Working at TCA Abu Dhabi – new promo film launched on TCA’s Linkedin web page (21 June 2017) – video: TCA Abu Dhabi.

The 51st Seminar for Arabian Studies takes place from Friday 4th August to Sunday 6th August 2017 at the British Museum in London.

To register for this year’s seminar please click here.

To see the latest draft programme please click here.

The Seminar features three papers concerning the results of archaeological excavations carried out in Abu Dhabi emirate by my TCA colleagues, as well as the results of examination of archaeological material by external specialists:

Friday 4th August:
14:00-14:25 pm – Ian Freestone et al. – Analytical Investigation of Early-Islamic Glass from Sir Bani Yas (United Arab Emirates)

Saturday 5th August:
12:40-13:05 pm – Abdulla Khalfan Al Kaabi & Ali Abdul Rahman Al Meqbali – Discovery of Bronze Age Trade with Dilmun on Sir Bani Yas Island.

Sunday 6th August:
14:10-14:35 pm – Peter Sheehan et al. – The Al Ain Oases Mapping Project: Hili Oasis 2017.

Looking forward to attending the next Archaeozoology of Southwest Asia and Adjacent Areas (ASWA) conference which will be held at the University of Cyprus in Nicosia from 7-9 June 2017. ASWA is a working group of the International Council for Archaeozoology (ICAZ).

For more information visit the ASWA 2017 website at:
https://aswa2017.sciencesconf.org

For more details about ASWA visit: alexandriaarchive.org/icaz/workaswa

A UNESCO/UCL international expert workshop on the serial nomination of the Maritime Silk Routes will be held at the Institute on 30 & 31 May.

The UNESCO project is exploring potential approaches to the serial nomination of the Maritime Silk Routes. There has been much discussion of possible strategies for UNESCO World Heritage nominations of the impact of maritime trade on the cultures and civilizations of East, Southeast, South and Western Asia, often referred to as the Maritime Silk Routes. The goal is to bring together scholars who have worked on the history, archaeology, and heritage of maritime interactions across this vast area to discuss the strategy for such a project.

The workshop will explore issues of chronology, the changing nature of routes, impact, the surviving range of archaeological and built heritage, the role of land routes connecting ports with their hinterlands and production sites, the complexity of port cities, and the approaches to wrecks and cargoes.

The workshop hopes to start the process of defining strategies for further research and as a platform for engaging in dialogue with the State Parties along the routes. A draft working document will be circulated in advance of the meeting, to act as a platform for discussion.

Further details about the workshop will be posted in due course. Currently there are c. 40 participants expected to attend from Japan, Republic of Korea, China, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Iran, Abu Dhabi, Oman, and Tanzania and international scholars from Australia, Canada, France, and the UK.

Start: May 30, 2017 09:00 AM
End: May 31, 2017 05:00 PM

Location: UCL Institute of Archaeology

Any enquiries about the event may be directed to Tim Williams.

For more information visit:

– Expert Meeting on World Heritage Meeting of the Maritime Silk Routes (PDF from UNESCO website)

– UNESCO – Silk Road: Dialogue, Diversity and Development

ABU DHABI, 24th May, 2017 (WAM) — Excavations by Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, TCA Abu Dhabi, archaeologists have revealed stunning evidence of a 4,000-year-old trading post on Sir Bani Yas island off Abu Dhabi’s coast. The excavations focused on a stone-constructed building at a site on the island’s south-west coast.

Inside the building a number of fragmentary large jars were found, which were made in Bahrain around 4,000 years ago and belong to a time when the UAE, Bahrain, Iraq, and south Asia were engaged in intensive maritime trade with the jars transported through the Arabian Gulf by ship.

Although fragments of pottery like these have been found before in the UAE, this is the first time that several complete examples have been discovered. Analysis of the artefacts is just beginning, but preliminary results indicate that pottery from Pakistan was also found. Bronze tools are also present, attesting to the important role that the UAE played in the export of copper to its Bronze Age neighbours. Along with the bronze tools is a well-preserved fish hook.

One of the most remarkable finds was a stamp seal, probably made from steatite. This is an example of a famous ‘Dilmun Stamp Seal’. Dilmun was the ancient name for Bahrain and adjoining regions, and merchants used these stamps to authorise shipments of goods around the Arabian Gulf. A few examples have been found before in the UAE, but this is the first Dilmun Stamp Seal to be discovered from the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi.

TCA Abu Dhabi archaeologist Abdulla Khalfan Al Kaabi said, “The moment when we discovered the Dilmun Stamp Seal was very special. We immediately realised the important implications of this find. Holding this in our hands for the first time since a Bronze Age merchant had used it almost 4,000 years ago was a magical moment.”

The seal appears to show an animal and a human figure under the moon. The meaning of the seal is still a mystery but Al Kaabi and TCA Abu Dhabi colleague Ali Abdul Rahman Al Meqbali are researching it and comparing it to the other seals that have been found in the Arabian Gulf.

Together, the artefacts and the building indicate that Sir Bani Yas held an important position in Bronze Age maritime trade. This trade is well-documented from both ancient texts and archaeology and involved the exchange of copper from the Al Hajar mountains of the UAE and Oman, semi-precious materials from south Asia, and goods from Bahrain and Iraq. The trade relied upon ports and staging posts in which boats could stop, exchange goods, and replenish supplies. In many ways, these ports represent a pre-cursor to the Free Zones that are an important part of the UAE economy today.

Why Sir Bani Yas was particularly important in this trade is still being investigated, but there is a long history of occupation on the island, made possible, in part, by the presence of fresh water. Even in the comparatively recent past, the village of Zahir had palm gardens irrigated with well water. The island is also close to the mainland, so goods could be easily exchanged.

The finds from the excavation came from just one building and surface remains indicate that several other buildings may be located at the same site. TCA Abu Dhabi archaeologists are just beginning the analysis of material from this year, and they will present their results at an international conference at the British Museum this July. Other sites on the island, such as the early Christian monastery, are well-known. The Bronze Age site will now also feature as an important part of a heritage tourism trail planned for the island.

The results achieved thus far add another level to the remarkable history of Abu Dhabi, a history being revealed by on-going TCA Abu Dhabi excavations on the islands, the coast, and in the Al Ain region.

TCA Abu Dhabi archaeologist Ali Abdul Rahman Al Meqbali said, “I am proud to be involved in researching the prehistory of Abu Dhabi Emirate. Our recent excavation on Sir Bani Yas island has rewritten our knowledge of contacts with the Bronze Age civilisations of the Arabian Gulf and beyond.”

A new species of hippopotamus known as ‘Archaeopotamus qeshta’ has just been recognised and published by a group of palaeontologists working on the 6-8 million year old Late Miocene Baynunah geological formation, located in Al Dhafra, in the western region of Abu Dhabi emirate in the UAE.   This is a relatively small hippopotamus which had a moderate size of about 600 kg. Its mandibles are characterised by symphyses that are greatly elongated relative to their width. It has characteristic teeth and its small dimensions are confirmed by measurements to its metapodial and/or phalangeal dimensions.

Boisserie, J.-R., M. Schuster, M.J. Beech, A. Hill and F. Bibi. 2017. A new species of hippopotamine (Cetartiodactyla, Hippopotamidae) from the late Miocene Baynunah Formation, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. PalaeoVertebrata 41-1-e2. doi: 10.18563/pv.41.1.e2

Bibi, F., A. Hill and M. Beech. 2017.  A Thousand and One Fossils – Discoveries in the Desert at Al Gharbia. Yale University Publications in Anthropology & Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority. 

April 25, 2017
120 pages, 12 x 9
128 color + 6 b/w illus.
ISBN: 9781933789071
Hardcover

This lavish volume celebrates the astonishing wealth of fossils uncovered in recent decades in Abu Dhabi’s desert. These prehistoric findings, around seven million years in age, record a period when the region was lush, green, and teeming with diverse mammals, all now extinct. With more than one hundred full-color photographs, including reconstructions of extinct animals, this book is both a visual delight and a unique glimpse into Arabia’s ancient past. All text in the book is presented in both English and Arabic.

A new book edited by Dr Marjan Mashkour (Natural History Museum – Paris) and myself has just been published in 2017 by Oxbow Books, Oxford & Philadelphia. Entitled, “Archaeozoology of the Near East 9” – In honour of Hans-Peter Uerpmann and Francois Poplin, this 2 volume publication is the Proceedings of the 9th conference of the ASWA (AA) Working Group – the Archaeozoology of South West Asia and Adjacent Areas – Al Ain, Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates.

This can be ordered online from Oxbow in different formats:
as hardback for 70 GBP – ISBN: 9781782978442, or
as eBook (epub) for 35 GBP – ISBN: 9781782978459, or
as eBook (PDF) for 35 GBP – ISBN: 9781782978473.

It can also be ordered via Amazon as Hardcover for 94.10 USD, or as Kindle eBook for 52.44 USD.

Further details

This two part volume brings together over 60 specialists to present 31 papers on the latest research into archaeozoology of the Near East. The papers are wide-ranging in terms of period and geographical coverage: from Palaeolithic rock shelter assemblages in Syria to Byzantine remains in Palestine and from the Caucasus to Cyprus. Papers are grouped into thematic sections examining patterns of Palaeolithic and Neolithic subsistence in northern Mesopotamia, Anatolia and the Iranian plateau; Palaeolithic to Neolithic faunal remains from Armenia; animal exploitation in Bronze Age urban sites; new evidence concerning pastoralism, nomadism and mobility; aspects of domestication and animal exploitation in the Arabian peninsula; several case studies on ritual animal deposits; and specific analyses of patterns of animal exploitation at urban sites in Turkey, Palestine and Jordan.

This important collection of significant new work builds on the well-established foundation of previous ICAZ publications to present the very latest results of archaeozoological research in the prehistory of this formative region in the development of animal exploitation.

Table of Contents

Forewords

Palaeolithic and Neolithic Subsistence in Northern Mesopotamia, Anatolia and the Iranian Plateau
1. Hannes Napierala, Andrew W. Kandel and Nicholas J. Conard. Small game and the shifting subsistence patterns from the Upper Paleolithic to the Natufian at Baaz Rockshelter, Syria
2. Jean-Denis Vigne, Isabelle Carrère, Jean Guilaine. Instability and co-development of the exploitation of early domestic sheep and goats: the example of Shillourokambos (Cyprus, Pre-Pottery Neolithic, 10,400-9,000 cal BP).
3. Daniel Helmer and Lionel Gourichon. The fauna of Tell Aswad (Damascus, Syria), early Neolithic levels. Comparison with Northern and Southern Levant sites.
4. Julie Daujat and Marjan Mashkour. Faunal Remains From Middle Neolithic Site of Qaleh Rostam.
5. Nerissa Russell and Katheryn C. Twiss. Digesting the Data: Dogs as Taphonomic Agents at Neolithic Çatalhöyük, Turkey

The Caucasian Zooarchaeology
6. Nina Manaseryan. Carnivora Mammals of Holocene in Armenia.
7. Adrian Bălăşescu, Cyril Montoya, Boris Gasparyan, Jérémie Liagre and Christine Chataigner. The Upper Palaeolithic Fauna From Kalavan 1 (Armenia): Preliminary Results.
8. Emmanuelle Vila, Adrian Bălăşescu, Valentin Radu, Ruben Badalyan and Christine Chataigner. Neolithic subsistence economy in the plain of Ararat: preliminary comparative analysis of the faunal remains from Aratashen and Khaturnarkh-Aknashen (Armenia).
9. Hans Christian Küchelmann, Nina Manaseryan, Lilit Mirzoyan. Animal Bones from Aramus, Armenia, Excavation 2004
10. Lilit Mirzoyan & Nina Manaseryan. Analysis of Urartian Bone Remains From Erebuni, Armenia (2003-2007 Excavations): Possible Use of Bones for the Manufacture of Paint.

