Sometimes you have to find something far away to understand something nearby. This seems to be the case with the discovery of a complete set of copper cymbals in Oman, which have allowed archaeologists to be much more sure that similar finds of only one cymbal in Mohenjo-daro and elsewhere were actually musical instruments. This fascinating paper presents a pair of copper cymbals excavated from the Bronze Age settlement of Dahwa 7 (DH7) in northern Oman, dated to the third millennium BC during the Umm an-Nar period (2600-2000 BC). The discovery provides rare physical evidence of musical traditions in Arabia that appear connected to the Indus Valley civilization.
The cymbals were discovered in building S1, a small rectangular structure (4.4 × 3.3m) located in an elevated, isolated position overlooking the settlement. Several features suggest this building had ritual significance: positioning separate from other buildings, a unique architectural plan with internal installations, associated artifacts and external plastered areas suggesting communal gatherings. The cymbals were carefully placed one atop the other in an intentional fill layer that was subsequently covered by a stone floor, indicating they were likely a votive deposit (expressing a wish, desire or prayer). Dating evidence places the building's use in the third quarter of the third millennium BC, potentially extending into the final century of the Umm an-Nar period (2100-2000 BC). The building S1 at Dahwa is only the second Bronze Age structure in southeast Arabia associated with cultic activity, making it a significant find for understanding non-funerary ritual practices in the region.
The cymbals are identical circular copper objects with a 138mm outer diameter, embossed middle (17mm deep, 76mm in diameter), a central perforation (4.2mm diameter) and thin walls (1.5-2mm thickness). Chemical analysis revealed they were made from copper ore likely originating from Nujum near Muscat or Maysar, about 170km southwest of Dahwa, rather than from local copper sources. Their careful deposition suggests ritual significance, which is supported by evidence from contemporary societies where cymbals were associated with religious practices.
The closest parallels for these cymbals are found at Mohenjo-daro in the Indus Valley [see Image 3 above], where similar objects date to the mid-third millennium BC. There are also parallels in Mesopotamian iconography, such as the Ur-Namma stele showing a musician playing round cymbals.
The discovery fits within a broader pattern of evidence for Indus presence in Oman during this period like the local production of Indus-style ceramics, Indus-style artifacts found at several sites, evidence of migration and integration of Indus people into local Umm an-Nar culture. This suggests a complex relationship between local populations and Indus migrants, who may have been involved in copper extraction and smelting for export to the Indus Valley. The authors propose that music played an important role in mediating contact between different communities in Bronze Age Oman. The paper suggests that "shared acts of making music, dancing and perhaps performing cultic activities could have helped to build stable communities" where people from different cultural backgrounds intermingled.
Were these cymbals locally manufactured or imported as finished products, despite using Omani copper? How did musical traditions spread and evolve throughout the broader region connecting Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, and Arabia? The archaeological evidence for musical instruments in the Indus Valley civilization remains limited. The potential cymbals from Mohenjo-daro, Harappa, and Chanhu-daro mentioned in this paper were previously considered possible pot lids by some researchers, but the Dahwa find supports their identification as musical instruments. The famous bronze "dancing girl" figurine from Mohenjo-daro suggests that dance and potentially music were important elements of Harappan social life, but we have limited direct evidence of their instruments or performance contexts.
Images: 1. The cymbals after removing part of the fill layer, to the right are remains of the pavement floor (L009). Inset, the two cymbals lie on top of each other, perfectly aligned (photograph by Y. Al Rahbi).
2. Photograph and drawing of the cymbal pair (figure by H. David-Cuny).
3. Possible cymbals from Mohenjo-daro, which Marshall filed under Copper and Bronze Objects (1931, III, p. CXLII, 1-3, 7 & 8, not 4 in the above image).
4. Drone image of building S1 taken at the end of the 2021 field season (photograph by S. Al-Mamari).
5. Location of Dahwa and other Umm an-Nar sites mentioned in the text (map by M. Hesein).