Fig 1.
Map showing the location of Ba`ja and other PPN sites.
Most of the sites are mentioned in the text or concerned by the cited bibliography.
Fig 2.
Location of the cist-type grave CG7 at Ba`ja, Area C, and its progressive excavation stages.
Topographic plan of Ba`ja, the architectural plan of Area C and the location of grave CG7 in Room 36.1. A-C) The grave sealed with different layers of sandstone slabs. D) The child’s skeleton in a crouched position resting on her/his left side. Photos: A-C: M. Benz; D: H. Alarashi, Ba`ja N.P.
Fig 3.
Field pictures showing the densities and areas of distribution of the beads.
A) A general view of the damaged skull and upper part of the child’s skeleton with few scattered beads fixed with pins. B) Picture showing the broken engraved ring (to the right) and its connection with disc beads. C) The ring pictured as discovered in a vertical position laying on its edge, with disc beads still stuck to the perforations decorating its surface. D) Increased density of the beads after the removal of the ring and the appearance of a black stone element below the cervical vertebra. E) Beads stuck to the perforation of the black element and appearance of an additional turquoise bead (note the fragmentation and the displacement of the mandible). F) The manubrium bone and a spherical black bead on its upper left. G) Another spherical black bead appeared just after the removal of the manubrium, placed at its upper right. H-K) Increased density of beads alignments in the area between the left clavicula and the left part of the mandible (removed). Photos: A, J, K: M. Benz; B-I: H. Alarashi, Ba`ja N.P.
Fig 4.
Diversity of items compositing the ornamental assemblage of CG7.
A) Flat beads, B) Tubular cylindrical beads. C-D) Disc beads. E) Tubular shell beads. F) Mother-of-pearl multi-perforated and engraved ring viewed from both faces. G and I) Compact sub-spherical stone beads. H) Double perforated pendant viewed from both faces. Photos: A-E, G-H: H. Alarashi, F: A. Burkhardt, Ba`ja N.P.
Fig 5.
The results of XRF analyses of a selection of beads found in CG7.
Amounts of chemical elements composing the samples and ID of materials. Highlighted elements are typical of the identified stones. Photo: H. Alarashi, Ba`ja N.P.
Fig 6.
Analyses of thin sections the red stone disc beads from grave CG7.
Percentage of the chemical elements based on XRF measurements. Graph: M. Benz, Ba`ja N.P.
Fig 7.
X-Ray diffractometry analysis applied on a prepared sample from a disc bead from grave CG7.
Details on the measurement setting and a diffractogram indicating the calcite mineral. Measurement and Graph: G. Monge, CEMEF.
Fig 8.
Schematic representation of the results obtained by palaeoproteomic analysis of intracrystalline protein fraction extracted from archaeological beads.
The Venn diagram indicates the proteins identified in each of the three samples (PALTO499, PALTO500, PALTO501) and those which are shared. The numbers correspond to sequences provided in Table 2. On the right-hand side, we note sequences that are typical of ancient mollusc shell proteins, i.e., with biomineralizing and disordered domains and sequences that were identified with diagenesis related modifications. Author: J. Sakalauskaite.
Fig 9.
FTIR spectrum in the fingerprint region of the analysed samples compared to standard reference spectrum from different origins (Lebanese amber spectra has been kindly provided by D. Azar). Graph: C. Odriozola Lloret, J. Ángel Garrido Cordero, M. Ángel Avilés.
Table 1.
Diversity of raw materials in relation to the typological families of the items discovered in CG7.
Table 2.
Metric values of the main beads’ typological families of the child’s burial (only for items GN).
Fig 10.
Proportions of length to diameter of beads (GN) according to the typological families and materials.
Graph: H. Alarashi, Ba`ja N.P.
Fig 11.
Diversity of the disc beads and examples of technical and use-wear marks detected on the turquoise beads.
A-C) Calcite circular disc beads, note that the last three examples to the right show variation in the degree of circularity due to the finishing process by batch abrasion. D-E) Conus disc beads. F-K) Turquoise beads. J) Zoom of picture H left. K) Zoom of picture I left. Photos: H. Alarashi, Ba`ja N.P.
Fig 12.
Relation between the diameter of the calcite disc beads and the degrees of their circularity (left) and roundness (right).
The closer the degree to 1, the more regular is the outline (circle) and the shape (disc) of the beads.
Fig 13.
