Dr Mark Beech - Research Profile

Abu Dhabi 8 million years ago - backdrop to the former exhibition of Fossils from the Western Region of Abu Dhabi

Late Miocene fossils in Abu Dhabi emirate

Part of my duties as Cultural Landscapes Manager in the Historic Environment Department at TCA Abu Dhabi is to take care of the curation of fossil material collected from Late Miocene fossil sites in the western region of Abu Dhabi. This includes the fossil specimens collected by the joint Natural History Museum and Yale University expedition of the late 1980's to 1990's, material collected by the Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey (ADIAS) between 1992-2006, and more recent material collected by a team from Yale University and Poitiers University together with the Historic Environment Department of the former Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage.

The 2.54 metre long elephant tusk discovered at Ruwais

In November 2002 ADIAS discovered a new stunning 6-8 million year old fossil site at Ruwais in the western region of Abu Dhabi emirate. Finds retrieved included a 2.54 metre long tusk of the primitive elephant species, Stegotetrabelodon syrticus, as well as thousands of fossil specimens from a wide range of other animals. A preliminary database of this material has been prepared (in collaboration with Dr John Stewart). I was also reponsible for the design and construction of a permanent exhibition of these fossils, entitled "Abu Dhabi 8 Million Years Ago - Fossils from the Western Region" which went on display in Abu Dhabi in June 2005. More details are available by clicking here. This exhibition remained until 2008.

In January 2010 some of the same elephant fossils from the former exhibition were transferred to a new display on the 3rd floor of the Environment Agency in Abu Dhabi. This is located in the Al Mamoura building on Muroor Road in Abu Dhabi.



Proboscidean trackway discovered at Mleisa

Some preliminary work has also been undertaken at a remarkable Late Miocene fossil Proboscidean footprint site discovered at Mleisa in the western region of Abu Dhabi emirate.

The Historic Environment Department from the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) is currently undertaking a five year project together with Professor Andrew Hill (Yale University) and Dr Faysal Bibi (University of Poitiers) to further investigate the Late Miocene fossil sites in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi emirate.

A preliminary reconnaissance was undertaken for 10 days in December 2006. A month long field season was then undertaken between 8 December 2007 and 7 January 2008. This included the participation of other staff from Yale University including Dr Walter Joyce and Marilyn Fox from the Peabody Museum of Natural History, as well as Prof. David Evans and Dr Dan Peppe from the Department of Geology and Geophysics at Yale. A number of important fossil specimens were collected during the 2007-8 field season, as well as an extensive set of samples from four sites for palaeomagnetic analysis.

A further field season took place from 16 December 2008 until 7 January 2009. The team included Professor Andrew Hill, Faysal Bibi & Marilyn Fox (Yale University), Dr Brian Kraatz (Western University of Health Sciences, formerly of the American Museum of Natural History, New York), Emile Moacdieh & Kareem Zreik (American University of Beirut), as well as members of the ADACH Historic Environment team: Dr Mark Beech, Dr Walid Yasin, Mohammed Al Dhaheri, Ali Al Meqbali, Hamdan Al Rashidi, Ibrahim Lababidi and Dia'eddin Tawalbeh. Important specimens collected during the recent field season include an elephant jaw and other bones from Jaw Al Dibsa, a pair of Hipparion jaws and crocodile skeleton from Hamra, and important microfaunal remains from Shuwaihat, which include teeth from small mammals such as Thyronomyidae and Gerbillidae: Abudhabia baynunensis, as well as fish remains. One of the most important finds of this season was made at Shuwaihat and was the tooth of a primate, belonging to a small monkey. This is only the second primate specimen ever to be found in Arabia from this particular time period. Research collaboration with Dr Stephen Lokier from the Petroleum Institute in Abu Dhabi was also initiated to examine the carbonate layers within the Baynunah formation.

