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This paper presents the integrated study of a distinctive bleach-decorated (bleached or etched) carnelian bead (S3074) discovered at the South Arabian port of Sumhuram (Dhofar, Sultanate of Oman), a Hadrami trading outpost active within regional and transoceanic trade networks between 100 BCE and 400 CE. Originating from a technology developed in the Greater Indus Valley during the 3rd millennium BCE, bleached carnelian beads remained markers of long-distance trade in the Early Historic and Medieval periods. Stylistic comparisons and SEM-based drilling diagnostics revealed that the Sumhuram specimen, the first securely identified example of this bead type in South-western Arabia, is consistent with production in north-western India. Its discovery in an urban context rather than a funerary assemblage raises interpretive questions about its circulation and meaning. While it may reflect structured trade flows linking Gujarat with South-eastern Arabia, the possibility that it was the personal possession of a South Asian individual temporarily residing in Sumhuram is equally plausible. This case ultimately exemplifies the entanglement of material culture, mobility, and identity in a cosmopolitan port city. Beyond economic exchange, the bead provides insight into personal histories and cross-cultural interactions across the Western Indian Ocean during the Late Iron Age.
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The site of Halban, located 35 km to the west of the capital city Muscat (Sultanate of Oman), was first mentioned in 1998. The site comprises 33 well-preserved monumental stone funerary structures situated on a limestone terrace between the Al-Batinah coastal plain and the Al-Hajar Al-Gharbi mountains. Most of these tombs date back to the 3rd millennium BCE and are characterized by their substantial diameter, considerable remaining height, and noticeable variability in construction techniques and external polishing. This contribu- tion presents the preliminary results of the excavations carried out in 2023 and 2024, which reveal a complex palimpsest of continuity and reuse at a strategic location. This position enabled the connection of inland oases with coastal communities and allowed for the interception of major short- and long-distance trade routes during the 3rd millennium BCE.