Two swords belonging to the fifth millennium BC discovered in Bahrain
Bahrain, Culture, 2/26/1999

The daily Bahrain Tribune reported on Wednesday that archaeologists discovered on Monday two swords dating back to Delmon's first phase (Delmon was a civilization which flourished in the Gulf region five thousand years ago and is still not cleared out yet).

The Tribune daily quoted archaeologist Khalil Fardh, who is carrying out excavation works at the Hamad city site in the center of Bahrain, as saying "We unearthed the largest bronze sword ever found in Bahrain."

He added, "The sword is 53 cm long and 4 cm wide. It is the best evidence on the existence of fighting traditions by the people of Delmon."

The two swords were discovered in a grave beside a skeleton, presumably that of a soldier.

The second sword, which was found at the same place, is 10 cm shorter. Excavation work continues on the grave and another 4,000 graves at the site.

Bahrain, one of the world's smallest countries, contains the largest prehistoric cemetery, with 300,000 tombs.

Archaeologists from Denmark, France and Britain have so far discovered skeletons and small sculptures, utensils and other small products made of pottery or bronze.

The excavation work aims at redrawing the history of Delmon, which mainly flourished in Bahrain and on the eastern coast of what are now Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, especially between 2000 and1700 BC.

Antiquities from this civilization were found in Mesopotamia (now Iraq), where the Sumerians ruled in the fourth millennium.

Archaeological discoveries testify to contacts between Sumer (Mesopotamia) and Delmon.

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