Inputs by Alekhya Chavan
Get ready and hold on tight, like when you’re getting ready for an exciting ride to be transported back in time as we explore the story of an old town and a necklace that is changing history.
Ba’ja, an old community, is located in the heart of Jordan (Jordan is a country in Western Asia).
Imagine a special village that existed a really, really long time ago, around when cavemen were learning to grow plants and make things from clay. This village, called Ba’ja, was like a bunch of houses where people lived, and it’s been around since 7000 BC. It’s like stepping into a time machine! And guess what? This village is like a giant box of hidden treasures, with old things buried underground, waiting to be discovered.
A child’s burial was discovered in Ba’ja. Archeologists also found beads in the grave.
Archaeologists, like modern-day researchers, took on the task of solving this historical mystery. They found that the beads were not randomly placed around the child. They were part of an elaborate necklace that the child wore at the time of the burial.
Since the time period of the burial is very likely neolithic era, this is evidence that the neolithic people did have cultural items like jewelry as part of their daily lives.
The necklace is made up of a complex arrangement of over 2,500 colourful stones (turquoise, calcite, hematite, etc.), shells, two eye-catching amber beads, a large stone pendant, and a skillfully carved mother-of-pearl ring.
The scientists tried to duplicate the necklace in 3D. Their recreation is now housed in Jordan’s Petra Museum.
The original paper can be read here.
