From Cradle to Grave: A Life Story in Jewelry

A significant discovery at the UNESCO World Heritage Site Dilmun Burial Mounds reveals that jewelry played a profound social and ritual role in ancient Arabian Gulf societies, spanning from life to death. The study, based on 24,000 Neolithic shell and stone beads unearthed at al-Buhais 18 in Sharjah, suggests that elaborate adornments—ranging from head decorations to anklets—were integral to burial rituals, possibly extending to other ceremonial occasions like marriage or coming-of-age rites. The widespread presence of carnelian beads across the Arabian Peninsula, including sites like Umm Al Nar and Saruq Al-Hadid, further underscores the cultural significance of jewelry in this region during the Neolithic period.

Bakker, M.-C., & McKeown, K. (2020). From Cradle to Grave: A Life Story in Jewelry. All Things Arabia, 193–212. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004435926_013