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Carnelian, agate, and other types of chalcedony: the prehistory of Jebel al‐Ma'taradh and its semi‐precious stones, Emirate of Ra's al‐Khaimah
Author(s) -
Charpentier Vincent,
Brunet Olivier,
Méry Sophie,
Velde Christian
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
arabian archaeology and epigraphy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.384
H-Index - 18
eISSN - 1600-0471
pISSN - 0905-7196
DOI - 10.1111/aae.12090
Subject(s) - chalcedony , prehistory , archaeology , pleistocene , geology , geography , paleontology , quartz
Abstract The Jebel al‐Ma'taradh and its surroundings contain exceptional deposits of lithic raw materials, including flint and chert, but especially chalcedony, agate, carnelian, and chrysoprase. These deposits were intensively exploited during the Neolithic, and some of the artefacts produced entered the trade network that included settlements on the coast and inland, sometimes as far as 300 km. During earlier periods, probably as early as the Pleistocene, only flint was used. Between the sixth and the fourth millennia, carnelian and agate were exploited to make beads, which are found in the necropolises and settlements of the UAE .