The most recent field season took place from 27 December 2009 until 16 January 2010. The team included Professor Andrew Hill (Yale University), Dr Faysal Bibi, Dr Mathieu Schuster and Dr Olga Otero (all Université of Poitiers), Dr Brian Kraatz (Western University of Health Sciences), Aya Attar and Sarwat Majzoub (American University of Beirut), as well as members of the ADACH Historic Environment team (Dr Mark Beech, Mohammed Amer Al Neyadi, Ahmed Abdullah Al Haj, Abdul Rahman Al Nuami, Abdullah Al Kaabi, Waleed Omar, Mohammed Al Dhaheri, Ali Al Meqbali, Hamdan Al Rashidi, Ibrahim Lababidi and Dia'eddin Tawalbeh). Important specimens collected during the recent fieldwork included two almost complete skulls of crocodile, as well as more important microfaunal remains. Fieldwork concentrated especially on the following sites: Shuwaihat, Gerain Al Aish and Hadwaniyah.

To read recent press coverage of this project click here.

Research collaborators:
Dr Faysal Bibi (IPHEP - UMR CNRS 6046, Université of Poitiers, France)
Professor David A.D. Evans (Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, USA)
Marilyn Fox (Preparator, Vertebrate Palaeontology Preparation Laboratory, Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, USA)
Gemma Goodall (Antares Designs, U.K.)
Dr Andrew Gardner (Department of Natural and Quantitative Sciences, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.)
Abdul Hafeez (Taxidermy Unit, Environment Agency, Al Ain Wildlife Park and Resort, U.A.E.)
Will Higgs (Gilsland, Cumbria, U.K.)
Prof. Andrew Hill (Department of Anthropology, Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, USA)
Dr Walter Joyce (Institute for Geoscience, Eberhard Karls University of Tuebingen, Germany)
Dr Brian Kraatz (Western University of Health Sciences, USA) - link to his personal home page)
Nigel Larkin (www.natural-history-conservation.com, U.K.)
Dr Stephen Lokier (Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi, UAE)
Dr Olga Otero (IPHEP - UMR CNRS 6046, Université of Poitiers, France)
Dr Dan Peppe (Department of Geology, Baylor University, USA)
Dr John Stewart (Department of Biology, UCL, London, U.K.)
Dr Mathieu Schuster ((IPHEP - UMR CNRS 6046, Université of Poitiers, France)
the late Peter Whybrow (Department of Palaeontology, Natural History Museum, London, U.K.)

Financial support:
Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH)
Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey (ADIAS)
Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations (ADCO)
BP
Abu Dhabi Oil Refining Company (Takreer)

Publications:

Bibi, F., A. Hill, M. Beech and W. Yasin. In press. A Late Miocene Fauna from the United Arab Emirates. In: X. Wang (Ed.), Neogene Terrestrial Mammalian Biostratigraphy and Chronology in Asia - Towards the Establishment of a Continent-Wide Stratigraphic and Chronologic Framework. Colombia University Press.

Bibi, F., Kraatz, B., Craig, N., Beech, M., Schuster, M., and Hill, A. 2012. Early evidence for complex social structure in Proboscidea from a late Miocene trackway site in the United Arab Emirates. Biology Letters rsbl.2011.1185v1-rsbl20111185.

Stewart, J.R. and M. Beech. 2006. The Miocene birds of Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) with a discussion of the age of modern species and genera. Historical Biology - A Journal of Paleobiology 18(2): 103-113. [ click here to read an abstract of the paper ]



Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey (ADIAS). 2005. Abu Dhabi 8 Million Years Ago - Fossils from the Western Region. DVD - available in both Arabic and English, featuring: (1) Fossils from Western Abu Dhabi - The Animals of 8 Million Years Ago (4 mins, 12 secs). Presentation produced and directed by Will Higgs and Dr Mark Beech (ADIAS) - 2005. (2) Hot Fossils from Abu Dhabi (5 mins, 27 secs) - Presenter: David Attenborough. Film produced and directed by Dave Holmes RKD Productions Ltd., London - 1991. Arabic version produced by Dr Mark Beech (ADIAS) - 2005. (3) Abu Dhabi - the Missing Link (28 mins, 47 secs). Film produced and directed by Brooke Film Productions for the Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations (ADCO) - 1991.

Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey (ADIAS). 2005. Abu Dhabi 8 Million Years Ago - Late Miocene Fossils from the Western Region.A4 folded leaflet, double sided with colour photographs. Don-Rite, Abu Dhabi. Available in both Arabic and English, free upon request. Click on the following links for Arabic leaflet (outside) - Arabic leaflet (inside) - English leaflet (outside) - English leaflet (inside)



Beech, M. and P. 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.

Beech, M. and W. Higgs. 2005. A New Late Miocene Fossil Site In Ruwais, Western Region of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. In: P. Hellyer and M. Ziolkowski (eds.), 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. pp.6-21. ISBN 9948-06-130-6.
[ to download this article in Acrobat .pdf format click here (1.8 MB) ] .

Higgs, W., A. Gardner and M. Beech. 2005. A Fossil Proboscidean Trackway at Mleisa, Western Region of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. In: P. Hellyer and M. Ziolkowski (eds.), 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. pp.21-27. ISBN 9948-06-130-6.
[ to download this article in Acrobat .pdf format click here (1.2 MB) ] .

Middle Palaeolithic in South-East Arabia

This research project is principally concerned with the analysis of the stone tool assemblage from Jebel Barakah, located in the western region of Abu Dhabi. The characteristic use of Levallois technology and the presence of a Mousterian point suggests that the lithics assemblage dates to somewhere between 150,000 to 200,000 years ago. A joint paper was presented at the Seminar for Arabian Studies held at the British Museum in July 2007, which was published in Volume 38 of the Proceedings in July 2008. Further field investigations were carried out in January 2008. These were presented at the National Center for Documentation and Research 40th Anniversary conference, New Perspectives on Recording UAE History, being published in the ensuing monograph, as well as in a chapter of book published by Springer Academic Publishers, edited by Mike Petraglia and Jeff Rose.

Kharimat Khor Al Manahil

Desert Neolithic of the Rub al-Khali

This research project is concerned with examining the character of the desert neolithic at the north-eastern edge of the Rub al-Khali or Empty Quarter. Recent survey and excavations in the south-east deserts of Abu Dhabi have uncovered a range of remarkable sites at Kharimat Khor Al Manahil and Khor Al Manahil. Lithic scatters extending continuously for more than three kilometres within the desert interior are currently being studied.

These provide a detailed insight into the environment of the Rub al-Khali during the so-called Climatic Optimum phase between about 9000 to 6000 years BP. The climate at that time was much more favourable than at the present time. There was considerably more rainfall as well as increased vegetation cover which allowed neolithic peoples to graze their animals and settle in an area which today is considered to be inhospitable desert.


Khor Al Manahil - selection of projectile points and foliates




Khor Al Manahil - Rendered map of lithics distribution.


Research collaborators:
Richard Cuttler (Birmingham Archaeology, University of Birmingham, U.K.)
Dr Heiko Kallweit (Projekte zur Erforschung des Neolithikums auf der Arabischen Halbinsel, Freiburg, Germany)
Hamed Al-Mutairi (Department of Antiquities and Museums, National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters, Kuwait)
Dr. Walid Yasin Al-Tikriti (Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH), Al Ain, UAE)
Dr Anja Zander (OSL Laboratory, Faculty of Geography, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Germany)

Financial support:
Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH)
former Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey (ADIAS)
former Department of Antiquities and Tourism, Al Ain, U.A.E.
Dolphin Energy Ltd., U.A.E.

Publications:

Kallweit, H., M. Beech and W.Y. Al-Tikriti. 2008. New Neolithic sites in the Rub al-Khali: survey and excavations at Umm az-Zamul - the 2004 season. Pages 6-24. In: P. Hellyer and M. Ziolkowski (eds.), Emirates Heritage Vol.2 - Proceedings of the 2nd Annual Symposium on Recent Archaeological Discoveries in the Emirates and of the Symposium on the History of the Emirates, Al Ain, 2004. Zayed Center for Heritage and History, Al Ain. ISBN 978-9949-06-078-9.

Beech, M. 2007. The Late Stone Age of South-Eastern Arabia: New Results from Excavations on Marawah Island and Umm az-Zamul, Abu Dhabi emirate, UAE. In: J. and J. Orchard (Eds.), Proceedings of the International Symposium - Archaeology of the Arabian Peninsula Through the Ages 7th-9th May 2006. Monograph No.134. Ministry of Heritage and Culture, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. pp.110-141.

