Threads of memory: Reviving the ornament of a dead child at the Neolithic village of Ba`ja (Jordan)

Abstract

In 2018, a well-constructed cist-type grave was discovered at Ba`ja, a Neolithic village (7,400–6,800 BCE) in Southern Jordan. Underneath multiple grave layers, an 8-year-old child was buried in a fetal position. Over 2,500 beads were found on the chest and neck, along with a double perforated stone pendant and a delicately engraved mother-of-pearl ring discovered among the concentration of beads. The first was found behind the neck, and the second on the chest. The meticulous documentation of the bead distribution indicated that the assemblage was a composite ornament that had gradually collapsed, partly due to the burying position. Our aim was to challenge time degradation and to reimagine the initial composition in order to best explore the significance of this symbolic category of material culture, not as mere group of beads, but as an ornamental creation with further aesthetic, artisanal and socioeconomic implications. The reconstruction results exceeded our expectations as it revealed an imposing multi-row necklace of complex structure and attractive design. Through multiple lines of evidence, we suggest that the necklace was created at Ba`ja, although significant parts of beads were made from exotic shells and stones, including fossil amber, an unprecedented material never attested before for this period. The retrieval of such an ornament from life and its attribution to a young dead child highlights the significant social status of this individual. Beyond the symbolic functions related to identity, the necklace is believed to have played a key role in performing the inhumation rituals, understood as a public event gathering families, relatives, and people from other villages. In this sense, the necklace is not seen as belonging completely to the realm of death but rather to the world of the living, materializing a collective memory and shared moments of emotions and social cohesion.

Glass beads from a Scythian grave on the island of Khortytsia (Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine): insights into bead making through 3D imaging

“…CT scan has been utilized in archaeology mainly to examine mummies and skeletal remains [38][39][40] and for the non-invasive inspection of blocks of soils embedding fragile archaeological relics [41]. In addition, CT scan can support the archaeological research for a wide variety of materials and archaeological objects: some of them are very usual and widespread, such as ceramic and clay for pottery and clay tablets [42,43], metal for coins, weapons and tools [44,45], wood for coffins, boats and musical instruments [46][47][48] while others are rarer and less common, such as shell beads [49] and birch bark tar [50]. CT is undergoing continuous technological improvements and refinements in data analysis, focusing in particular on portability [51,52], adaptation to specific materials or shape requirements [53][54][55] and optimization of reconstruction and segmentation methods [56,57].…”