The 14th International Council for Archaeozoology is being held from 7-12 August 2023 at the Cairns Convention Centre, Sheridan Street & Wharf Street, Cairns, Queensland 4870, Australia.

For more details visit:
https://www.icaz2023.org/

For details of the programme:
https://www.icaz2023.org/full-program/

I will be presenting the following paper on Friday 11th August 2023, co-authored with Kevin Lidour, in the session, The Forefront of Zooarchaeology in Asian Coasts and Islands (Meeting Room M10):

The Fertile Coast: A New Insight into Maritime Adaptations During the Neolithic of South-East Arabia

ABSTRACT

This paper discusses the latest research on the “Fertile Coast” of South-East Arabia during the Neolithic period. Archaeological evidence indicates a cohesive culture within the coastal areas of the lower Arabian Gulf during the 7th to 4th millennium BCE. Despite the lack of regional development of agriculture and pottery manufacture, as in the Levant and Mesopotamia, the past human groups living in Arabian Peninsula have created their own pathways in the Neolithization process. They built well-structured architecture, produced plaster vessels, and maintained some domestic animals. At the same time, they relied primarily on maritime resources such as marine molluscs, crustaceans, fish, sea turtles, and marine mammals (including dolphins and dugongs) provided by coastal ecosystems showing high biodiversity and biomass (mangroves, seagrass, and coral reefs). Marine fauna not only consist of a staple food for daily subsistence, but also of an abundant source of raw materials (e.g., seashells, shark teeth, etc.) for technological and symbolic productions – respectively in the form of tools and personal adornments. An original case study of maritime adaptation of past human groups within the Saharo-Arabian arid belt is presented which can be also highlighted by advanced seafaring, the colonisation of offshore islands, and distant trade across the Arabian Gulf. The scope of the present paper is to discuss the different aspects of a Neolithic coastal lifestyle and the importance of the marine resources in the subsistence and the cultural development of past human cultures in South-East Arabia.

References:

Beech, M.J. 2004. In the Land of the Ichthyophagi: Modelling fish exploitation in the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman from the 5th millennium BC to the Late Islamic period. Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey Monograph 1 – British Archaeological Reports International Series S1217. ArchaeoPress, Oxford.

Beech, M. J., N.H. Al Hameli, R.T. Cuttler, K. Lidour, H. Roberts, R. Crassard, N. Yalman, & T. Davies. 2022. Neolithic settlement patterns and subsistence strategies on Marawah Island, Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates. Proc. of the Seminar for Arabian Studies, 51: 7–24.

Lidour, K., P. Béarez, M. Beech, V. Charpentier & S. Méry. 2021. Intensive exploitation of marine crabs and sea urchins during the middle holocene in the eastern Arabian Peninsula offers new perspectives on ancient maritime adaptations, The Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology, DOI: 10.1080/15564894.2021.1962437

Lidour, K. and M.J. Beech. 2019a. At the dawn of Arabian fisheries. Fishing activities of the inhabitants of the Neolithic tripartite house of Marawah Island, Abu Dhabi Emirate (United Arab Emirates). Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy 2019:00:1-11. DOI: 10.1111/aae.12134

Lidour, K. & M.J. Beech. 2019b. ‘The numerous islands of the Ichthyophagi’: Neolithic fisheries of Delma Island, Abu Dhabi Emirate (UAE). Proc. of the Seminar for Arabian Studies 49: 207-222.

Session Theme Details:

The Forefront of Zooarchaeology in Asian Coasts and Islands (Meeting Room M10):
Friday 11 August 2023 – 10:30am – 5 pm

Modern humans (Homo sapiens) began active utilization of maritime and coastal resources exploitation from the late Pleistocene. Currently, the number of zooarchaeological studies in the coastal and islands regions in Asia is dramatically increasing. These studies cover topics ranging from Pleistocene terrestrial and maritime resource exploitation, the variety of animal uses including domestications, hunting, and fishing after the Neolithic ages, as well as pre-modern or modern animal use as the main focus of ethno-archaeological studies.
This session provides the forum within which to to integrate these zooarchaeological studies as our current research forefront, to place together information from different coastal and island regions of Asia, and to discuss innovative methods to develop the variety of issues presented. This session will enable an exchange of ideas to increase understanding of Pleistocene and Holocene human activities related to both terrestrial and marine animal use. We also welcome any related papers concerned with new findings and zooarchaeological methodologies to investigate coastal/terrestrial and marine resources use and aquatic culture by Homo sapiens in Asian coastal and island regions.

Session Organisers:

Rintaro Ono, National Museum of Ethnology, Japan
Takao Sato, Keio University, Japan

From 4 – 6 August 2023, the 56th Seminar for Arabian Studies will take place at Moesgaard Museum and Aarhus University, Denmark. This year we celebrate the 70^th jubilee of the pioneering Arabian Gulf expeditions (est. 1953-). The seminar has been jointly organised by the department of Archaeology at Aarhus University and the Orient Department at Moesgaard Museum and is under the patronage of the International Association for the Study of Arabia.

This year’s Seminar is generously supported by the C. L. David Foundation, the Carlsberg Foundation, the Frimodt-Heineke Foundation, the Dr M. C. Holsts Foundation, and the Beatrice de Cardi Fund of the Society of Antiquaries of London.

For more details visit:  https://iasarabia.org/the-seminar/

Seminar for Arabian Studies 2003
– Programme
– Abstracts
– Special Session – Bronze Age Arabia – 70 Years On

The following paper will be presented by our archaeology team:

Functional, Ceremonial or Domestic? Neolithic Stone-Lined Structures on Ghagha Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Richard Thorburn Cuttler, DCT Abu Dhabi, UAE
Noura Hamad Al Hameli, DCT Abu Dhabi, UAE
Rémy Crassard, CNRS, Archéorient Laboratory, Lyon, France
Ahmed Abdalla El Faki, DCT Abu Dhabi, UAE
Peter Gerard Magee, DCT Abu Dhabi, UAE
Mark Jonathan Beech, DCT Abu Dhabi, UAE

Keywords: Neolithic, Settlement, Subsistence, Arabian Gulf

Survey at the northern extent of the island of Ghagha in November 2019 by the Department of Culture and Tourism: Abu Dhabi, identified several low mounds associated with extensive burning. Excavation work revealed multiple stone lined pits and smaller hearths within a large mound of ash and charcoal. This ash appears to have been emptied or cleaned out of the structures and dumped on an adjacent area. Finds include barbed and tanged arrowheads, beads and tile knives. However, faunal or human remains that might normally indicate a domestic or mortuary assemblage are almost entirely absent, and the structures on this site contrast sharply with the stone architecture seen at GHG0014, Marawah and elsewhere. Radiocarbon dates place the activities associated with these stone-lined pits within the latter half of the 7th millennium BCE. This is one or two hundred years later than the earliest settlement on Ghagha (GHG0014), but immediately predates an event (8.2kya) that locally saw a dramatic change from increased precipitation to a hyperarid climate. This paper will explore the implications of the lithic and environmental assemblage, while considering what the original site functionality might have been.

Visit the Louvre Abu Dhabi’s “Picturing the Cosmos” exhibition which is held at the in-house Children’s Museum. Running for two years until June 2025, it was created in collaboration with the UAE Space Agency and the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre. The exhibition features the first ever two loans from the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi (NHMAD). These are a lunar meteorite found in north-west Africa and the 7 billion year old Murchison meteorite discovered in 1969 near the Australian town of Murchison.

Louvre Abu Dhabi – Picturing the Cosmos
– book tickets on the official website
– Join the ultimate space adventure!
Exhibition opens 20.07.2023 until June 2025
Kids go free
Ages 4+

The National – 19 July 2023 – Louvre Abu Dhabi Children’s Museum shoots for the stars with space exhibition

To find out more about the Murchison meteorite visit these links:

Smithsonian Magazine – 13 January 2020 – Meteorite Grains Are the Oldest Known Solid Material on Earth –  by Jay Bennett
The oldest dust sample, perhaps 7 billion years old, predates the formation of our planet and the sun.

Stardust memories: 50 years of the Murchison meteorite – a lecture on YouTube by Dermot Henry (Deputy Director, Sciences, Division of Research and Collections at Museums Victoria, Melbourne, Australia) – 20 November 2019
When a meteorite exploded in the atmosphere over Murchison, about 160km north of Melbourne, on 28 September 1969, it sounded like the roar of an express train. Mineralogist Dermot Henry will explain why its composition is so significant making it one of the most extensively studied meteorites in the world.

Peter Hellyer, my former boss and long time friend in the UAE passed away on 2 July 2023. My deepest condolences go out to his family and friends. He made an immense contribution to the UAE, a country he loved so much. I learnt a lot from him during the time we worked together for the Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey (ADIAS) from 1994 up until 2006. Peter you will be missed but not forgotten. Your legacy remains in the numerous publications and the fact that many of the well known archaeological sites discovered in Abu Dhabi were first brought to light by the work carried out by the ADIAS team are now preserved today as internationally important heritage sites.You can read some of the obituaries written about him on the following links:

The National – 2 July 2023
Peter Hellyer: Sheikh Mohamed leads tributes after chronicler of UAE’s past dies aged 75

WAM – Emirates News Agency – 3 July 2023
WAM mourns death of Emirati media veteran Peter Hellyer

وكالة أنباء الإمارات تعزي بوفاة الإعلامي الإماراتي بيتر هيلير

The National – 3 July 2023
Peter Hellyer  – Author, columnist and historian who helped to tell the UAE’s story 

Gulf News – 3 July 2023
UAE President mourns death of historian and author Peter Hellyer

Gulf News – 3 July 2023
Cultural, media community in UAE mourns death of noted historian Peter Hellyer

Khaleej Times – 3 July 2023
UAE historian Peter Hellyer passes away: From 1975 to 2023, how he played integral role in nation’s development

Khaleej Times – 3 July 2023
‘Model of dedication’: UAE President condoles death of historian Peter Hellyer

Khaleej Times – 3 July 2023
UAE: Legendary historian Peter Hellyer passes away; tributes pour in

Associated Press – 3 July 2023
Peter Hellyer, prolific writer who chronicled the UAE’s rise over nearly five decades, dies at 75

Al Ittihad – 3 July 2023
رئيس الدولة: بيتر هيلير خدم الإمارات بتفان وإخلاص على مدى عقود

وفاة الإعلامي الإماراتي بيتر هيلير

The National – 4 July 2023
With Peter Hellyer’s passing, we have lost a pillar of strength

The National – 4 July 2023
Peter Hellyer: The man I knew was dedicated to his craft and country

Khaleej Times – 4 July 2023
Peter Hellyer: Colleague, friend, family

Khaleej Times – 4 July 2023
Peter Hellyer: Memories of my mentor

Khaleej Times – 4 July 2023
Remembering Peter Hellyer, a mentor and colleague

Khaleej Times – 4 July 2023
UAE: Emirati historian Peter Hellyer buried in Abu Dhabi; hundreds including top ministers attend funeral

The National – 5 July 2023
Activist, historian and archaeologist of the West and Arab world: my father, Peter Hellyer

Gulf News – 6 July 2023
Peter Hellyer: A man who proved that East and West could meet

Peter Hellyer – Publications:
Here is a selection of just some of the publications he authored:

Peter Hellyer. 1992. Fujairah: An Arabian Jewel. Motivate Publishing, Dubai. ISBN 978 1 86063 139 9.

Peter Hellyer and Rosalind Buckton. 1998. Al Ain: Garden City of the Gulf. Motivate Publishing, Dubai. ISBN 978 1 86063 192 4.

Peter Hellyer. 1998. Filling in the Blanks: Recent Archaeological Discoveries in Abu Dhabi (Editorial Consultant: Dr. G.R.D. King).
Motivate Publishing , Dubai, UAE. for the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). ISBN 1-8606-3-024-3.

Peter Hellyer. 1998. Waves of Time: The Maritime History of the United Arab Emirates. Trident Press, London.

Peter Hellyer.1999. Hidden Riches – An Archaeological Introduction to the United Arab Emirates. Union National Bank, Abu Dhabi.

Ibrahim Al-Abed and Peter Hellyer (eds.). 2001. The United Arab Emirates: A new perspective. Trident Press, UK.