Cuttler, R., M. Beech, H. Kallweit, A. Zander and W.Y. Al-Tikriti. 2007. Pastoral nomadic communities of the Holocene climatic optimum: excavation and research at Kharimat Khor al Manahil and Khor Al Manahil in the Rub al-Khali, Abu Dhabi. Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies 37: 61-78. [ to download this article in Acrobat.pdf format click here (1.67MB) ]

Beech, M., H. Kallweit, R. Cuttler and W.Y. Al-Tikriti. 2006. Neolithic sites in Umm az-Zamul. Bulletin of the Society for Arabian Studies 11: 17-26. [ to download this article in Acrobat.pdf format click here (1.67MB) ] .

Kallweit, H. 2006. A new type of tool from Umm az-Zamul Neolithic sites.Tribulus (Journal of the Emirates Natural History Group) 16.1: 14-15.

Kallweit H., M. Beech & W.Y. Al-Tikriti. 2005. Kharimat Khor al-Manahil and Khor Al Manahil — New Neolithic sites in the south-eastern desert of the UAE. Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies 35: 97-113.
[ to download this article in Acrobat .pdf format click here (6.87 MB) ] .

Neolithic ('Ubaid) communities of the late 6th - 5th millennium BC in the Arabian Gulf 

My research is presently focussed on understanding the environment and economy of the coastal communities of the Arabian Gulf, with a particular emphasis on the Neolithic ('Ubaid) communities of the late 6th - 5th millennium BC in the upper and lower Arabian Gulf.

Work is currently underway, together with Liz Popescu from the Cambridge County Council Archaeological Field Unit, on the publication of the 1993-4 and 1998 excavations of the 'Ubaid settlement on Dalma island, western Abu Dhabi region, United Arab Emirates. This will be published in the British Archaeological Reports International Series.

I was a team member of the British Archaeological Expedition to Kuwait which carried out the excavation of an Ubaid related site at the north end of Kuwait bay in order to study contacts between the Gulf and Mesopotamia in the 5th millennium BC (collaborators: Dr. Harriet Crawford and Dr. Robert Carter, Institute of Archaeology (UCL), London). I spent two months in the field at site H3 in Kuwait between mid-January to mid-March 2001, and a further two month field season from February-March 2002. A monograph concerning the results of the excavations is currently in press. This includes a detailed chapter on the faunal remains from the site.

In December 2002 to January 2003 I collaborated with Dr. Heiko Kallweit (formerly of University of Freiburg, Germany) in the investigation of a 5th millennium BC Arabian Neolithic lithic site at the Abu Dhabi Airport Golf Club. The results of this work were presented at the Seminar for Arabian Studies in 2003 (Beech, Kallweit and Hellyer, 2004).

Site MR11, Marawah Island	Pottery vessel from site MR11, Marawah island

I am director of the excavations at site MR11 on Marawah Island in Abu Dhabi emirate, one of the most important neolithic settlement sites so far discovered in south-east Arabia (Beech et al. 2005). Radiocarbon dating suggests that it was established around 5700 cal BC, making it the oldest radiometrically dated archaeological site so far discovered in the United Arab Emirates. Occupation at the site appears to last for at least 1000 years. Excavations in March 2004 uncovered traces of substantial stone buildings with walls standing to almost a metre in height. Important finds from the site included an almost complete pottery jar associated with a human male burial, the earliest known inhabitant of the UAE. This interesting ceramic vessel appears to belong to the earliest Ubaid tradition, providing some of our earliest evidence linking SE Arabia with Mesopotamia. A publication concerning the technical analysis of this pot is currently being prepared for publication in Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy (Méry, Blackman and Beech, in prep.). Other important finds included fragments of painted plaster vessels, shell beads, bone tools and a wealth of environmental data. This included charcoal, marine shells, mammal and fish bones. A paper on the March 2004 season is already published (Beech et al. 2005). Analysis of the human skeletal remains from the site is currently underway in collaboration with Dr Kath McSweeney (Department of Archaeology, University of Edinburgh, U.K.).

I am currently collaborating with Vincent Charpentier on the publication of site MR1 on Marawah Island. The site is an important neolithic settlement which is contemporary with the site of MR11. A publication with an extensive catalogue of the lithics assemblage from the site is currently being prepared.

