7,700-year-old shell crafting site unearthed in northern Kuwait

• The Kuwaiti-Polish mission team uncovered ancient ornaments in front of ‘slave culture’ dwellings excavated in previous seasons, along with pottery over 7,000 years old, and a small clay human head, the first of its kind in the Arabian Gulf region.

Mohammed bin Reda, Assistant Secretary General of the Antiquities and Museums Sector, at the National Council for Culture, Arts, and Literature, announced that the Kuwaiti-Polish mission team has discovered a prehistoric settlement at the “Bahra 1” site in the Sabia desert, northern Kuwait. The site, which may have been a courtyard or workshop for crafting ornaments and decorations from shells, dates back 7,700 years to the slave culture, according to Q8-Press.

Bin Reda said in a press statement issued by the National Council for Culture on Sunday that the mission team, during its current season, found many ornaments in front of the ‘slave culture’ dwellings excavated in previous seasons, as well as pottery dating back more than 7,000 years. Additionally, they discovered a small clay head of a human, the first of its kind in the Arabian Gulf region.

He stated that this season, the council has involved various sectors to cooperate with archaeological missions in Kuwait, specifically between Kuwait University and the Polish mission, using modern laboratory equipment to analyze the source of the materials used on-site, as well as the types of plants and the ancient environment.

For his part, Dr. Hasan Ashkanani, Professor of Archaeology and Anthropology at Kuwait University, stated that the discovery of the human head, dating back 7,700–7,500 years, is one of the most remarkable finds of this season’s excavations.

Ashkanani added that the clay head found is characterized by its precision, featuring a rectangular skull, two sloping eyes, and a flat nose, which are distinctive features of small statues from the “slave culture.” Statues of this type have been found in grave and domestic contexts in Mesopotamia, but this discovery at the ‘Bahra 1’ site, along with the workshop, provides a deeper understanding of the development of human culture during the Neolithic Age.

For his part, Professor Pyotr Belinski, co-director of the Kuwaiti-Polish archaeological mission, stated that the presence of these monuments at the Bahra 1 site raises intriguing questions about their purpose and the symbolic or ritual value they may have held for the people of this ancient society.

The statement also highlighted other significant discoveries at “Bahra 1,” including evidence of local pottery production. Two types of pottery were identified: “imported slave pottery” and a type known as “coarse red pottery.”

The statement added that this type of pottery is considered a local product of the Gulf region, and that this discovery, including an unburnt clay vessel, along with the scientific analyses conducted under the supervision of Professor Anna Smogorzywska, provides conclusive evidence that Bahra 1 is the oldest known site for pottery production in the Gulf, demonstrating the development of this ancient settlement.

He pointed out that the Kuwaiti-Polish archaeological mission has resumed its work at the “Bahra 1″ site, which dates back to more than 5,700 BC and is known as the oldest and largest settlement from the “Obeid” period in the Arabian Peninsula. Since 2009, the site has been a focal point for archaeological research, thanks to the cooperation between the Kuwaiti National Council for Culture and the Polish Center for Mediterranean Antiquities at the University of Warsaw.