2023-09-21 08:00:00
Images during the excavations at the tomb of Jamila ALARASHI ET AL., 2023, PLOS ONE
When we imagine the Stone Age, we often visualize our ancestors living in a primitive time, communicating in rudimentary ways and leading almost animalistic lives. However, the mysterious town of Ba’ja, which was founded approximately 9,000 years ago in what is now Jordan, challenges these preconceptions. This Neolithic settlement, located between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea and surrounded by mountains, has revealed to be an enclave of great social and cultural complexity. At the heart of this fascinating story is an exceptionally refined necklace, made of mother-of-pearl, shells and amber, which was discovered in a child’s grave and meticulously reconstructed after having been buried for more than six millennia. The results of this extraordinary discovery have just been published in the prestigious journal ‘PLoS ONE’.
The story of this discovery dates back to 2018, when the team of archaeologists from the Faculty of Archeology and Anthropology at Yarmouk University in Jordan was preparing to leave the archaeological site of Ba’ja. It was then that, inside one of the structures, they found a striking floor decorated with lime paint. When lifting this floor, they came across a large slab that seemed to indicate the presence of an important burial. However, when digging under this slab, what they found was a surprising amount of sand, but hope did not fade. With each stroke of the brush, elegant beads emerged, and as they moved forward, a treasure trove was revealed consisting of more than 2,500 stones and shells carefully arranged around what appeared to be the body of a girl of around eight years old. This girl, whom the team of archaeologists affectionately named Jamila, became a bridge that allows us to rewrite the history of Neolithic peoples.
In the background, the excavation of the girl Jamila’s grave; in the circle, the reconstruction of the necklace ALARASHI ET AL., 2023, PLOS ONE
The human remains found at the Ba’ja site, mostly buried beneath the floor of the structures, turned out to be fragile and did not provide detailed biological information. However, dating analyzes revealed that Jamila lived at this location approximately 7,400 to 6,800 years BC. Despite the lack of data on his diet or health, indications are that Jamila possibly belonged to a social status similar to that of nobility. This assumption is based on the presence of other tombs without associated funerary objects, mainly belonging to adults.
The highlight of this discovery, however, is the necklace that was around Jamila’s neck. This is an astonishing collection of beads composed of stones and shells, along with two exceptional pieces of amber that represent the oldest known from the Levant Mediterranean basin in the Middle East. A stone pendant and mother-of-pearl center hoop complete this stunning piece of antique jewelry. The beads that make up the necklace, meticulously inspected in the field and subsequently analyzed by a team of experts, provide valuable information about Ba’ja society and culture. Furthermore, they indicate that this town had distant commercial connections, since some of the raw materials used, such as turquoise, were imported from the Sinai, while the shells came from the Red Sea. This finding suggests that the Ba’ja inhabitants were not limited to their immediate surroundings, but were actively involved in trade and cultural interaction with distant regions.
The painstaking work of reconstructing the necklace has allowed for an exhibition at the Petra Archaeological Museum, where visitors can marvel at this ancient jewel and reflect on the complex social and cultural dynamics of the time.
More than just a piece of jewelry, this necklace has become a symbol of the refinement and sophistication of Ba’ja society, challenging the notion that our Neolithic ancestors were mere “savages.” As archaeologists continue to explore the mysteries buried beneath the sands of Ba’ja, it raises the exciting possibility that this is just the beginning of many discoveries that will change our understanding of life in the Stone Age.
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