Research collaborators:

Dr. Rob Carter (Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, U.K.)
Vincent Charpentier (CNRS / INRAP, Paris, France)
Dr Harriet Crawford (formerly Institute of Archaeology, UCL, U.K.)
Richard Cuttler (Birmingham Archaeology, University of Birmingham, U.K.)
Emily Glover (Mollusca section, Natural History Museum, London, U.K.)
Dr Peter Hogarth (Department of Biology, University of York, U.K.)
Dr Heiko Kallweit (Projekte zur Erforschung des Neolithikums auf der Arabischen Halbinsel, Freiburg, Germany)
Dr Kath McSweeney (Department of Archaeology, University of Edinburgh, U.K.)
Liz Popescu (Cambridgshire County Council Archaeological Field Unit, Cambridge, U.K.)

Financial support:
Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH)
Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey (ADIAS)
Shell Kuwait
Department of Antiquities and Museums, National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters, Kuwait

Publications:

Shepherd-Popescu, E. and M.J. Beech (eds.). in prep. Excavations at an Ubaid site on Dalma Island. British Archaeological Reports International Series. Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey Series (No. 2). ArchaeoPress, Oxford.

Méry, S., J. Blackman and M. Beech, in prep. An unusual pottery vessel from Site MR11, Marawah Island, Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates. Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy

Beech, M., M. Mashkour, A. Parker and A. Parton. 2010, in prep. Wild Camels, Lakes and the end of the Holocene Climatic Optimum.

Beech, M. (in press). The Mammal and Fish Bones. In: R. Carter and H. Crawford (eds.), Early Settlement and Seafaring in the Persian Gulf - The view from an Ubaid-related Neolithic site in As-Sabiyah, Kuwait (6th-5th millennium BCE). National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters and Shell Kuwait, Kuwait. American School of Prehistoric Research Bulletin, Peabody Museum Press, Harvard University Press.

Beech, M., R. Cuttler, D. Moscrop, H. Kallweit and J. Martin. 2008. Excavations at the Neolithic Settlement of MR11 on Marawah Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: 2004 Season. Pages 25-53. In: P. Hellyer and M. Ziolkowski (eds.), Emirates Heritage Vol.2 - Proceedings of the 2nd Annual Symposium on Recent Archaeological Discoveries in the Emirates and of the Symposium on the History of the Emirates, Al Ain, 2004. Zayed Center for Heritage and History, Al Ain. ISBN 978-9949-06-078-9.

Méry, S., V. Charpentier and M. Beech. 2008. First evidence of shell fish-hook technology in the Gulf. Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy 19 (1): 15-21.
[ Click here for more details, and to download this article in Acrobat .pdf format click here (337 Kb) ].

Beech, M. 2007. The Late Stone Age of South-Eastern Arabia: New Results from Excavations on Marawah Island and Umm az-Zamul, Abu Dhabi emirate, UAE. In: J. and J. Orchard (Eds.), Proceedings of the International Symposium - Archaeology of the Arabian Peninsula Through the Ages 7th-9th May 2006. Monograph No.134. Ministry of Heritage and Culture, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. pp.110-141.

Beech, M. and M. Al-Husaini. 2005. Preliminary report on the vertebrate fauna from site H3, Sabiyah: an Arabian Neolithic / 'Ubaid site in Kuwait. In: H. Buitenhuis, A.M. Choyke, L. Martin, L. Bartosiewicz and M. Mashkour (eds.), Archaeozoology of the Near East VI: Proceedings of the sixth international symposium on the archaeozoology of southwestern Asia and adjacent areas. ARC Publicaties 123. Groningen, Netherlands. pp.124-138. [ to download this article in Acrobat .pdf format click here (3.12 MB) ] .

Beech, M. and E. Glover. 2005. The environment and economy of an Ubaid-related settlement on Dalma island, United Arab Emirates. Paléorient 31/1: 97-107. [ to read abstract click here ].

Beech M., R. Cuttler, D. Moscrop, H. Kallweit & J. Martin. 2005. New evidence for the Neolithic settlement of Marawah Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies 35: 37-56.
[ to download this article in Acrobat .pdf format click here (2.57 MB) ] .

Beech, M., H. Kallweit and P. Hellyer. 2004. New archaeological investigations at Abu Dhabi Airport, United Arab Emirates. Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies 34: 1-15. [ to download this article in Acrobat .pdf format click here (2.94 MB) ] .

