7,500-year-old Ubaid clay figurine unearthed at Bahra 1 in Kuwait

Archaeologists from the Kuwaiti-Polish Archaeological Mission (KPAM) have uncovered a rare ceramic figurine in the shape of a human head at the Bahra 1 archaeological site, the first such discovery in the Gulf region, according to HeritageDaily. This intricately crafted clay head figurine, with an elongated skull, slanting eyes, and a flat nose, is thought to be around 7,500 years old.

"The discovery of the clay human head is one of the most remarkable finds of the current excavation season," Hassan Ashkanani from Kuwait University, one of the leaders of the excavations, stated, according to Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

Researchers made the findings during this year's season of archaeological investigations at Bahra 1, a site in the Al-Subiyah desert on the coast of Kuwait Bay.

Bahra 1 is recognized as the oldest and largest known settlement on the Arabian Peninsula, dating to around 5500 to 4900 BC, and is among the oldest and largest known prehistoric settlements in the region. The site provides conclusive evidence of early pottery use in the region, as stated by Newsweek.

During the excavations at Bahra 1, archaeologists also discovered a jewelry workshop that operated about 7,700 years ago, with shell ornaments and pottery shards, reported Arkeonews.

The Ubaid culture, known for its distinctive pottery, emerged around 6200 B.C. on the flat alluvial plains of southern Mesopotamia (ancient Iraq), according to Arkeonews. The Ubaid culture spread north through Mesopotamia, gradually replacing the Halaf culture.

Refined dating shows that the Bahra 1 workshop may have been operating as early as 7,700 years ago.

The Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology, University of Warsaw (PCMA UW), announced the findings. Piotr Bieliński, who co-led the Polish side of the expedition, said, "Its presence raises intriguing questions about its purpose and the symbolic, or possibly ritualistic, value it held for the people of this ancient community," according to Newsweek.

Researchers also uncovered conclusive evidence of the production of a type of pottery known as coarse red ware, which is a prehistoric pottery made from coarse clay with a reddish hue, according to Newsweek.

Previously, Coarse Red Ware (CRW) was thought to have been made elsewhere in the Gulf region, but recent discoveries at Bahra 1 have identified it as a local product.

An archaeobotanical analysis of the Ubaid and CRW pottery found plant fragments embedded in the clay. The study identified wild plants such as reeds in the Coarse Red Ware (CRW) and cultivated crops such as barley and wheat in the Ubaid ware. The analysis provides new insights into the flora of the region during the mid-6th millennium BCE.

Archaeologists also found figurines made of fired clay, mostly female, decorated with painted or appliqué ornamentation. The heads of these figurines resemble the heads of lizards, as noted by Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq