The archeological site of HD-5 is located at Ras al-Hadd on a rocky hill facing the sea. Excavati... more The archeological site of HD-5 is located at Ras al-Hadd on a rocky hill facing the sea. Excavations revealed two main occupation phases, one in the late Neolithic during the fourth millennium and the other at the end of the third millennium BC. In both periods, the subsistence activities focused on the exploitation of coastal resources, while the breeding and hunting of land mammals was less important. Noteworthy is, therefore, the presence in the late Neolithic levels of several domestic dogs, whose remains testify to their use for human consumption
The preliminary results of a comprehensive survey of Sīnīya Island in the Khawr al-Bayḍāʾ of Umm ... more The preliminary results of a comprehensive survey of Sīnīya Island in the Khawr al-Bayḍāʾ of Umm al-Quwain are presented here. The onset of human occupation remains to be confirmed, with scarce evidence for limited activity in the late pre-Islamic period (LPI, c. 300 BC – AD 300). The first major phase of occupation dates to the seventh and eighth centuries (early Islamic period) when a monastery and settlement were established in the north-east of the island. Probably the peak occupation falls between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, when the stone-town of Old Umm al-Quwain 1 was built, followed by the eighteenth to early nineteenth century when the settlement moved to neighbouring Old Umm al-Quwain 2. The town was destroyed by the British in 1820 and moved to the facing tidal island, where Old Umm al-Quwain 3 (the modern city of the same name) developed. This resulted in an emptying of the landscape, and Sīnīya Island was little visited in the nineteenth and twentieth centu...
International audienceLocated between the last fringes of the al-Wusn Region and the plain of Dho... more International audienceLocated between the last fringes of the al-Wusn Region and the plain of Dhofar (Zufar), the coastal plain of Sharbithat has been scarcely explored. With its 14 km-long shoreline, its succession of wide terraces and wadi deltaic branches, and its abundant flint sources Sharbithat represents one of the most promising Neolithic archaeological areas of the Omani coast. A first campaign in this area was therefore undertaken in January 2017 within the framework of the expedition programme 'Archaeology of the Arabian Seashores' and of the NeoArabia Project of the Agence nationale de la recherche (ANR). The Middle Holocene occupation in the surveyed terraces and low plateaus is particularly dense. Sites SHA-2, SHA-7, and SHA-10 revealed the presence of Neolithic dwellings (Late Neolithic period 2, c.4500-3100 BC). Moreover, in addition to the ordinary fishing equipment that characterizes this period, an astonishing lithic industry was also discovered. It consis...
International audienceAbstract: In Arabia, the emergence of the first maritime societies of the e... more International audienceAbstract: In Arabia, the emergence of the first maritime societies of the early Holocene used to be a theme unexplored by archaeology. For the first time, a glimpse of these 9th and 8th millennium BCE communities living on the Omani shores of the Arabian Sea has recently been possible thanks to data from the Natif 2 cave. These hunter-gatherers were selectively foraging the shallow waters of the coast, where small pelagic fish (anchovies and sardines) are abundant and easily captured. Sharks, sometimes up to two metres long, were also taken. This scenario of fishing in shallow waters, clarified in the case of the 9th and 8th millennia BCE, appears to be unusual and original in Arabia. Around 6500 BCE, a major social and economic change occurred: the appearance of the first pastoral Neolithic societies. Arabia then developed an alternative subsistence model in comparison to those of the Levant and the Near East. On the coast, the most favourable areas saw the se...
