Understanding ritual practices in Neolithic Saudi Arabia on horn sheaths from Mustatils using Vibrational Spectroscopy

Archaeological research in Saudi Arabia is going through a period of intense development that is constantly leading to important discoveries. Mustatils are massive stone structures serving ritual purpose that were built in hundreds in Northwest Arabia 7500 years ago by nomadic pastoral populations. An exceptional category of finds is represented by horn sheaths, made of the outer keratin shell of the horn. Due to its organic protein composition, the sheath is usually not preserved in archaeology and lacks research. To shed light on the horn treatment, desiccation through deliberate heating, colouring and degradation, we propose an Inelastic Neutron Scattering experiment on fragments and pieces from a selection of horn sheaths. The aim is to obtain, through vibrational spectroscopy, the amount of water in the sample, therefore their level of desiccation, and the possibility of the sheaths having been deliberately heated, therefore presenting new peaks due to temperature-induced reactions. INS spectra will be compared to heated and unheated keratin samples, as a comparison for both hydration-water levels and the presence of temperature-induced vibrational modes. In general, vibrational spectroscopy will provide a means to assess the presence of other chemicals on the surface of the samples, therefore allowing a deeper understanding of Mustatils practices.