Beech, M.J. 2004. Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey Monograph 1 - 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. British Archaeological Reports International Series S1217. ArchaeoPress, Oxford. ISBN 1841715778. xxi + 293 pages; 126 figures, maps, plans, drawings, photographs; 232 tables; 8 Appendices of data, remains and sites.
[ to purchase a copy of this book click here - To read a review of this book written by Prof. Abbas S.A. Mohammed Ali (Dept. of Archaeology and Museology, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) published in Adumatu 11 (January 2005). click here (pdf file - arabic - 502 Kb) or click here (pdf file - english - 231 Kb) ].

Beech, M. 2003. Archaeobotanical Evidence for Early Date Consumption in the Arabian Gulf. Pages 11-31. In: ECSSR (ed), The Date Palm - From Traditional Resource to Green Wealth. Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research, Abu Dhabi. Paperback edition ISBN 9948-00-550-3. [ you can read an on-line version by clicking here - read a summary of the contents of the book in english or in arabic, or if you wish to purchase the entire book click here ]

Beech, M. and E. Shepherd. 2001. Archaeobotanical evidence for early date consumption on Dalma Island, United Arab Emirates. Antiquity 75: 83-9 [ to download this article in Acrobat .pdf format click here (1.6 MB) ] .

Beech, M., J. Elders and E. Shepherd.  2000. Reconsidering the 'Ubaid of the Southern Gulf: new results from excavations on Dalma Island, U.A.E. Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies 30: 41-47. [ to download this article in Acrobat .pdf format click here (737 Kb) ] .

Beech, M.  2000. Preliminary report on the faunal remains from an 'Ubaid settlement on Dalma island, United Arab Emirates. In: M. Mashkour, A.M. Choyke, H. Buitenhuis and F. Poplin (eds.), Archaeozoology of the Near East IV: Volume B - Proceedings of the fourth international symposium on the archaeozoology of southwestern Asia and adjacent areas. ARC Publicatie 32. Groningen, Netherlands. pp.68-78. [ to download the contents page of this volume in Acrobat .pdf format click here (655 Kb) - to download this article click here (169 Kb).]

Beech, M. and J. Elders.  1999. An 'Ubaid-related settlement on Dalma Island, United Arab Emirates. Bulletin of the Society for Arabian Studies 4: 17-21. [ to download this article in Acrobat .pdf format click here (518 Kb) ] .

Beech, M.  1999a. Dalma archaeological site yields Arabia's oldest date stones. Tribulus (Journal of the Emirates Natural History Group) 9.1: 18. [ to download this note in Acrobat .pdf format click here (103 Kb) ] .

Coastal Archaeology and Marine Resource Exploitation


Publication of PhD in BAR International Series

Modelling of Ancient Fishing Practices:

One particular research interest, which was the subject of my PhD thesis, was to investigate the modelling of ancient fishing practices in the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman region. This was done by adopting a multidisciplinary approach incorporating the study of modern fisheries data, faunal assemblages from archaeological sites, and archaeological evidence for prehistoric and historic fishing equipment. In order to identify fish bones retrieved from archaeological sites in the Arabian Gulf region I made an osteological comparative collection of modern Arabian Gulf fishes. This enabled the detailed comparison of archaeological material with modern comparitive specimens.

7000 year old marine catfish otoliths from site H3, Sabiyah, Kuwait	Section through two otoliths

Otolith Research

The question of the whether the earliest Neolithic period coastal settlements were occupied all year round or purely on a seasonal basis still remains open to debate. At site H3 at Sabiyah in Kuwait a large number of fish otoliths were retrieved from the marine catfish, a member of the Ariidae family. A collaborative study was undertaken on these together with Dr. Mohsen al-Husaini (Mariculture and Fisheries Department, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research - KISR, Kuwait). This research began on the 2nd April 2005 for two years. The research grant (KD 65,980 - equivalent to about 121,150 British Pounds) was supported by Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR), Kuwait Fund for Advancement of Science (KFAS), and the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL). The specific objectives of this study were:
(a). To study the fisheries biology of four species of sea catfish inhabiting Kuwait's waters using annuli in otoliths, and to study sea catfish otoliths retrieved from the archaeological excavation site in Sabyiah.
(b). To compare data on modern otoliths with that on the excavated otoliths to determine species and sizes of fish caught, fishing seasons, and past patterns of human occupation in the Sabyiah region.
(c). To use stable isotopes of oxygen in otoliths to estimate the history of temperature regime of the area and to estimate the timing when fishing occurred in the past.

