Exquisite necklace discovered in Stone Age child's grave in Jordan (photo)
Researchers have assembled an ancient ornate necklace found in a child's grave in modern-day Jordan. The Stone Age burial was discovered in the Neolithic village of Baja.
More than 2,500 colorful stone and shell beads were found in the tomb, which dates back to between 7400 and 6800 BC. This is reported by PLOS ONE.
It is noted that archaeological excavations have been conducted in the 9000-year-old village of Badja near the ancient city of Petra since 1997. The grave of an 8-year-old child buried in the fetal position was found there.
Thousands of beads covered the child's chest and neck. A hole pendant made of stone and a mother-of-pearl ring was also found.
The team documented how the beads were distributed across the grave and determined that they were once part of a larger ornament that eventually broke apart.
Genetic analysis of the poorly preserved remains revealed nothing about the child's health status, cause of death, dietary habits or biological identity. The researchers focused on the beads and the story they might tell about the child, as well as Neolithic funerary practices.
"This necklace has no analogues in any of the Neolithic Levantine traditions known to date. The large volume, complex organization, symmetry, harmony, beauty of the objects and the play of light and colors actually resemble the sophisticated ornaments of the last urban societies of Mesopotamia and Egypt," the researchers noted.
As a reminder, a rare silver coin used to pay taxes in the Jerusalem Temple was found in the desert.
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