Dilmun Research Paper
My informational speech on Bahrain, the ancient island of Dilmun
Title: Dilmun, the Land of the Living holds one of the largest ancient Necropolis’ in the Modern World.
INTRODUCTION
Could Dilmun really be the Garden of Eden?
Today, I’d like to tell you a little bit about the place I was born and spent most of my childhood. This small, hot and arid desert island in the Persian Gulf holds many wonderful childhood memories for me.
Being so carefree and young, none of us would ever really appreciate or understand the significance of this amazing island and how we might be related to the Arabian ancestors of the spectacular prehistoric civilization, called Dilmun, during the years 3200 -1600 B.C.
Even more fascinating, is that this ancient island …show more content…
of Dilmun was once an ancestral burial site where immortality could be obtained by those that passed by.
The thousands of ancient burial mounds all over the island were a constant reminder of our ancestors and sometimes at weekends we would take on dares with our friends to go out in the early evening to walk amongst those huge intimidating, mounds. Once in the safety of our homes, we would recount the weird event with spine-chilling stories of ghosts, strange lights and noises of the unearthly kind.
Many theorists and archaeologists have proposed that Dilmun was the true location of the Garden of Eden whilst many others dispute the theory. I like to believe the former.
I can say however that through my own observations and growing up in Bahrain, this wonderful island now offers an apple of a different sort other than the one with which Eve tempted Adam: It’s called shopping. But that is another story.
Now I would like give you a brief insight into Bahrain and why I think it is important for all of us to keep alive the notion, the awareness of this great civilization, no matter where we come from as a testimony to the importance of Bahrain five millennia ago. Unfortunately time is running out for the burial mounds and other historical sites due to unprecedented construction and encroachment on a massive scale over the last twenty years.
"Why?" people need should know about my topic.
• Few people are aware of the ancient history in this part of the world and how this island is directly linked to Mesopotamia-Iraq, the cradle of civilization.
• The many ancient sites and the magnificence of the ancient civilization in Bahrain will testify to the importance of this island five millennia ago. This civilization was highly advanced and the centre of an ancient empire.
• Time appears to be running out for the ancient burial mounds due to unprecedented building and development in Bahrain. There is so much still to be discovered and the significance of the Dilmun era is not yet fully known to anyone yet, but ongoing excavation work continues to reveal breathtaking secrets of the period. It is now a race against time before the oblivion of these ancient mounds.
1. TIMES PAST -DILMUN & THE KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN
a) Meaning of the name Bahrain
The name ‘Bahrain’ is derived from two Arabic words ‘thnain’ and ‘Bahr’ meaning “two seas”. This refers to the fact of sweet water springs under the sea which mingle with the salty water.
b) Location
Bahrain is actually an archipelago of 33 low-lying islands located in the heart of the Persian Gulf, situated along main Arabian and international trade routes between Asia and the West.
c) Dilmun was an important center for Trade
For millennia, Bahrain has long been a port of call- for more than 6,000 years and served as an important port and center of business. It linked Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley Civilization (Pakistan and Western India).It has also been visited and at times occupied by Babylonians, Assyrians, Greeks, Romans, Persians, Portuguese and British.
The commerce between Dilmun and its trading partners included quite a variety of things such as gold, ivory, pearls from the Persian Gulf, timber, lapis lazuli, beads, carnelian, etc. An interesting fact is that the weights and measures used by the Dilmunites were the same as those used by the Indus Valley Civilization. The discovery of seals from the Indus Valley Civilization has proved this.
d) Land of Legends and Gods
The Land of Dilmun, according to the Mesopotamians, is the sacred ancestral homeland of the gods, one that is pure, innocent and without evil, and where everyone – men and animals - lives for all eternity in peace and harmony.
Dilmun was well known for the artisan springs which provided abundant fresh water and these springs themselves may have provided fodder for the legends that included passages about Dilmun such as “her city drinks water of abundance” and “her wells of bitter water, behold they become wells of sweet water” from the myth of Enki and Ninhursag.
