Metal artefacts from the Sharm tomb (1)

Abstract

During the course of excavation, a total of fifty-four metal objects and fragments was recovered from the Sharm tomb. The most common finds were copper-based and included arrowheads, numerous vessel fragments and a number of rivets. Additionally, two gold beads, one fragmentary silver bracelet and one unidentifiable iron object were recovered. The metal finds from Sharm are listed in Table 1 and their spatial distribution is shown in Figure 1. It is likely that a much larger number of metal objects was once buried within the tomb. Ancient tomb robbing was aimed primarily at the procurement of copper and bronze (2) and such materials are only minimally represented in most prehistoric tomb assemblages from the Oman Peninsula. Rare examples of intact tombs, for example from Qidfa in Fujairah, Bishiya and Al-Wasit in Oman (3), have been found to contain numerous (sometimes hundreds of) copper and bronze items, and the metal assemblage from Sharm could initially have been of this magnitude. ... The majority of this paper will deal with the copper-based finds from Sharm. However, a brief note on the objects from the site made of other metals is required.