Ancient Tomb

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While building a new border check post in the northern coastal Aswad province of Oman, the squad of Royal Oman Police (ROP) discovered ancient artifacts, settlements and tombs dating back to 2000 BC.

Once the ROP team reported the discovery of the ancient graves in Aswad’s Shinas town, the crew of Sultan Qaboos University graduates and trained Omani archeologists began exploring the location, Gulf News reported on Monday.

According to the Ministry of Heritage and Culture official, the remains from ancient settlements, which include a brass necklace, body, daggers, needles, arrow heads, knives, local and imported beads, belonged to 1900 BC-1100 BC era.

“The team has unearthed a settlement and an archeological cemetery that dates back to 2000 BC, which is also called the Wadi Souq period,” a ministry official said.

Director of Antiquity Department from the ministry, Sultan Al Bakri, said that the border check post will be constructed at the location but the prehistoric cemetery site is to be preserved.

The site expands over three kilometers and holds number of oval and rectangular shaped tombs, in which ancient artifacts like clay utensils such as urn and soapstone were also discovered.

A senior archeologist said the discovery of the site reveals evidence of Oman as a vital agent of copper trade between the Delmon, Harappa and Mesopotamia civilizations during the Bronze Age.

According to Al-Bakri, the discovery of prehistoric cemetery in northern Oman is the second such exploration of 2000 BC after a similar excavation was carried in Sohar, a coastal city in Oman. The ministry official said that further surveys will be conducted in Oman to explore similar archeological sites in the city.