The paper presents the preliminary archaeological study of around 200 artefacts related to the pr... more The paper presents the preliminary archaeological study of around 200 artefacts related to the production of shell fish-hooks made from Pinctada sp. discovered at the Neolithic coastal site of Ras al-Hadd HD-5 in 2014. The site occupation dates to the fourth millennium BC and finished shell hooks and manufacturing debris were recovered from stratigraphic contexts that included primary floors and workshop dumps. The artefacts include complete shells that were probably collected from the nearby lagoon, hammer stones and rasps made of sandstone, and all stages of the shell-hook manufacturing processes. After comprehensive documentation and study of the artefacts, experimental replications were carried out to gain a better understanding of the stages of production and factors that contributed to breakage and discard. Future studies will include the use of experimental hooks to determine their strength and durability. Excavations were conducted by a team from the University of Bologna under the auspices of the Department of Excavations and Archaeological Studies, Ministry of Heritage and Culture, Sultanate of Oman. This paper presents the preliminary results of the archaeological study of shell fish-hooks and manufacturing debris from the fourth-millennium BC site of Ras al-Hadd HD-5 (RaΜs al-Дadd), Sultanate of Oman. 1 During the 2014 field season, a team from the University of Bologna working under the auspices of the Department of Excavations and Archaeological Studies, Ministry of Heritage and Culture, Sultanate of Oman, discovered about 200 artefacts related to the production of shell fish-hooks made from the mother-of-pearl bivalve shell Pinctada sp. These artefacts document all the different manufacturing stages of the production from chipped, ground, and drilled shell-hook blanks to finished and discarded hooks. In addition, hundreds of fragments of unworked P. margaritifera shell have also been recovered, suggesting that this was the primary species used in the manufacture of the shell hooks. This collection is from well-stratified archaeological deposits that include primary floors in association with domestic activity areas, as well as workshop dumps. The association of shell-hook debris with domestic contexts indicates that the process of shell-hook making was carried out in the context of other domestic activities. The wide range of 1 Place name according to the guidelines provided by the National Survey Authority of the Sultanate of Oman. manufacturing debris provides a unique opportunity for investigating the various stages of production and the use and changes of this technology over time. Based on a preliminary documentation of the shell and the associated stone artefacts, an initial replicative study was carried out using fresh and sub-fossil Pinctada sp. shells obtained from local fishermen, and stone tools made from chert and sandstone that would have been locally available to the ancient fishing community. The results of the experimental study provide insight into the types of tools that might have been used and the time involved in shell-hook production, as well as the association of this production with other domestic and subsistence activities.
International audienceMaitan is a small desert village located to the north of the city of Al-Maz... more International audienceMaitan is a small desert village located to the north of the city of Al-Mazyunah, in the Sultanate of Oman. The village is close to the triple-border junction between Oman, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia, in the area of Shaqat Jadailah and Shaq Shuayt. During January 2019, a team of geologists and archaeologists undertook a systematic survey of the area to understand its geoarchaeological setting, following the recent discovery of grinding and tethering stones by local people. The survey revealed the presence of Late Palaeolithic, Middle and Late Neolithic sites, and new extraordinary information about the Middle Holocene peopling of this region. Comparisons with known sites in the Rub’ al-Khali Desert, scattered along its southern margins in Oman and Yemen as well as in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, show a high-density peopling of this area which today seems so inhospitable. The presence of abundant lithic artefacts together with millstones, grindstones, pestles and mortars, along with fossilized animal bones and ornaments, indicates a long occupation of the area during prehistoric times. The sediments in theregion show the prevalence of largely arid and hyper-arid conditions, with brief intervals of relatively humid conditions, during which humans and their livestock probably inhabited the region
Along the 150-km coastline of Masirah, 127 archaeological sites were discovered through surveys c... more Along the 150-km coastline of Masirah, 127 archaeological sites were discovered through surveys carried out in January-February 2012. The island is the largest off the Sultanate of Oman and possesses great archaeological potential, especially for the Neolithic period, Bronze Age, and Iron Age. Shell middens, some of which are very large, and many small workshops are related to the production of ornaments in shell or stone. The site of Ra's Dah (SM-10) has proved to be the oldest identified Neolithic occupation in Oman today. Finally, more than 250 km south of Ra's al-Hadd, the discovery of two Early Bronze Age sites, dating to the Umm an-Nar period, considerably increases the area of the 'Magan Civilization', and with it that of the diffusion of goods from the Indus Civilization.
