KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti-Polish archaeological mission has unearthed what appears to be either a courtyard or a workshop for making jewelry and ornaments from shells in the Subiya dessert in northern Kuwait. This discovery is believed to date back to the Ubaid period of Mesopotamia approximately 7,700 years ago.

Assistant Secretary-General for the Antiquities and Museums Sector at the National Council for Culture, Arts, and Letters (NCCAL) Mohammed bin Redha said the mission has uncovered several pieces of jewelry in front of dwellings of the Ubaid period, in addition to numerous pottery fragments over 7,000 years old. The mission also found a piece of clay depicting a small human head, which is the first of its kind in the Gulf region.

NCCAL has recruited the expertise of various entities in Kuwait to collaborate with the Polish mission, particularly Kuwait University. The cooperation enabled the utilization of modern laboratory equipment to address questions about the origins of the materials found at the site, as well as to study the types of plants that could have been present at the site.

A piece of clay depicting a small human head dating back to 7,700 years ago was unearthed at Subiya dessert.

Pieces of pottery found at the site are placed on a table.

Hasan Ashkanani, Assistant Professor of anthropological archaeology at Kuwait University, said the the discovery of the clay human head, dating back to 7,500-7,700 years ago, is one of the most remarkable finds of the current excavation season. He added that the head, which is crafted from clay, features a distinctive rectangular skull, slanted eyes, and a flat nose — characteristics commonly seen in small statues from the Ubaid culture.

Similar statues have been found in burial and domestic contexts in Mesopotamia, but this discovery at the site (called Bahra 1), along with the unearthed jewelry workshop, provides a deeper understanding of the development of human culture during the Neolithic period. Professor Piotr Bielinski, Co-director of the Kuwaiti-Polish archaeological mission, emphasized that the discovery of these artifacts at Bahra 1 raises interesting questions regarding their purpose and the symbolic or perhaps ritualistic significance they held for this ancient community.

The statement also noted other significant discoveries at Bahra 1, including evidence of local pottery production. The discovery of an unburned clay vessel, along with scientific analyses conducted under the supervision of Professor Anna Smogórzewska, provides conclusive evidence that Bahra 1 is the earliest known pottery production site in the Gulf, confirming the development of this ancient settlement.

The Kuwaiti-Polish archaeological mission resumed its work at the Bahra 1 site, which dates back to more than 5,700 years BCE. The site is recognized as the oldest and largest known Ubaid settlement in the Arabian Peninsula and has been a focal point for archaeological research since 2009, thanks to the cooperation between NCCAL and the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology at the University of Warsaw. — KUNA