Bahra 1, where the excavations are being carried out, is the largest known settlement in the Arabian Peninsula from the Ubaid period. Each year, the work of the Kuwaiti-Polish team provides new data on the details of the lives of its prehistoric inhabitants. The site has been studied by the Kuwait-Poland Archaeological Mission since 2009. This year's mission uncovered several pieces of jewellery near the settlements, as well as numerous pottery fragments over 7,000 years old.

A clay figurine found during the Kuwait mission

Among the most significant discoveries is a clay fragment depicting a small human head - the first such object found in the Gulf region, dating between 7,500 and 7,700 years ago. This is one of the most remarkable finds of the current excavation season. The clay head is distinguished by its rectangular skull, slanted eyes and flat nose - features characteristic of small figurines from the Ubaid culture. Similar figurines have already been found in Mesopotamia - in tombs and houses, but the recent find at the Bahra 1 site and the jewellery workshop that has been discovered will provide a better understanding of the development of human culture in the Neolithic period. Work is currently underway with the WUT MakerSpace at the WUT Innovation Centre to print a 3D model of the found figurine. Evidence of local pottery production has also been discovered at the archaeological site, confirming that Bahra 1 is the oldest known pottery production site in the Gulf, indicating the advanced development of this ancient settlement.

A fragment of the Digital Terrain Model (DTM), with a resolution of 2cm/px, was taken across the site using a drone

Polish mission in Kuwait

A scientist from the Warsaw University of Technology is participating in research work in Kuwait.

Paweł Czernic during research work in Kuwait, photo by Olga Puszkarewicz

- I supported the mission with classical surveying, but also with 3D documentation, using photogrammetric techniques both for mapping the terrain, but also for creating 3D models of monuments. In addition, I was involved in data mining from data from previous excavation seasons, which resulted in extracting information from the data and noting interesting correlations that will be presented in future scientific articles, says Paweł Czernic from the WUT Faculty of Geodesy and Cartography (GiK).

Photo: Paweł Czernic during research work in Kuwait, photo: Olga Puszkarewicz

On the Polish side, the work of the research team is headed by Prof. Piotr Bielinski, while the current season is under the direction of Agnieszka Pieńkowska, PhD - both from the Centre for Mediterranean Archaeology at the University of Warsaw. The National Council for Culture, Arts and Literature (NCCAL) has engaged various institutions in Kuwait, including Kuwait University, to collaborate with the Polish mission. The establishment of this cooperation made it possible to use modern laboratory methods to analyse the origin of the materials found, as well as to study the vegetation that may have been present at the site.