Oryx Figurine

This piece of bone is carved in the shape of an oryx. It is probably a camel bone, although has not been scientifically tested. A small triangular piece of worked bone inlay and some copper alloy mounts or clasps, attached to remnants of cloth, were also found in the same level of the archaeological excavation. This suggests that these finds were originally all part of the same object, perhaps an inlaid piece of furniture or a box.

This decorative element was discovered in the final levels of excavations at Ruwayda, an important coastal village in northern Qatar with a fort and a mosque. This representation suggests that the antelope (family of bovids: Arabian oryx or white oryx), native to the desert and steppe regions of the Arabian Peninsula, was still part of the daily lives of the inhabitants of Qatar at that time.