Examples of Tridacna shell beads from grave CG7 showing three patterns of growth lines.
A-B) Longitudinal. C) Oblique. D-G) Horizontal. Photos: H. Alarashi, Ba`ja N.P.
Fig 14.
Technical and use-wear traces observed on the Tridacna shell beads.
A-B) Deep oblique and longitudinal striations of abrasion. C) Parallel striations of abrasion on the perforation face. D) Concentric and regular drilling striations, right arrow. See also the remains of red ochre covering the “walls” of the drilling and inside the concentric striations, left arrow). E) Circular and regular rim of the drilling at the opening (surface of perforation, upper arrow), and at the end (junction, meeting area). See also the concentric regular deep drilling striations (lower arrow). Superficial use-wear is observed by weak and little pronounced rounding of the rims of perforations in C-E. Photos: H. Alarashi, Ba`ja N.P.
Fig 15.
Images obtained from micro-CT scan of two Tridacna beads.
The green marks on the central up and below images indicate the transversal sections of the images to the right, while the red marks indicate those to the left. Composition: H. Alarashi, picture acquisition: L. Vigorelli and A. Re.
Fig 16.
Examples of flat and tubular calcite beads from CG7.
A-C) Examples of bi-truncated flat beads with lenticular section. D-F) Examples of tubular calcite beads of a cylindrical type. F) Use-wear observed through erosion of the drilling striation, thinning and fracture of the walls of the drillings due to friction and insertion of the extremity of the neighboring bead into the perforation. Photos: H. Alarashi, Ba`ja N.P.
Fig 17.
Hematite objects from grave CG7 with indications of manufacturing and use-wear traces.
A-H) Double perforated pendant. I-J) Spherical beads. Photos: H. Alarashi, Ba`ja N.P.
Fig 18.
Nomenclature and convention of measurements used for the study.
C.1 = inner diameter of the ring, C.2 = middle diameter, C.3 = outer diameter. Each perforation has a number. The engraved parts with perforations are called here “outgrowth” (abbreviated “Outg.”). Disc beads were found still stuck to perforations N° 7, 4, 9 and 10.
Table 3.
Measurements of the ring.
Fig 19.
A complete example of an engraved mother-of-pearl ring discovered in 2001 in the collective burial of Area D at Ba`ja.
Photo: H.G.K. Gebel; Drawing: B. Winkler. Our reconstruction resulted in quite sophisticated ring (Fig 20), with four symmetrical outgrowths decorated with multiples equidistant perforations.
Fig 20.
Hypothetical reconstruction of the complete shape of the mother-of-pearl ring found in burial CG7.
Scans and refitting: H. Alarashi and A. Burkhardt; restoration: A. Burkhardt, drawing of the hypothetical reconstruction: H. Alarashi, Ba`ja N.P.
Fig 21.
Manufacture and use-wear traces observed on the mother-of-pearl ring.
A) Regular concentric striations inside the perforation. B) Deformation of the rim of the perforation (?) towards the external circumference of the ring. C) Parallel striations of abrasion (removal of the periostracum to reveal the nacre). D) Deep parallel groves made to extract the ring from the shell valve. E) Sawing/engraving marks made to create the outgrowths and provide the curved edges. F) Area between two perforations showing delimited depression and erosion of the nacreous layers (path of a string between these two perforations?). G-H) A disc bead stuck to a perforation of the ring with an unidentified mass (visible in picture H, remains of organic material, string? See also the obstructed perforation in picture E, showing similar material). Photos: H. Alarashi.
Fig 22.
Structure of the necklace between the ring and the buckle.
Left proposition does not include the black hematite beads. The right proposition displays the structure when the exterior rows (R4 to R10) are gathered with the spherical beads. Graph: H. Alarashi, Ba`ja N.P.
Table 4.
Estimations of the total length of the ornament.
Table 5.
Estimations of the number of beads per type to be integrated according to the lengths of the rows (cm).
Fig 23.
Final physical reconstruction of the necklace, today exposed at the new museum of Petra in Jordan.
Note that the use of black foam tubes was intended to substitute the Tridacna and calcite beads which were too poorly preserved to be displayed. For preservation and museology reasons, the physical reconstruction did follow exactly the reconstruction proposed in Fig 22 right. For example, we avoided the path of more than two strings in the perforations of the hematite beads as one of them was fragile. Photo: A. Burkhardt, Drawings: H. Alarashi, Ba`ja N.P.