Daniel T. Potts, Hassan Naboodah and Peter Hellyer (eds.). 2003. Archaeology of the United Arab Emirates: Proceedings of the First International Conference on the Archaeology of the UAE. Trident Press Ltd., London. ISBN 1900724-88-X – Hardback.

Simon Aspinall and Peter Hellyer (eds). 2004. Jebel Hafit: A Natural History. Emirates Natural History Group (ENHG). Sponsored by the Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations (ADCO). ISBN 9948-03-143-1. 221 pages.

Mark Beech and Peter Hellyer (eds.). 2005. Abu Dhabi 8 Million Years Ago – Late Miocene Fossils from the Western Region. Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey (ADIAS): Dar Al Fajr Printing Press, Abu Dhabi, UAE. 68 pages; 73 figures, maps, plans, drawings, photographs. ISBN 9948-03-188-1.

Peter Hellyer and Simon Aspinall (eds.). 2005. The Emirates – A Natural History. ISBN 1-905486-02-2 – Hardback.

Peter Hellyer and Michele Ziolkowski (eds). 2005. Emirates Heritage Vol. 1 – Proceedings of the 1st Annual Symposium on Recent Palaeontological and Archaeological Discoveries in the Emirates, Al Ain. Zayed Centre for Heritage and History, Al Ain. ISBN 9948-06-130-6. 139 pages.

Mark Beech, Peter Hellyer, Andrew Gardner, Brien Holmes and Walid Yasin Al-Tikriti. 2007. Palaeontological and Archaeological Resources in Abu Dhabi Emirate. Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative (AGEDI) & Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD). 57 pages.

Daniel Potts and Peter Hellyer (eds.). 2012. Fifty years of Emirates Archaeology. Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development. Motivate Publishing, London.

Peter Magee, Peter Hellyer and Mohammed Khalifa Al Mubarak. 2019. The Emirates: Our History. Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi.

Celebrate International Museum Day by finding out about Abu Dhabi’s existing and planned Museums.

Abu Dhabi museums are windows to our past, present, and future. Embark on a journey of discovery, appreciation, and inspiration. On #InternationalMuseumDay, let’s celebrate the power of museums to connect us across time and borders!#DCTAbuDhabi #AbuDhabiCulture pic.twitter.com/xCUFd26AYE

— Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (@dctabudhabi) May 18, 2023

A new article has just been published in the journal Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy:

Abstract:
This paper represents a study of archaeological fish remains retrieved from the excavations conducted by C. S. Phillips between 1993 and 2001 at Kalbāʾ 4 (Emirate of Sharjah, UAE). Kalbāʾ 4 is a major coastal site that was continuously occupied from the Umm an‐Nar period to the Iron Age (c. 2700–600 BCE). The site is of particular interest regarding monumental architecture, pottery studies and exchange networks across Arabia and its neighbouring regions from the Bronze Age onwards. A corpus of about 5500 fish remains provides information on fishing economies during the entire occupation of the site. Data regarding fish complement results previously obtained from the study of other fauna including marine molluscs, sea turtles, terrestrial and marine mammals. They allow us to document a fishing‐based economy at Kalbāʾ 4. The results highlight the exploitation of a quite limited range of fish taxa associated mostly with reef areas (groupers, trevallies, snappers, spangled emperors, King soldierbreams), brackish waters (mullets) and the open sea (scombrids). The techniques seem to have mainly involved the use of baited lines from boats, fishing nets and possibly cage traps. The discussion includes comparisons with the other main fish studies conducted for the Bronze Age and the Iron Age in Eastern Arabia.

My co-authored article in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology is one of the most cited references during the period between 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2022. Here are the details:

Lisa Yeomans and Mark Jonathan Beech. 2000. An aid to the identification of fish bones from southeast Arabia: The influence of reference collections on taxonomic diversity. 2020. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology 31(1): 3-17. https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.2920

[The Supporting Information can be downloaded here. This includes 60 higher resolution versions of the illustrations of fish bones featured in the paper, as well as lists providing details of the size of the reference fish and the location of the reference specimen, a summary of published data of teleost fish bones from archaeological sites in SE Arabia, as well as a list of resources useful for identifying fish bones from south-east Arabia.]