On one ancient tablet dated 3100 B.C., Dilmun is described as an "Elysium" where the inhabitants were eternally young and suffered no illnesses, "where the raven did not croak and wolves and lion did not devour their prey. Enlil and Ninlil
Ninlil, the Sumerian goddess of air and south wind who also had her home on the island.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the oldest stories written down. Gilgamesh was King of Uruk in Mesopotamia, whose story recounts a wonderful mythological tale - a combination of 'A Thousand and One Nights' and images from the Bible. Apparently he once visited Dilmun the land of immortality in his quest for eternal life. The name Dilmun is also associated with that of Enki, the god of wisdom and water.
Using the English Sumerian glossary in Samuel Noah Kramer’s book ‘The Sumerians’-University of Chicago Press 1963, his research on mythology spans 20 or so years, Dilmun is described in another epic story of Enki and Ninhursag (queen of the mountains) as the site at which the Creation occurred.
Source: English Sumerian glossary, Kramer's The Sumerians. Kramer 1963 pp. 147-149; Kramer 1961 pp. 54-59.
During this time the island’s legend of immortality spread and the magnificent hill-like burial mounds were erected in Saar, A'ali and Hamad Town.
2. THE ANCIENT TREASURES OF BAHRAIN – BRONZE AGE BURIAL MOUNDS OR TUMULIS
a)Facts about the Prehistoric Cemetery
Bahrain has the largest prehistoric cemetery in the world. There are approximately 170,000 burial mounds, the majority dating back to the second and third century BC but with some as recent as 2,000 years old.
As a visitor to the island, you will always be surprised to see this incredible scene of graves and burial mounds, occupying over 18 miles of barren desert landscape in the middle and northern part of Bahrain.
The oldest and largest mounds, referred to as the Royal Tombs, are found at A’ali and measure up to 15m in height and 45m in diameter (See photo above and below). They can also be found in Hamad Town, Janabiya, Saar and Al Qaryah. Many of these have been robbed.
b) What was buried with the dead?
The Dilmun civilization believed in eternity - life after death – and so they placed with their dead 'funeral accompaniments' including: provisions, objects made of ivory, shells, copper weapons, stone vessels, pottery, jars, plates, seals, gold ear-rings and rings, and beads inlaid with precious stones. In the Bahrain Tribune, 17/08/2004 there is and article that describes some of the artifacts discovered in Al Miqsha'. “Numerous disc-shaped seals which used to be hung around the neck, arm, or foot of the dead. The seals were made of chalk, precious stones, mother-of-pearl, and ivory that were engraved with cuneiform writing and drawings inspired by the beliefs of the Dilmun civilization. Gold plates which were used to cover the dead's mouth and eyes were also found in the burial mounds. Source Bahrain Tribune - 17/08/2004
Men, women, and children were buried as individuals. Most of the excavated chambers revealed the remains of one individual but some have more. The dead were buried in the foetal position with their heads placed in the alcove part of the crypt.
In many tombs, skeletons of snakes were found in funerary jars – offerings to the gods, and a reminder of the legend of the snake that stole the plant of immortality from Gilgamesh.
Cuneiform tablets found in the ancient burial sites, depict the lush vegetation, plentiful fresh water springs, the dates, and the marketplace in Bahrain, which attracted Gulf trading ships to the offshore harbor. Cuneiform is the writing system invented in southern Mesopotamia.
c)How were the mounds built?
The mounds are built with pieces of stone and each of them constitutes one burial chamber or two of the same level and in most cases one of them above the other. The ceiling of the burial mound consists of sheets of stones. After closing the grave on its occupant, soil was heaped on the stones until it took the shape of mounds. The size of the burial mounds varies but majority of them are 15-30 feet (4.5-9 m.) in diameter. They are generally 3-6 feet (about 1-2 m.) in height and the smaller mounds maybe have only one chamber. These crypts usually have a rectangular shape. Clear differences in the sizes of some of these tombs suggested different forms of social status.
d) Mystery about Dilmun
The sheer number of graves had puzzled many researchers. If the people now buried in Dilmun had actually lived on the island then where were the remains of their settlements? Only one settlement site is generally known, Qala’at al-Bahrain. This is still a mystery.
