Bones of many uncovered in 7,000-year-old Oman tomb
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Archaeologists in Oman found prehistoric tomb. It turned out to have been a mass burial site for at least dozens of people.
Many thousands of years ago, Oman was an important state of the Arabian Peninsula. It was located on important trade routes. People here were mainly engaged in crafts, fishing and the production of incense, which was exported to other parts of the world.
In recent years, researchers have discovered many archaeological sites from the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods. They were mainly located on the eastern coast. Among other things, unusual pottery has been found there, as well as monumental architectural monuments.
A tomb from 7,000 years ago
In the course of recent excavations near Nafūn in central Oman, researchers from the Czech Republic have come across another site that sheds light on the history of this remarkable country. Researchers from the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague discovered a stone tomb where dozens of people were buried.
“No Bronze Age or older tombs have ever been found in this region. This burial site is truly unique,” Alžběta Danielisová, an archaeologist at the Institute of Archaeology in Prague, told Live Science.
Radiocarbon dating has shown that the tomb may be as old as 7,000 years. It is probably one of the oldest man-made structures in Oman.
The interior contained piles of bones
Czech archaeologists point out that the tomb was found as early as 10 years ago. At the time, it was located using satellite imagery. However, it is only now that comprehensive research has been carried out, which has uncovered human remains.
Researchers describe that the tomb’s walls were made of rows of thin stone slabs that form a batter wall. This is a structure made of carefully worked stone blocks that were laid in layers. Among others, the temple of Jupiter in Lebanon’s Baalbek was built this way.
Researchers say that a roof was also laid from similar stone blows. However, this one collapsed, and scholars suspect that this was probably a consequence of the annual monsoon rains. Inside the tomb were several piles of bones…