A dugong bone mound: the Neolithic ritual site on Akab in Umm al-Quwain, United Arab Emirates

The authors present a remarkable site with a remarkable interpretation: a structured platform of dugong bones, containing skulls laid in parallel and ribs in sets, together with artefacts of the Neolithic period. They propose that the bones have been symbolically arranged and the mound as a whole had a ritual purpose--an interpretation endorsed by analogy with dugong platforms noted in the Torres Strait in recent times. Keywords: east Arabia, Neolithic, ritual, dugong
Introduction The Neolithic period in the Oman Peninsula and the Gulf is relatively unexplored. Excavations remain rare, with 20 sites, at most, explored between Kuwait and the Sultanate of Oman. [...]