Bead Production in the Late Neolithic Communities of Coastal Oman

The development and elaboration of softstone and marine shell bead production is one of the major questions that need to be addressed in the ongoing research of early human coastal adaptations in the Oman Peninsula. This research aimed first at testing the archaeological significance of beads as an indicator of cultural variability among the Late Neolithic coastal communities of Oman based on a series of specific stylistic, technological and morphometric features. Around 600 softstone and marine shell beads were documented from eight Late Neolithic sites located along the coast of the Sultanate of Oman, including both settlements and necropolises. From North to South the sites are, Ras Al-Hamra RH- 5, RH-6 and RH-10 in Muscat; Wadi Shab GAS-1 near Tiwi; Ras Al-Hadd HD-5, Ras Al-Khabbah KHB-1 and Suwayh SWY-1 and SWY-2 along the Ja’alan coast