The report, quoting a French National Centre for Scientific Research statement, said gem specialists believed that the oldest pearl hitherto known goes back to 3000 BC and was found at an antiquity site in Japan.
The centre added that the pearl, which was discovered lately in the Umm Al Quwain emirate of the UAE, was found to be of 5500 BC time after it was tested by Carbon 14.
According to the Center, the pearl is the oldest known in the Arabian Peninsula and across the world.
This newly discovered pearl along with other pearls found along the south western shores of the Arabian Peninsula indicates that this region witnessed the oldest clan hunting activity in the world for the value of pearls aesthetically and for special rituals, the Gulf News report said.
Researchers at the centre clarified that natural pearls were important in funeral rituals where un-pierced pearls used to be delivered at the Umm Al Quwain cemetery and others where they were placed over the deceased's face, especially over the upper lip, said the report.
This new discovery shows the importance of pearls in old societies of the Arab Gulf and the northern part of the Indian Ocean, and made up an important element of its cultural identity.