Examples of Animal Exploitation in Urban Sites During the Bronze Age
11. Azadeh Fatemeh Mohaseb and Marjan Mashkour. Animal exploitation from the Bronze Age to the Early Islamic period in Haftavan Tepe (Western Azerbaijan- Iran)
12. Rémi Berthon. Animal Exploitation In The Upper Tigris River Valley During The Middle Bronze Age: A First Assessment from Hirbemerdon Tepe
13. Lubna Omar. Animal exploitation at Tell Bderi (Syria) during the Early Bronze Period.
14. Jwana Chahoud and Emmanuelle Vila. Exploitation of fauna at Ras Shamra: case study of the ‘Maison aux Albâtres’, Late Bronze Age, Northern Levant.
15. Laszlo Bartosiewicz. Size Matters: How Large a Sheep, How Big a Sample.
16. Scott J. Rufolo. New Thoughts on the Role of the Middle Khabur (Syria) in the Urbanization of Northern Mesopotamia in the Early Bronze Age.

Pastoralism, Nomadism and Mobility
17. Mark J. Beech, Marjan Mashkour, Hanae Sasaki, Tatsuo Sasaki, Walid Yasin Al-Tikriti & Mohammed Amer Al-Neyadi. Fish, Sheep and Goats in the Abu Dhabi Desert: Evidence for Bedouin Diet During the Pre-Oil Era.
18. Robin Bendrey, Sébastien Lepetz S., Antoine Zazzo, Marie Balasse, Tsagaan Turbat, Pierre Henri Giscard, Dominic Vella, Ganna I. Zaitseva, Konstantin V. Chugunov, Joël Ughetto, Karyne Debue and Jean- Denis Vigne. Nomads, Horses and Mobility: An Assessment of Geographic Origins of Iron Age Horses Found at Tsengel Khairkhan and Baga Turgen Gol (Mongolian Altai) Based on Oxygen Isotope Compositions of Tooth Enamel.
19. Jennifer J. Piro and Pam J. Crabtree. Zooarchaeological Evidence for Pastoralism in the Early Transcaucasian Culture.

Exploitation of animal in the Arabian Peninsula
20. F. G. Fedele. New Data on Domestic and Wild Camels (Camelus dromedarius and Camelus Sp.) In Sabaean and Minaean Yemen.
21. Margarethe Uerpmann and Hans-Peter Uerpmann. The Iron Age Site of Muweilah (Sharjah, UAE) and the Problems of Dromedary Domestication.
22. Justine Vorenger. Fish Exploitation at Qal’at Al-Bahrain from the Early Dilmun Period (3rd Millennium BC) to the Middle Islamic Period (13-16th Centuries AD): Preliminary Results
23. Mark J. Beech, Vincent Charpentier and Sophie Méry. Evidence for Deep-Sea Fishing and Cultural Identity during the Neolithic period at Akab Island, Umm al-Qaiwain, United Arab Emirates.

Rituals and Animal Deposits
24. Jill A. Weber. Elite Equids 2: Seeing the Dead.
25. Veerle Linseele, Wim Van Neer, Harco Willems, Bart Vanthuyne. An unusual cattle burial at Dayr al-Barshā (Late Period, Middle Egypt).
26. Hervé Monchot and Guillaume Charloux. The Opet Temple Courtyard Excavations: A New Zooarchaeological Study for Karnak (Luxor, Egypt).
27. Wim Van Neer, Veerle Linseele, Renée Friedman More animal burials from the Predynastic elite cemetery of Hierakonpolis (Upper Egypt): the 2008 season.

Animal Exploitation during the Antiquity
28. Bea De Cupere, Wim Van Neer, Kim Vyncke and Hannelore Vanhaverbeke. Animal exploitation during the Classical/Hellenistic period at Tepe Düzen (SW Turkey): preliminary results.
29. Yasha Hourani, Tarek Oueslati. Une accumulation d’équidés à Berytus: approche taxinomique et taphonomique.
30. Mohammad Al-Zawahra. The Animal Bone Remains from Mar Nicola, A Byzantine – Islamic Site at Beit Jala, Palestine.
31. Bea De Cupere, Anton Ervynck, Mircea Udrescu, Wim Van Neer, Wim Wouters. Faunal analysis of the Castle of Aqaba (Jordan): preliminary results.

A new press release has just been issued to WAM – the Emirates News Agency. This is about our recent archaeological excavations on Marawah Island and at the Baynunah camel site:

Archaeological excavations cast new light on Abu Dhabi’s earliest inhabitants (english)

تقرير/اكتشافات أثرية جديدة في جزيرة مروح وموقع بينونة تحكي تاريخ سكان أبوظبي الأوائل. (arabic)