The Terramara S. Rosa di Poviglio (Reggio Emilia, Po Plain of Northern Italy) whose excavation st... more The Terramara S. Rosa di Poviglio (Reggio Emilia, Po Plain of Northern Italy) whose excavation started in 1984, consists of two dwelling areas indicated as “Villaggio Piccolo” (VP) and “Villaggio Grande” (VG), dating back to the Middle Bronze Age (MBA) and to the Recent Bronze Age (RBA), respectively. The two areas are separated by a moat which, according to recent geophysical prospections, is crossed by a passage connecting the VP to the VG. This structure was investigated in the 2015 field operation by opening a long excavation trench. The bottom of the moat was found to have been in use for a long period, from the late MBA to the RBA. Evidence of huge wooden structures, consisting of regular alignments of post holes, were found at the fringe of the VP. The margin of the moat close to the VP was covered by thick dumps, dating mostly to the RBA, discarded from the dwelling areas of the village into the moat. However inside these deposits, an exceptional quantity of small bronze ite...
Actes de la séance de la Société préhistorique française de Rennes, 10-11 avril 2014 Dupont Cathe... more Actes de la séance de la Société préhistorique française de Rennes, 10-11 avril 2014 Dupont Catherine et Marchand Gregor (dir.) (2016) - Archéologie des chasseurs-cueilleurs maritimes. De la fonction des habitats à l’organisation de l’espace littoral (Archaeology of maritime hunter-gatherers. From settlement function to the organization of the coastal zone), Actes de la séance de la Société préhistorique française de Rennes, 10-11 avril 2014, Paris, Société préhistorique française, (Séances de la Société préhistorique française, 6), p. 283-319 - ISSN : 2263-3847 – ISBN : 2-913745-2-913745-65-2 http://www.prehistoire.org/515_p_47827/acces-libre-seance-6-archeologie-des-chasseurs-cueilleurs-maritimes-de-la-fonction-des-habitats-a-l-organisation-de-l-espace-littoral.html
Mort violente en Arabie La sépulture multiple d'Umm al-Quwain UAQ2 (Émirats arabes unis), VI e mi... more Mort violente en Arabie La sépulture multiple d'Umm al-Quwain UAQ2 (Émirats arabes unis), VI e millénaire BC Résumé : À 50 km au nord de Dubai, au bord de la plus vaste lagune naturelle des Émirats arabes unis, le site d'Umm al Quwain UAQ2 est lun des deux plus anciens habitats néolithiques connus sur la rive arabe du golfe Persique. Cet amas coquillier stratifié, fouillé depuis 2011, a livré des vestiges d'architectures à poteaux porteurs et des centaines de tessons de poterie mésopotamienne (de période Obeid) dans les niveaux profonds du site. Les données livrées par ce site apportent un éclairage nouveau sur la création des premiers échanges sur sa rive arabe, vers 5500-5300 avant notre ère. L'amas coquillier d'Umm al Quwain UAQ2 renferme aussi une des plus anciennes nécropoles d'Arabie orientale, qui avait été fouillée par une équipe anglaise au début des années 1990, mais n'avait pas pu être précisément datée. En 2013, nous avons découvert de nouvelles tombes sous le niveau des sépultures anciennement dégagées. L'une d'elles est une tombe multiple, creusée dans un des niveaux les plus profonds de l'habitat. L'hypothèse d'une tombe d'hommes décédés lors d'un conflit intergroupes, raisonnable au vu de la mise en scène spectaculaire des corps-qui symbolise un groupe uni dans la mort-, est étayée par la découverte d'une pointe de flèche ayant perforé le thorax de l'un des individus inhumés. La thèse d'un Néolithique violent en Arabie orientale s'en trouve renforcée, ce que nous développerons ici.