3.ARCHEOLOGY & SEARCHING FOR DILMUN
‘The place where the sun rises' and 'The Land of the Living'.
Recent digs have proved the existence of a very organized lifestyle, with well ordered roads, proper houses, workshops and a central marketplace. In the Bahrain museum is a special exhibit that celebrated the Danish archaeological expeditions which discovered the link between modern Bahrain and ancient Dilmun, 1953. It was they who told the world that Bahrain was richer in history than in oil.
The Archeological Expeditions to Bahrain
In 1953 Dr.Geoffrey Bibby led his Danish archaeological expedition to Bahrain in search for Dilmun.
Bibby had many questions about the ancient sites, and through his digs at the 16th Century Bahrain Fort and temple site to the west, he drew a link to Bahrain being the elusive Dilmun. He later wrote a book in 1970 called ‘Looking for Dilmun’ and states that from his digs at the 16th Century Portuguese Fort and temple site to the west as well as drawing a link to the ancient Mesopotamian legend, Gilgamesh, he found evidence supporting a new theory, that Bahrain was Dilmun.
The full story can be read in “Looking for Dilmun” written by Geoffrey Bibby in 1970.
American, British and Danish archaeologists have been able to put together pieces and concluded that 'The Saga of Gilgamesh,' written long before the Iliad and the Odyssey, is the first-ever written piece of preserved literature. As the story unfolds, after a long and arduous voyage, Gilgamesh finds Dilmun, obtains 'the flower of eternal youth' and sets off back home. On the way he stops to get some sleep, when a serpent slithering by notices the flower and eats it. So Gilgamesh is back to being a mortal
man.
Howard-Carter (1981, p. 223) mentioned that Mesopotamian artifacts dating to before 2200 BCE aren’t present in the archaeological record on Bahrain and, instead, places Dilmun at Qurna, Iraq, about 75 km northwest of Basra where the Tigris and Euphrates converge.
Michael Rice in his book ‘The Power of the Bull’, 1998 p164, states that ‘Dilmun is the most enigmatic of the high Bronze Age cultures, even more that that which so strikingly flourished in Egypt’.
Conclusion & Closing Statement
Why should anyone here care about ancient cultures let alone care about what happens to old burial mounds sticking up in the sands of Bahrain?
Who really understands what is at stake when antiquities are lost to progress, theft and random destruction?
Preserving remnants of any early civilization lies far beyond their monetary value as it provides all of us with a valuable link to our heritage and other peoples, without which we become culturally sterile. Preserving the burial mounds should be for cultural, educational and economic reasons.
As an example there is the ancient settlement in the area of Saar that is a unique heritage resource for Bahrain and visitors where they get to have a unique glimpse of daily life in Bahrain 4,000 years ago. Imagine those simple clay seals found in the burial mounds that were used to keep records of ordinary daily life. One can imagine the ancient dilmunite holding it in his hand, inscribing his message with a reed stylus. He would never have imagined that thousands of years later, modern Bahrainis would be admiring his craft. That man can still speak to us if the tablet is preserved, studied and translated. What a tragedy if it is destroyed or sold on eBay. Fortunately, here and there, all around the world that there are always a few, wise men and women who have kept alive the belief, the awareness of great civilizations.
To increase public awareness of the importance of preserving cultural antiquities we need to:-
1. Promote the sites collectively as a single attraction.
2. Fund-raising and media awareness campaigns.
3. Programs of educational visits for state and private schools
4. Volunteer programs and PR events.
5. Help should be given to curators, archaeologists, and historians to increase public awareness about why the preservation of antiquities is important to everyone.
All people throughout the World, including Bahrainis need to feel connected to ancient culture and how our civilizations evolved, regardless of who our forefathers were. I believe that the Bahrainis are worthy successors to the heritage of Dilmun.
