A collection of bronze weapons dating from the second Iron Age (900-600 BC) has been uncovered near Adam, at the frontier between oasis and desert regions in Oman, according to the National Centre of Scientific Research (CNRS), under the French Ministry of Education and Research.
The remains were discovered scattered on the ground in a building belonging to what is believed to be a religious complex, during excavations carried out by a French archaeological mission in central Oman, reads a press release by the centre. The mission, partly in collaboration with Oman’s Ministry of Heritage and culture, began in 2007 setting out to explore the political system, social practices and rituals existing in the region at the time.
The collection discovered in a site known as Mudhmar Est includes two complete quivers and weapons made of metal, including two bows – objects that are unfamiliar in the Arabian Peninsula, according to the scientists.
“These were small-scale models imitating the original objects made of perishable materials (leather), which are not usually found in archaeological excavations,” says the press release. “The fact that they are made of metal implies that they were non-functional. Quivers of this kind have never been found in the Arabian Peninsula, and are extremely rare elsewhere.”
Read more about this discovery here.
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The Persian Conquest of Egypt of 525 BC saw Cambyses II of Persia conquer the fourth major power of the ancient near east, completing the series of conquests begun by his father Cyrus II the Great.These weapons must have been left from the Persian army.