Analysis of Zooarchaeological Assemblages:

I am currently working on:

(1) The fish bone assemblage from the 1998 excavations at the Neolithic Ubaid-related site DA11 on Dalma Island.

(2) An assemblage of Neolithic fish bones from the French Archaeological Mission's excavations on Akab island, Umm Al-Qaiwain, United Arab Emirates (Excavations directed by Dr Phillip Maquis and Dr Vincent Charpentier).

(3) An assemblage of Neolithic fish bones from the French Archaeological Mission's excavations at UAQ2, Umm Al-Qaiwain, United Arab Emirates (Excavations directed by Dr Sophie Mery).

(4) The Neolithic fish bone assemblage from Suwayh, Sultanate of Oman (Excavations directed by Vincent Charpentier).



Scylla serrata, mud mangrove crab

Exploitation of Crabs in the Past:

Together with Dr. Peter Hogarth, from the Department of Biology at the University of York, I am currently co-authoring a paper on the exploitation of crabs from the Neolithic to Islamic period within the Arabian Gulf.

In collaboration with Dr. Peter Hogarth, a comparative collection of modern crabs from the coastline of the United Arab Emirates is being prepared. This will assist with our work on the identification of archaeological crab material from the region. During Phase 1 (spring 2000) we surveyed the coastline of Abu Dhabi emirate from the Sila peninsula in the western region up to Abu Dhabi island. During Phase 2 (April 2002) we surveyed the remainder of the UAE coastline, from Abu Dhabi up to Ras al-Khaimah, as well as the eastern coast (Hogarth and Beech, in prep).

Research collaborators:
Dr. Rob Carter (Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, U.K.)
Caroline Cartwright (Department of Conservation, Documentation and Science, British Museum, London, U.K.)
Dr Harriet Crawford (formerly Institute of Archaeology, UCL, London, U.K.)
Emily Glover (Mollusca section, Natural History Museum, London, U.K.)
Dr Peter Hogarth (Department of Biology, University of York, U.K.)
Dr Heiko Kallweit (Projekte zur Erforschung des Neolithikums auf der Arabischen Halbinsel, Freiburg, Germany)
Liz Popescu (Cambridgshire County Council Archaeological Field Unit, Cambridge, U.K.)

Financial support:
Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey (ADIAS)
Shell Kuwait
Department of Antiquities and Museums, National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters, Kuwait

Publications:

Hogarth, P. and M. Beech. (in prep.). Ancient Consumption of Crabs in the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman: a Zooarchaeological Perspective. Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy.

Beech, M., P. Hogarth and C. Phillips. 2008. Zooarchaeological Evidence for Trade in Marine Resources in South-East Arabia. Pages 329-335. In: E. Olijdam and R.H. Spoor (eds.), Intercultural relations between South and Southwest Arabia. Studies in Commemoration of E.C.L. During Caspers (1934-1996). British Archaeological Reports International Series 1826. Society for Arabian Studies Monographs no.7. Archaeopress, Oxford.
[ to download this article in Acrobat .pdf format click here (426 Kb) ].

Méry, S., V. Charpentier and M. Beech. 2008. First evidence of shell fish-hook technology in the Gulf. Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy 19 (1): 15-21. [ to read abstract click here ].

Hogarth, P. and M. Beech. 2005. Crabs of the UAE. In: P. Hellyer and S. Aspinall (eds.), The Emirates - A Natural History. Trident Press, London. pp.208-210.

Beech, M., T.Z. Al-Abdessalaam and J.P. Hoolihan. 2005. Marine Fish. In: P. Hellyer and S. Aspinall (eds.), The Emirates - A Natural History. Trident Press, London. pp.256-277.