.
Title: Dilmun, the Land of the Living holds one of the largest ancient Necropolis’ in the Modern World.
INTRODUCTION
Could Dilmun really be the Garden of Eden?
Today, I’d like to tell you a little bit about the place I was born and spent most of my childhood. This small, hot and arid desert island in the Persian Gulf holds many wonderful childhood memories for me.
Being so carefree and young, none of us would ever really appreciate or understand the significance of this amazing island and how we might be related to the Arabian ancestors of the spectacular prehistoric civilization, called Dilmun, during the years 3200 -1600 B.C.
Even more fascinating, is that this ancient island …show more content…
of Dilmun was once an ancestral burial site where immortality could be obtained by those that passed by.
The thousands of ancient burial mounds all over the island were a constant reminder of our ancestors and sometimes at weekends we would take on dares with our friends to go out in the early evening to walk amongst those huge intimidating, mounds. Once in the safety of our homes, we would recount the weird event with spine-chilling stories of ghosts, strange lights and noises of the unearthly kind.
Many theorists and archaeologists have proposed that Dilmun was the true location of the Garden of Eden whilst many others dispute the theory. I like to believe the former.
I can say however that through my own observations and growing up in Bahrain, this wonderful island now offers an apple of a different sort other than the one with which Eve tempted Adam: It’s called shopping. But that is another story.
Now I would like give you a brief insight into Bahrain and why I think it is important for all of us to keep alive the notion, the awareness of this great civilization, no matter where we come from as a testimony to the importance of Bahrain five millennia ago. Unfortunately time is running out for the burial mounds and other historical sites due to unprecedented construction and encroachment on a massive scale over the last twenty years.
"Why?" people need should know about my topic.
• Few people are aware of the ancient history in this part of the world and how this island is directly linked to Mesopotamia-Iraq, the cradle of civilization.
• The many ancient sites and the magnificence of the ancient civilization in Bahrain will testify to the importance of this island five millennia ago. This civilization was highly advanced and the centre of an ancient empire.
• Time appears to be running out for the ancient burial mounds due to unprecedented building and development in Bahrain. There is so much still to be discovered and the significance of the Dilmun era is not yet fully known to anyone yet, but ongoing excavation work continues to reveal breathtaking secrets of the period. It is now a race against time before the oblivion of these ancient mounds.
1. TIMES PAST -DILMUN & THE KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN
a) Meaning of the name Bahrain
The name ‘Bahrain’ is derived from two Arabic words ‘thnain’ and ‘Bahr’ meaning “two seas”. This refers to the fact of sweet water springs under the sea which mingle with the salty water.
b) Location
Bahrain is actually an archipelago of 33 low-lying islands located in the heart of the Persian Gulf, situated along main Arabian and international trade routes between Asia and the West.
c) Dilmun was an important center for Trade
For millennia, Bahrain has long been a port of call- for more than 6,000 years and served as an important port and center of business. It linked Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley Civilization (Pakistan and Western India).It has also been visited and at times occupied by Babylonians, Assyrians, Greeks, Romans, Persians, Portuguese and British.
The commerce between Dilmun and its trading partners included quite a variety of things such as gold, ivory, pearls from the Persian Gulf, timber, lapis lazuli, beads, carnelian, etc. An interesting fact is that the weights and measures used by the Dilmunites were the same as those used by the Indus Valley Civilization. The discovery of seals from the Indus Valley Civilization has proved this.
d) Land of Legends and Gods
The Land of Dilmun, according to the Mesopotamians, is the sacred ancestral homeland of the gods, one that is pure, innocent and without evil, and where everyone – men and animals - lives for all eternity in peace and harmony.
Dilmun was well known for the artisan springs which provided abundant fresh water and these springs themselves may have provided fodder for the legends that included passages about Dilmun such as “her city drinks water of abundance” and “her wells of bitter water, behold they become wells of sweet water” from the myth of Enki and Ninhursag.
