UAE. Christian Velde
Click here for a preliminary report on the human skeletal material by Dr S. Blau. |
||||
©
National Museum &
|