French researchers at the Laboratoire Archéologies et Sciences de l'Antiquité (ArScAn) (CNRS) have unearthed the oldest-ever archeological natural pearl. Discovered at a Neolithic site in the Emirate of Umm al Quwain (United Arab Emirates), it dates from 5500 BC. These findings, together with previous discoveries of natural pearls on the south-eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, provide evidence that the earliest pearl oyster fishing took place in this region of the world. Published in the journal Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy, they show that natural pearls were a major component of cultural identity in early societies in the Persian Gulf and the northern Indian Ocean.
via Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories http://phys.org/news/2012-06-oldest-natural-pearl-arabia.html
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