On one ancient tablet dated 3100 B.C., Dilmun is described as an "Elysium" where the inhabitants were eternally young and suffered no illnesses, "where the raven did not croak and wolves and lion did not devour their prey. Enlil and Ninlil
Ninlil, the Sumerian goddess of air and south wind who also had her home on the island.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the oldest stories written down. Gilgamesh was King of Uruk in Mesopotamia, whose story recounts a wonderful mythological tale - a combination of 'A Thousand and One Nights' and images from the Bible. Apparently he once visited Dilmun the land of immortality in his quest for eternal life. The name Dilmun is also associated with that of Enki, the god of wisdom and water.
Using the English Sumerian glossary in Samuel Noah Kramer’s book ‘The Sumerians’-University of Chicago Press 1963, his research on mythology spans 20 or so years, Dilmun is described in another epic story of Enki and Ninhursag (queen of the mountains) as the site at which the Creation occurred.
Source: English Sumerian glossary, Kramer's The Sumerians. Kramer 1963 pp. 147-149; Kramer 1961 pp. 54-59.
During this time the island’s legend of immortality spread and the magnificent hill-like burial mounds were erected in Saar, A'ali and Hamad Town.
2. THE ANCIENT TREASURES OF BAHRAIN – BRONZE AGE BURIAL MOUNDS OR TUMULIS
a)Facts about the Prehistoric Cemetery
Bahrain has the largest prehistoric cemetery in the world. There are approximately 170,000 burial mounds, the majority dating back to the second and third century BC but with some as recent as 2,000 years old.
As a visitor to the island, you will always be surprised to see this incredible scene of graves and burial mounds, occupying over 18 miles of barren desert landscape in the middle and northern part of Bahrain.
The oldest and largest mounds, referred to as the Royal Tombs, are found at A’ali and measure up to 15m in height and 45m in diameter (See photo above and below). They can also be found in Hamad Town, Janabiya, Saar and Al Qaryah. Many of these have been robbed.
b) What was buried with the dead?
The Dilmun civilization believed in eternity - life after death – and so they placed with their dead 'funeral accompaniments' including: provisions, objects made of ivory, shells, copper weapons, stone vessels, pottery, jars, plates, seals, gold ear-rings and rings, and beads inlaid with precious stones. In the Bahrain Tribune, 17/08/2004 there is and article that describes some of the artifacts discovered in Al Miqsha'. “Numerous disc-shaped seals which used to be hung around the neck, arm, or foot of the dead. The seals were made of chalk, precious stones, mother-of-pearl, and ivory that were engraved with cuneiform writing and drawings inspired by the beliefs of the Dilmun civilization. Gold plates which were used to cover the dead's mouth and eyes were also found in the burial mounds. Source Bahrain Tribune - 17/08/2004
Men, women, and children were buried as individuals. Most of the excavated chambers revealed the remains of one individual but some have more. The dead were buried in the foetal position with their heads placed in the alcove part of the crypt.
In many tombs, skeletons of snakes were found in funerary jars – offerings to the gods, and a reminder of the legend of the snake that stole the plant of immortality from Gilgamesh.
Cuneiform tablets found in the ancient burial sites, depict the lush vegetation, plentiful fresh water springs, the dates, and the marketplace in Bahrain, which attracted Gulf trading ships to the offshore harbor. Cuneiform is the writing system invented in southern Mesopotamia.
c)How were the mounds built?
The mounds are built with pieces of stone and each of them constitutes one burial chamber or two of the same level and in most cases one of them above the other. The ceiling of the burial mound consists of sheets of stones. After closing the grave on its occupant, soil was heaped on the stones until it took the shape of mounds. The size of the burial mounds varies but majority of them are 15-30 feet (4.5-9 m.) in diameter. They are generally 3-6 feet (about 1-2 m.) in height and the smaller mounds maybe have only one chamber. These crypts usually have a rectangular shape. Clear differences in the sizes of some of these tombs suggested different forms of social status.
d) Mystery about Dilmun
The sheer number of graves had puzzled many researchers. If the people now buried in Dilmun had actually lived on the island then where were the remains of their settlements? Only one settlement site is generally known, Qala’at al-Bahrain. This is still a mystery.