Abstract:

Identification of fish bones from archaeological sites in southeast Arabia is challenging because of high taxonomic diversity, comparatively few reference collections with a wide range of species, as well as access to these resources. This paper provides illustrations of bones from many common taxonomic groups of fish from the southeast Arabia including several species of fish identified in very few assemblages, probably because of the lack of comparative reference material. This is a guide to aid other analysts in the identification process. We also consider the effect of reference collection size on the taxonomic diversity of analysed fish bone assemblages and conclude that research would benefit by the publication of further identification guides. Ideally these should include differences between closely related species, as this has a significant impact on the taxonomic diversity of archaeo-ichthyological assemblages. Although many papers are devoted to the influence of sample size, recovery method or recording protocols on the taxonomic diversity of faunal assemblages, a similar discussion on the effect of the reference collection used is often overlooked.

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi cordially invites you to the  2022 edition of the Archaeology Conference, under the theme “Advances in UAE Archaeology”.
During the conference, you will get the chance to hear about recent research and results of excavations in the United Arab Emirates as well as about the preservation of heritage. The conference will also touch upon the role of museums in reinforcing heritage and promoting the United Arab Emirates history to the world.

For details of the Conference Programme click here

Dates: December 12-13, 2022
Time: 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Location: Hilton Abu Dhabi, Yas Island.

Together with the Zayed National Museum, the Historic Environment Department at the Department of Culture and Tourism organised “The Archaeology Conference 2022”, under the theme “Advances in UAE Archaeology”. The event saw leading Emirati, regional and international experts present their research and discuss the latest discoveries and preservation work, shedding light on the heritage of the UAE and the region across historical eras.

click here for a short video of the highlights (via the DCT LinkedIn website). You can also watch all the presentations given at the conference via the DCT Abu Dhabi Culture YouTube channel:

Day 1 – The Archaeology Conference – Monday 12 December 2022

Day 2 – The Archaeology Conference – Tuesday 13 December 2022

I attended the Louvre Abu Dhabi’s Fifth Anniversary Gala Dinner on Monday 14th November 2022. It was a fantastic evening featuring speeches by His Excellency Mohammed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi, and Chairman of Louvre Abu Dhabi, and Her Excellency Rima Abdul Malak, Minister of Culture, France.

The Gala Dinner was prepared by the French chef, Pierre Gagnaire TT, Fouquet’s Abu Dhabi. The dessert called ‘Reminiscence’ was made by the Emirati pastry chef, Sahar Parham Al Awadhi, and was amazing. It was described as “Served on a bed of cracked rice phitni scented with rose and cardamom. Yuzu and rose compressed pear surrounded by opalys chocolate puffed rice, served with ginger and pear gelato under a rice milk veil”!

Musical entertainment was provided by the Emirati singer, Rashed Al Nuaimi. The artist Jenny Holzer created a large-scale light projection entitled “Birthday”, featuring extraordinary words by poets, artists and others from the region and beyond. The texts contemplated the mystery, struggle, intensity, and joy inherent to stories of creation across time and space while evoking contemporary themes from the Middle East’s blossoming art scene.

I was part of the delegation from the Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT) Abu Dhabi attending the ICOM 2022 Congress held in Prague, Czech Republic from 20-28 August 2022. The theme of the congress was “The Power of Museums”, which discussed the following themes:

– Purpose: Museums and Civil Society
– Sustainability: Museums and Resilience
– Vision: Museums and Leadership
– Delivery: Museums and New Technologies

I attended the special sessions organised by ICOM NATHIST,  the International Committee for Museums and Collections of Natural History of the International Council of Museums. This brought together museum curators and experts from natural history museums from all around the world. The principle event was an offsite meeting held at the National Museum in Prague on Thursday 25th August 2022. There were a series of papers presented about the Nagoya Protocol and concerning Meteorite legislation in different countries.

Programme details

Offsite meeting held at the National Museum Prague on 25th August 2022 (pdf)

Following the offsite meeting the ICOM NATHIST group then visited the Natural History Museum storage outside Prague located at Horní Počernice, where we visited the Palaeontology and Rocks/Minerals archive storage facilities.