We present the results of the geomorphological mapping of a region of the Dhofar (Sultanate of Om... more We present the results of the geomorphological mapping of a region of the Dhofar (Sultanate of Oman) including two contrasting physiographic units sharing a common drainage system into the Arabian Sea: the Jebel Qara limestone massif and the coastal plain of Salalah. Neogene to Quaternary tectonic activity controlled the formation of an extensive system of faults and caused the uplift of the Jebel Qara, forming structural escarpments. The massif underwent karstification and subsequent linear erosion. Today the Jebel is cut by a dendritic net of dry valleys, occasionally dammed by calcareous tufa dams. The transition between the southern escarpment of the Jebel and the plain below displays flat alluvial fans, bordered by a strip of beachrock, coastal dunes, and coastal lagoons, located in correspondence to estuaries. Dramatic soil erosion is evident, linked to intense human-triggered zoogeomorphological processes started in the Mid-Late Holocene after the introduction of pastoral land-use.
At the end of 2018, the first season of excavation was carried out at the shell midden site of UA... more At the end of 2018, the first season of excavation was carried out at the shell midden site of UAQ38. The site occupies the top of a sand dune not far from UAQ36 and UAQ2, two other recently investigated Neolithic shell middens. Several well-stratified anthropogenic levels were excavated at UAQ38, which can be dated mainly to the 5th millennium BC, although the recorded artefacts suggest a possible older date for the lowest levels. Food waste, post-holes, fireplaces, and burnt shell dumpings attest to human activities that took place at the site over a rather long period of time. Here the stratigraphic sequence will be presented, together with a first overview of the artefactual assemblage. The collected data will be concisely discussed in order to fit the site within the typology of Neolithic settlements that can be proposed for the area. UAQ38 is so far the only Neolithic site along the northeastern coast of the UAE for which stratified charcoal is available for dating.
The NERC and BGS trademarks and logos ('the Trademarks') are registered trademarks of NERC in the... more The NERC and BGS trademarks and logos ('the Trademarks') are registered trademarks of NERC in the UK and other countries, and may not be used without the prior written consent of the Trademark owner.
During the 2013 fieldwork of the French archaeological mission along the shores of the Arabian Se... more During the 2013 fieldwork of the French archaeological mission along the shores of the Arabian Sea, mancala games were discovered on the seashore of Salalah at the site of Ad-Dahariz. They are cup-hole carvings made directly into rock slabs and distributed in six distinct zones of the site. They usually consist of fourteen cup-holes aligned in two lines of seven, two supplementary holes being sometimes present on each side. They are the first of their kind in South Arabia and can be compared to similar configurations of carved games elsewhere in Arabia, such as at Jebel al-Jassasiya, Qatar. This paper presents the potential origins of this game in the region, as well as a plausible dating of their use.
FOLD&R Fasti On Line Documents & Research, 349, 2016
The Terramara S. Rosa di Poviglio (Reggio Emilia, Po Plain of Northern Italy) whose excavation st... more The Terramara S. Rosa di Poviglio (Reggio Emilia, Po Plain of Northern Italy) whose excavation started in 1984, consists of two dwelling areas indicated as “Villaggio Piccolo” (VP) and “Villaggio Grande” (VG), dating back to the Middle Bronze Age (MBA) and to the Recent Bronze Age (RBA), respectively. The two areas are separated by a moat which, according to recent geophysical prospections, is crossed by a passage connecting the VP to the VG. This structure was investigated in the 2015 field operation by opening a long excavation trench. The bottom of the moat was found to have been in use for a long period, from the late MBA to the RBA. Evidence of huge wooden structures, consisting of regular alignments of post holes, were found at the fringe of the VP. The margin of the moat close to the VP was covered by thick dumps, dating mostly to the RBA, discarded from the dwelling areas of the village into the moat. However inside these deposits, an exceptional quantity of small bronze items was recovered which probably have to be related to an area of metallurgic activities.