3.ARCHEOLOGY & SEARCHING FOR DILMUN
‘The place where the sun rises' and 'The Land of the Living'.
Recent digs have proved the existence of a very organized lifestyle, with well ordered roads, proper houses, workshops and a central marketplace. In the Bahrain museum is a special exhibit that celebrated the Danish archaeological expeditions which discovered the link between modern Bahrain and ancient Dilmun, 1953. It was they who told the world that Bahrain was richer in history than in oil.
The Archeological Expeditions to Bahrain
In 1953 Dr.Geoffrey Bibby led his Danish archaeological expedition to Bahrain in search for Dilmun.
Bibby had many questions about the ancient sites, and through his digs at the 16th Century Bahrain Fort and temple site to the west, he drew a link to Bahrain being the elusive Dilmun. He later wrote a book in 1970 called ‘Looking for Dilmun’ and states that from his digs at the 16th Century Portuguese Fort and temple site to the west as well as drawing a link to the ancient Mesopotamian legend, Gilgamesh, he found evidence supporting a new theory, that Bahrain was Dilmun.
The full story can be read in “Looking for Dilmun” written by Geoffrey Bibby in 1970.
American, British and Danish archaeologists have been able to put together pieces and concluded that 'The Saga of Gilgamesh,' written long before the Iliad and the Odyssey, is the first-ever written piece of preserved literature. As the story unfolds, after a long and arduous voyage, Gilgamesh finds Dilmun, obtains 'the flower of eternal youth' and sets off back home. On the way he stops to get some sleep, when a serpent slithering by notices the flower and eats it. So Gilgamesh is back to being a mortal
man.
Howard-Carter (1981, p. 223) mentioned that Mesopotamian artifacts dating to before 2200 BCE aren’t present in the archaeological record on Bahrain and, instead, places Dilmun at Qurna, Iraq, about 75 km northwest of Basra where the Tigris and Euphrates converge.
Michael Rice in his book ‘The Power of the Bull’, 1998 p164, states that ‘Dilmun is the most enigmatic of the high Bronze Age cultures, even more that that which so strikingly flourished in Egypt’.
Conclusion & Closing Statement
Why should anyone here care about ancient cultures let alone care about what happens to old burial mounds sticking up in the sands of Bahrain?
Who really understands what is at stake when antiquities are lost to progress, theft and random destruction?
Preserving remnants of any early civilization lies far beyond their monetary value as it provides all of us with a valuable link to our heritage and other peoples, without which we become culturally sterile. Preserving the burial mounds should be for cultural, educational and economic reasons.
As an example there is the ancient settlement in the area of Saar that is a unique heritage resource for Bahrain and visitors where they get to have a unique glimpse of daily life in Bahrain 4,000 years ago. Imagine those simple clay seals found in the burial mounds that were used to keep records of ordinary daily life. One can imagine the ancient dilmunite holding it in his hand, inscribing his message with a reed stylus. He would never have imagined that thousands of years later, modern Bahrainis would be admiring his craft. That man can still speak to us if the tablet is preserved, studied and translated. What a tragedy if it is destroyed or sold on eBay. Fortunately, here and there, all around the world that there are always a few, wise men and women who have kept alive the belief, the awareness of great civilizations.
To increase public awareness of the importance of preserving cultural antiquities we need to:-
1. Promote the sites collectively as a single attraction.
2. Fund-raising and media awareness campaigns.
3. Programs of educational visits for state and private schools
4. Volunteer programs and PR events.
5. Help should be given to curators, archaeologists, and historians to increase public awareness about why the preservation of antiquities is important to everyone.
All people throughout the World, including Bahrainis need to feel connected to ancient culture and how our civilizations evolved, regardless of who our forefathers were. I believe that the Bahrainis are worthy successors to the heritage of Dilmun.
.