The Royal Mounds of A’ali, Bahrain

Time: 
1:04:15

The leader of the Danish expeditions excavating the ancient civilization of Dilmun, now in Bahrain, a key connector between the ancient Indus and Mesopotamian civilization. Towards the end of the Indus civilization, it seems as if Indus people helped establish seal and weight technologies and other cultural practices that led to a flourishing of this civilization. Dr. Laursen takes us on a detailed tour of the royal mounds still to be found whose secrets are slowly casting deeper light on this fascinating Bronze Age civilization - including the discovery that once a royal grave was complete, it would have had to have been locked from the inside by a hapless attendant.

Note that the full text of Dr. Laursen's book The Royal Mounds of A'ali in Bahrain - the emergence of kingship in Early Dilmun is available for free too.

Icon image: Gold Spiral, A'ali Mound OA 211, ca. 1800-1700 BCE after Hojlund 2007 fig 131