The archeological site of HD-5 is located at Ras al-Hadd on a rocky hill facing the sea. Excavati... more The archeological site of HD-5 is located at Ras al-Hadd on a rocky hill facing the sea. Excavations revealed two main occupation phases, one in the late Neolithic during the fourth millennium and the other at the end of the third millennium BC. In both periods, the subsistence activities focused on the exploitation of coastal resources, while the breeding and hunting of land mammals was less important. Noteworthy is, therefore, the presence in the late Neolithic levels of several domestic dogs, whose remains testify to their use for human consumption
The preliminary results of a comprehensive survey of Sīnīya Island in the Khawr al-Bayḍāʾ of Umm ... more The preliminary results of a comprehensive survey of Sīnīya Island in the Khawr al-Bayḍāʾ of Umm al-Quwain are presented here. The onset of human occupation remains to be confirmed, with scarce evidence for limited activity in the late pre-Islamic period (LPI, c. 300 BC – AD 300). The first major phase of occupation dates to the seventh and eighth centuries (early Islamic period) when a monastery and settlement were established in the north-east of the island. Probably the peak occupation falls between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, when the stone-town of Old Umm al-Quwain 1 was built, followed by the eighteenth to early nineteenth century when the settlement moved to neighbouring Old Umm al-Quwain 2. The town was destroyed by the British in 1820 and moved to the facing tidal island, where Old Umm al-Quwain 3 (the modern city of the same name) developed. This resulted in an emptying of the landscape, and Sīnīya Island was little visited in the nineteenth and twentieth centu...
International audienceLocated between the last fringes of the al-Wusn Region and the plain of Dho... more International audienceLocated between the last fringes of the al-Wusn Region and the plain of Dhofar (Zufar), the coastal plain of Sharbithat has been scarcely explored. With its 14 km-long shoreline, its succession of wide terraces and wadi deltaic branches, and its abundant flint sources Sharbithat represents one of the most promising Neolithic archaeological areas of the Omani coast. A first campaign in this area was therefore undertaken in January 2017 within the framework of the expedition programme 'Archaeology of the Arabian Seashores' and of the NeoArabia Project of the Agence nationale de la recherche (ANR). The Middle Holocene occupation in the surveyed terraces and low plateaus is particularly dense. Sites SHA-2, SHA-7, and SHA-10 revealed the presence of Neolithic dwellings (Late Neolithic period 2, c.4500-3100 BC). Moreover, in addition to the ordinary fishing equipment that characterizes this period, an astonishing lithic industry was also discovered. It consis...
International audienceAbstract: In Arabia, the emergence of the first maritime societies of the e... more International audienceAbstract: In Arabia, the emergence of the first maritime societies of the early Holocene used to be a theme unexplored by archaeology. For the first time, a glimpse of these 9th and 8th millennium BCE communities living on the Omani shores of the Arabian Sea has recently been possible thanks to data from the Natif 2 cave. These hunter-gatherers were selectively foraging the shallow waters of the coast, where small pelagic fish (anchovies and sardines) are abundant and easily captured. Sharks, sometimes up to two metres long, were also taken. This scenario of fishing in shallow waters, clarified in the case of the 9th and 8th millennia BCE, appears to be unusual and original in Arabia. Around 6500 BCE, a major social and economic change occurred: the appearance of the first pastoral Neolithic societies. Arabia then developed an alternative subsistence model in comparison to those of the Levant and the Near East. On the coast, the most favourable areas saw the se...
The paper presents the preliminary archaeological study of around 200 artefacts related to the pr... more The paper presents the preliminary archaeological study of around 200 artefacts related to the production of shell fish-hooks made from Pinctada sp. discovered at the Neolithic coastal site of Ras al-Hadd HD-5 in 2014. The site occupation dates to the fourth millennium BC and finished shell hooks and manufacturing debris were recovered from stratigraphic contexts that included primary floors and workshop dumps. The artefacts include complete shells that were probably collected from the nearby lagoon, hammer stones and rasps made of sandstone, and all stages of the shell-hook manufacturing processes. After comprehensive documentation and study of the artefacts, experimental replications were carried out to gain a better understanding of the stages of production and factors that contributed to breakage and discard. Future studies will include the use of experimental hooks to determine their strength and durability. Excavations were conducted by a team from the University of Bologna under the auspices of the Department of Excavations and Archaeological Studies, Ministry of Heritage and Culture, Sultanate of Oman. This paper presents the preliminary results of the archaeological study of shell fish-hooks and manufacturing debris from the fourth-millennium BC site of Ras al-Hadd HD-5 (RaΜs al-Дadd), Sultanate of Oman. 1 During the 2014 field season, a team from the University of Bologna working under the auspices of the Department of Excavations and Archaeological Studies, Ministry of Heritage and Culture, Sultanate of Oman, discovered about 200 artefacts related to the production of shell fish-hooks made from the mother-of-pearl bivalve shell Pinctada sp. These artefacts document all the different manufacturing stages of the production from chipped, ground, and drilled shell-hook blanks to finished and discarded hooks. In addition, hundreds of fragments of unworked P. margaritifera shell have also been recovered, suggesting that this was the primary species used in the manufacture of the shell hooks. This collection is from well-stratified archaeological deposits that include primary floors in association with domestic activity areas, as well as workshop dumps. The association of shell-hook debris with domestic contexts indicates that the process of shell-hook making was carried out in the context of other domestic activities. The wide range of 1 Place name according to the guidelines provided by the National Survey Authority of the Sultanate of Oman. manufacturing debris provides a unique opportunity for investigating the various stages of production and the use and changes of this technology over time. Based on a preliminary documentation of the shell and the associated stone artefacts, an initial replicative study was carried out using fresh and sub-fossil Pinctada sp. shells obtained from local fishermen, and stone tools made from chert and sandstone that would have been locally available to the ancient fishing community. The results of the experimental study provide insight into the types of tools that might have been used and the time involved in shell-hook production, as well as the association of this production with other domestic and subsistence activities.
International audienceMaitan is a small desert village located to the north of the city of Al-Maz... more International audienceMaitan is a small desert village located to the north of the city of Al-Mazyunah, in the Sultanate of Oman. The village is close to the triple-border junction between Oman, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia, in the area of Shaqat Jadailah and Shaq Shuayt. During January 2019, a team of geologists and archaeologists undertook a systematic survey of the area to understand its geoarchaeological setting, following the recent discovery of grinding and tethering stones by local people. The survey revealed the presence of Late Palaeolithic, Middle and Late Neolithic sites, and new extraordinary information about the Middle Holocene peopling of this region. Comparisons with known sites in the Rub’ al-Khali Desert, scattered along its southern margins in Oman and Yemen as well as in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, show a high-density peopling of this area which today seems so inhospitable. The presence of abundant lithic artefacts together with millstones, grindstones, pestles and mortars, along with fossilized animal bones and ornaments, indicates a long occupation of the area during prehistoric times. The sediments in theregion show the prevalence of largely arid and hyper-arid conditions, with brief intervals of relatively humid conditions, during which humans and their livestock probably inhabited the region
Along the 150-km coastline of Masirah, 127 archaeological sites were discovered through surveys c... more Along the 150-km coastline of Masirah, 127 archaeological sites were discovered through surveys carried out in January-February 2012. The island is the largest off the Sultanate of Oman and possesses great archaeological potential, especially for the Neolithic period, Bronze Age, and Iron Age. Shell middens, some of which are very large, and many small workshops are related to the production of ornaments in shell or stone. The site of Ra's Dah (SM-10) has proved to be the oldest identified Neolithic occupation in Oman today. Finally, more than 250 km south of Ra's al-Hadd, the discovery of two Early Bronze Age sites, dating to the Umm an-Nar period, considerably increases the area of the 'Magan Civilization', and with it that of the diffusion of goods from the Indus Civilization.
The Terramara S. Rosa di Poviglio (Reggio Emilia, Po Plain of Northern Italy) whose excavation st... more The Terramara S. Rosa di Poviglio (Reggio Emilia, Po Plain of Northern Italy) whose excavation started in 1984, consists of two dwelling areas indicated as “Villaggio Piccolo” (VP) and “Villaggio Grande” (VG), dating back to the Middle Bronze Age (MBA) and to the Recent Bronze Age (RBA), respectively. The two areas are separated by a moat which, according to recent geophysical prospections, is crossed by a passage connecting the VP to the VG. This structure was investigated in the 2015 field operation by opening a long excavation trench. The bottom of the moat was found to have been in use for a long period, from the late MBA to the RBA. Evidence of huge wooden structures, consisting of regular alignments of post holes, were found at the fringe of the VP. The margin of the moat close to the VP was covered by thick dumps, dating mostly to the RBA, discarded from the dwelling areas of the village into the moat. However inside these deposits, an exceptional quantity of small bronze ite...
Actes de la séance de la Société préhistorique française de Rennes, 10-11 avril 2014 Dupont Cathe... more Actes de la séance de la Société préhistorique française de Rennes, 10-11 avril 2014 Dupont Catherine et Marchand Gregor (dir.) (2016) - Archéologie des chasseurs-cueilleurs maritimes. De la fonction des habitats à l’organisation de l’espace littoral (Archaeology of maritime hunter-gatherers. From settlement function to the organization of the coastal zone), Actes de la séance de la Société préhistorique française de Rennes, 10-11 avril 2014, Paris, Société préhistorique française, (Séances de la Société préhistorique française, 6), p. 283-319 - ISSN : 2263-3847 – ISBN : 2-913745-2-913745-65-2 http://www.prehistoire.org/515_p_47827/acces-libre-seance-6-archeologie-des-chasseurs-cueilleurs-maritimes-de-la-fonction-des-habitats-a-l-organisation-de-l-espace-littoral.html
Mort violente en Arabie La sépulture multiple d'Umm al-Quwain UAQ2 (Émirats arabes unis), VI e mi... more Mort violente en Arabie La sépulture multiple d'Umm al-Quwain UAQ2 (Émirats arabes unis), VI e millénaire BC Résumé : À 50 km au nord de Dubai, au bord de la plus vaste lagune naturelle des Émirats arabes unis, le site d'Umm al Quwain UAQ2 est lun des deux plus anciens habitats néolithiques connus sur la rive arabe du golfe Persique. Cet amas coquillier stratifié, fouillé depuis 2011, a livré des vestiges d'architectures à poteaux porteurs et des centaines de tessons de poterie mésopotamienne (de période Obeid) dans les niveaux profonds du site. Les données livrées par ce site apportent un éclairage nouveau sur la création des premiers échanges sur sa rive arabe, vers 5500-5300 avant notre ère. L'amas coquillier d'Umm al Quwain UAQ2 renferme aussi une des plus anciennes nécropoles d'Arabie orientale, qui avait été fouillée par une équipe anglaise au début des années 1990, mais n'avait pas pu être précisément datée. En 2013, nous avons découvert de nouvelles tombes sous le niveau des sépultures anciennement dégagées. L'une d'elles est une tombe multiple, creusée dans un des niveaux les plus profonds de l'habitat. L'hypothèse d'une tombe d'hommes décédés lors d'un conflit intergroupes, raisonnable au vu de la mise en scène spectaculaire des corps-qui symbolise un groupe uni dans la mort-, est étayée par la découverte d'une pointe de flèche ayant perforé le thorax de l'un des individus inhumés. La thèse d'un Néolithique violent en Arabie orientale s'en trouve renforcée, ce que nous développerons ici.
We present the results of the geomorphological mapping of a region of the Dhofar (Sultanate of Om... more We present the results of the geomorphological mapping of a region of the Dhofar (Sultanate of Oman) including two contrasting physiographic units sharing a common drainage system into the Arabian Sea: the Jebel Qara limestone massif and the coastal plain of Salalah. Neogene to Quaternary tectonic activity controlled the formation of an extensive system of faults and caused the uplift of the Jebel Qara, forming structural escarpments. The massif underwent karstification and subsequent linear erosion. Today the Jebel is cut by a dendritic net of dry valleys, occasionally dammed by calcareous tufa dams. The transition between the southern escarpment of the Jebel and the plain below displays flat alluvial fans, bordered by a strip of beachrock, coastal dunes, and coastal lagoons, located in correspondence to estuaries. Dramatic soil erosion is evident, linked to intense human-triggered zoogeomorphological processes started in the Mid-Late Holocene after the introduction of pastoral land-use.
At the end of 2018, the first season of excavation was carried out at the shell midden site of UA... more At the end of 2018, the first season of excavation was carried out at the shell midden site of UAQ38. The site occupies the top of a sand dune not far from UAQ36 and UAQ2, two other recently investigated Neolithic shell middens. Several well-stratified anthropogenic levels were excavated at UAQ38, which can be dated mainly to the 5th millennium BC, although the recorded artefacts suggest a possible older date for the lowest levels. Food waste, post-holes, fireplaces, and burnt shell dumpings attest to human activities that took place at the site over a rather long period of time. Here the stratigraphic sequence will be presented, together with a first overview of the artefactual assemblage. The collected data will be concisely discussed in order to fit the site within the typology of Neolithic settlements that can be proposed for the area. UAQ38 is so far the only Neolithic site along the northeastern coast of the UAE for which stratified charcoal is available for dating.
The NERC and BGS trademarks and logos ('the Trademarks') are registered trademarks of NERC in the... more The NERC and BGS trademarks and logos ('the Trademarks') are registered trademarks of NERC in the UK and other countries, and may not be used without the prior written consent of the Trademark owner.
During the 2013 fieldwork of the French archaeological mission along the shores of the Arabian Se... more During the 2013 fieldwork of the French archaeological mission along the shores of the Arabian Sea, mancala games were discovered on the seashore of Salalah at the site of Ad-Dahariz. They are cup-hole carvings made directly into rock slabs and distributed in six distinct zones of the site. They usually consist of fourteen cup-holes aligned in two lines of seven, two supplementary holes being sometimes present on each side. They are the first of their kind in South Arabia and can be compared to similar configurations of carved games elsewhere in Arabia, such as at Jebel al-Jassasiya, Qatar. This paper presents the potential origins of this game in the region, as well as a plausible dating of their use.
FOLD&R Fasti On Line Documents & Research, 349, 2016
The Terramara S. Rosa di Poviglio (Reggio Emilia, Po Plain of Northern Italy) whose excavation st... more The Terramara S. Rosa di Poviglio (Reggio Emilia, Po Plain of Northern Italy) whose excavation started in 1984, consists of two dwelling areas indicated as “Villaggio Piccolo” (VP) and “Villaggio Grande” (VG), dating back to the Middle Bronze Age (MBA) and to the Recent Bronze Age (RBA), respectively. The two areas are separated by a moat which, according to recent geophysical prospections, is crossed by a passage connecting the VP to the VG. This structure was investigated in the 2015 field operation by opening a long excavation trench. The bottom of the moat was found to have been in use for a long period, from the late MBA to the RBA. Evidence of huge wooden structures, consisting of regular alignments of post holes, were found at the fringe of the VP. The margin of the moat close to the VP was covered by thick dumps, dating mostly to the RBA, discarded from the dwelling areas of the village into the moat. However inside these deposits, an exceptional quantity of small bronze items was recovered which probably have to be related to an area of metallurgic activities.
Uploads
Papers by Federico Borgi