Skip to main content
NTv Online

World

World
  • Africa
  • Americas
  • Asia Pacific
  • Europe
  • Mid East
  • More
  • Offbeat
  • South & Central Asia
  • Viral
  • Bangla Version
  • Archive
  • Bangladesh
  • World
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • Business
  • Comment
  • Education
  • Life
  • Health
  • Art & Culture
  • Election
  • বাংলা
  • Bangladesh
  • World
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • Business
  • Comment
  • Education
  • Life
  • Health
  • Art & Culture
  • Election
  • বাংলা
  • Bangla Version
  • Archive
Follow
  • World
AFP
03 June, 2015, 14:54
Update: 03 June, 2015, 14:54
More News
Bangladesh and Australia working towards key trade partners
Bigger and better Mother Language Day Walk
Islamic State loses second leader in two years
South Australians warned to prepare for worst bushfire in 4 years
Hackers access student data at top Australian uni going back 19 years

2,000-yr-old natural pearl found

AFP
03 June, 2015, 14:54
Update: 03 June, 2015, 14:54
This undated handout photo released by Australia's University of Wollongong on 3 June, 2015 shows a ‘very rare’ 2,000-year-old natural pearl—the first found on the vast island continent—uncovered while excavating a remote coastal Aboriginal site. Photo: AFP

Sydney: Australian scientists said on Wednesday they have uncovered a ‘very rare’ 2,000-year-old natural sea pearl—the first found on the vast island continent—while excavating a remote coastal Aboriginal site.

Archaeologists were working the site on the north Kimberley coast of Western Australia when they came across the unique gem below the surface, said Kat Szabo, an associate professor at the University of Wollongong.

‘Natural pearls are very rare in nature and we certainly—despite many, many (oyster) shell middens being found in Australia—we’ve never found a natural pearl before,’ Szabo, who specialises in studying shells at archaeological sites, told AFP.

A midden is a prehistoric refuse pit.

‘The location makes it particularly significant because the Kimberley coast of Australia is synonymous with pearling, and has been for the better part of the last century.’

The pink-and-gold-coloured pearl is almost spherical, with a five-millimetre diameter. Due to its near-perfect round shape, the researchers used a micro CT scan to test its age and prove that it was naturally occurring rather than a farmed modern cultured pearl.

The oysters that produce pearls have been used in rainmaking ceremonies in indigenous cultures, and their shells have been found in the central desert more than 1,500 kilometres (930 miles) away.

Archaeologists have known about the rainmaking rituals but were not aware of how far back in history they had been practised.

‘Studying the pearl has led us to the study of the layer in which it’s found,’ Szabo said.

‘In indigenous terms, that’s telling a really interesting story about a cultural tradition to do with pearl shells which we knew historically but we’ve never been able to prove that it went back into the past.’

The pearl is set to go on display at the Western Australian Maritime Museum in Perth later this month, with details of the find published in the Australian Archaeology journal.

Most Read
  1. WHO site shows how they refuse to acknowledge scientific evidence on vaping
  2. Tholos Foundation urges Bangladesh govt not to ban e-cigarettes
  3. India bans service charge at hotels and restaurants
  4. Bangladesh and Australia working towards key trade partners
  5. Bigger and better Mother Language Day Walk
  6. Islamic State loses second leader in two years
Most Read
  1. WHO site shows how they refuse to acknowledge scientific evidence on vaping
  2. Tholos Foundation urges Bangladesh govt not to ban e-cigarettes
  3. India bans service charge at hotels and restaurants
  4. Bangladesh and Australia working towards key trade partners
  5. Bigger and better Mother Language Day Walk
  6. Islamic State loses second leader in two years

Follow Us

Alhaj Mohammad Mosaddak Ali

Chairman & Managing Director

NTV Online, BSEC Building (Level-8), 102 Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue, Karwan Bazar, Dhaka-1215 Telephone: +880255012281 up to 5, Fax: +880255012286 up to 7

Browse by Category

  • About NTV
  • NTV Programmes
  • Advertisement
  • Web Mail
  • NTV FTV
  • Satellite Downlink
  • Europe Subscription
  • USA Subscription
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact

Our Newsletter

To stay on top of the ever-changing world of business, subscribe now to our newsletters.

* We hate spam as much as you do

Alhaj Mohammad Mosaddak Ali

Chairman & Managing Director

NTV Online, BSEC Building (Level-8), 102 Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue, Karwan Bazar, Dhaka-1215 Telephone: +880255012281 up to 5, Fax: +880255012286 up to 7

Reproduction of any content, news or article published on this website is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved