The latest archaeological news regarding the Dilmun Civilization is the discovery of a 4,000-year-old Bronze Age temple on Failaka Island, Kuwait.
Key Details of the Discovery

• Location: Failaka Island, Kuwait, specifically at the mound known as Tell F6, east of the Dilmun palace and temple area.
• Time Period: The temple dates back to the early Dilmun period (Bronze Age), specifically between 1900 and 1800 BCE.
• Discovery Team: The finding was made by a joint Kuwaiti–Danish archaeological team from the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL) and the Moesgaard Museum.

Significance:

• The complete layout of the temple was found situated directly beneath another Dilmun temple that had been uncovered in the previous year's excavation. This confirms the rare architectural phenomenon of two temples built sequentially on the exact same site.
• The discovery reinforces the theory that Failaka Island was not just a temporary trading post but a major administrative and ritual center for the Dilmun Kingdom.
• The temple features stone foundation walls, a multi-room structure, and a central chamber that aligns with ritual buildings found in Bahrain and Eastern Arabia.

Artifacts Recovered: The excavation yielded early Dilmun craftsmanship, including pottery sherds, seals and seal impressions (used in trade and administration), beads, and carved fragments.
Dilmun was a powerful Bronze Age trading hub centered in the Persian Gulf, primarily on the islands of Bahrain and Failaka in Kuwait, which acted as a critical intermediary in long-distance trade between Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) and the Indus Valley Civilization.

Download Pdf