The world’s oldest pearl, around 8,000 years old, has been found during the excavations at the Marawah Island off the coast of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
Using radiocarbon dating, archaeologists have estimated that the pearl dates back to 5800 to 5600 BC.
This discovery is also evidence that pearls were used in the UAE 8,000 years back and that pearls were traded in this region since the early Neolithic times. It is also the earliest known evidence of pearling anywhere in the world.
“The discovery of the oldest pearl in the world in Abu Dhabi makes it clear that so much of our recent economic and cultural history has deep roots that stretch back to the dawn of prehistory,” said Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, the chairman of Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism.
This incredible pearl, which is now widely being called ‘The Abu Dhabi Pearl’ will be displayed at the Louvre Gallery in Abu Dhabi for the ‘10,000 Years of Luxury’ exhibition which will begin later in the month on 30th October.
Excavations of the Marawah Island, which comprises of a number of neolithic stone structures, have, in the past, brought to light many ceramics, beads, and arrowheads.
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