'Oldest pearling town' from 6th century discovered in Persian Gulf
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Archaeologists have recently discovered the oldest pearling site in the Persian Gulf on an island off the coast of one of the United Arab Emirates' northern sheikhdoms.
As reported by AP, thousands of people and hundreds of homes may have once resided in this village on Siniyah Island near Umm al-Quwain, according to artifacts discovered there that date back to the area's pre-Islamic history in the late 6th century.
The Persian Gulf countries have had older pearling villages recorded in historical literature, but this is the first time archaeologists claim to have physically discovered one from that period.
“This is the oldest example of that kind of very specifically Khaleeji pearling town. It’s the spiritual ancestor of towns like Dubai,” said Timothy Power, an associate professor of archaeology at the United Arab Emirates University.
A social hierarchy in the site
The village covers around 12 hectares and is located just south of that monastery on one of the island's curving fingers (143,500 square yards). There, archaeologists discovered a range of residences made of beach rock and lime mortar, from small dwellings to larger homes with courtyards, Power suggested.
This suggests a social hierarchy. In contrast to other pearling operations in the area that are conducted in seasonal locations, the site also shows traces of year-round occupancy.
“The houses are crammed in there, cheek by jowl,” he added. “The key thing there is permanence. People are living there all year around.”
The Italian Archaeological Mission in the emirate, UAE University, the Department of Tourism and Archaeology in Umm al-Quwain, and the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at New York University participated in the excavation. The UAE's least populous emirate, Umm al-Quwain, intends to construct a visitor's center there.
Those who searched the area discovered a neighboring dumpsite containing the debris of discarded oyster shells. Anyone traveling over the island can hear those remnants crunching under their feet in certain places.
“You only find one pearl in every 10,000 oyster shells. You have to find and discard thousands and thousands of oyster shells to find one,” Power said. ”The waste, the industrial waste of the pearling industry, was colossal. You’re dealing with millions, millions of oyster shells discarded.”
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