discovering the heart of Oman

Salut Museum

EUROPEAN RESEARCH COUNCIL - UNIVERSITA' DI PISA

Grave 13

Grave 13 at the beginning of the excavation, after the removal of the topsoil deposit (IMTO archive).

The stone cist tomb Grave 13 at the end of the excavation (IMTO archive).

G13 was built laying large stone blocks directly on the bedrock (IMTO archive).

SLQ - GRAVE 13
 
At the southern footings of the hill hosting the stronghold of Husn Salut, were discovered the remains of a burial labeled as Grave 13. The grave, rectangular in shape, was erected by laying on their narrower and longer side a series of large squared stone blocks.
 
The burial had been robbed, and the excavated fill comprised a re-shuffled, mainly silty deposit, including only scanty scattered human remains along with two complete soft stone bowls.
 
One (F91) is a globular bowl bearing a typical dot-in double circle decoration incised and framed just below the rim.
The other bowl (F92) instead shows a triangular rim on the upper, flat lip of which five sets of straight parallel traits and two trident motifs are incised. A dot-in double circle decoration incised just below the rim is also present.
 
These two finds, both datable to the Early Bronze Age, help us to connect the realization of this grave to that period, despite the unusual cist shape. For this reason G13 bears witness to a possible new type of Early Bronze Age burial and indicate a different choice about graves location, standing in a position that undoubtedly links it with the plain rather than with the hill slope.