Beech, M. and M. Al-Husaini. 2005. Preliminary report on the vertebrate fauna from site H3, Sabiyah: an Arabian Neolithic / 'Ubaid site in Kuwait. In: H. Buitenhuis, A.M. Choyke, L. Martin, L. Bartosiewicz and M. Mashkour (eds.), Archaeozoology of the Near East VI: Proceedings of the sixth international symposium on the archaeozoology of southwestern Asia and adjacent areas. ARC Publicaties 123. Groningen, Netherlands. pp.124-138. [ to download this article in Acrobat .pdf format click here (3.12 MB) ] .

Beech, M. and E. Glover. 2005. The environment and economy of an Ubaid-related settlement on Dalma island, United Arab Emirates. Paléorient 31/1: 97-107. [ to read abstract click here ].

Beech, M. and N. Al Shaiba. 2004. Intertidal Archaeology on Marawah Island: New Evidence for Ancient Boat Mooring Sites. Tribulus (Journal of the Emirates Natural History Group) 14.2: 8-16. [ to download this article in Acrobat .pdf format click here (362 Kb) ] .

Beech, M.J. 2004. Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey Monograph 1 - 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. British Archaeological Reports International Series S1217. ArchaeoPress, Oxford. ISBN 1841715778. xxi + 293 pages; 126 figures, maps, plans, drawings, photographs; 232 tables; 8 Appendices of data, remains and sites.
[ to purchase a copy of this book click here - To read a review of this book written by Prof. Abbas S.A. Mohammed Ali (Dept. of Archaeology and Museology, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) published in Adumatu 11 (January 2005). click here (pdf file - arabic - 502 Kb) or click here (pdf file - english - 231 Kb) ].

Beech, M.J. 2004. The Fish Fauna of Abu Dhabi Emirate. Pages 158-183 in: Marine Atlas of Abu Dhabi. Emirates Heritage Club. Milan, Italy: Centro Poligrafico Milano SpA. ISBN 1-904566-40-5.

Beech, M. 2003. The diet of Osprey Pandion haliaetus on Marawah island, Abu Dhabi emirate, UAE. Tribulus (Journal of the Emirates Natural History Group) 13.1: 22-25. [ to download this article in Acrobat .pdf format click here (330 Kb) ] .

Beech, M. 2003.The development of fishing in the United Arab Emirates: a zooarchaeological perspective. In: D.T. Potts, H. Naboodah and P. Hellyer (eds.), Archaeology of the United Arab Emirates: Proceedings of the First International Conference on the Archaeology of the UAE. Trident Press Ltd., London. pp.289-308. [ to download this article in Acrobat .pdf format click here (555 Kb) - or to purchase a copy of this book click here ].

Beech, M. and Hogarth, P. 2002. An archaeological perspective on the development and exploitation of mangroves in the United Arab Emirates. In: Salim Javid and Amrita G. de Soyza (eds.), Research and Management Options for Mangrove and Salt Marsh Ecosystems - Proceedings of the 2nd International Symposium and Workshop on Arid Zone Environments (22-24 December 2001, Abu Dhabi, UAE). Environmental Research and Wildlife Development Agency (ERWDA), Abu Dhabi, UAE. pp.196-198. [ to download this article in Acrobat .pdf format click here (1.6 MB) ] .

Hogarth, P. and M. Beech. 2002. An ambidextrous fiddler crab. Tribulus (Journal of the Emirates Natural History Group) 12.2: 24-25. [ to download this note in Acrobat .pdf format click here (655 Kb) ] .

Beech, M.  2002.  Fishing in the ‘Ubaid: a Review of Fish-bone Assemblages from Early Prehistoric Coastal Settlements in the Arabian Gulf. Journal of Oman Studies 12: 25-40. [ to download this article in Acrobat .pdf format click here (1.5 MB) ] .

Hogarth, P. and M. Beech. 2001. A first modern record of the Mangrove Crab Scylla serrata in the U.A.E. and south-eastern Arabian Gulf. Tribulus (Journal of the Emirates Natural History Group) 11.2: 30. [ to download this article in Acrobat .pdf format click here (116 Kb) - to view figure 1, click here ] .

Beech, M. and H. Kallweit.  2001.  A Note on the Archaeological and Environmental remains from Site JH-57, a 5th-4th Millennium BC shell midden in Jazirat al-Hamra, Ra's al-Khaimah. Tribulus (Journal of the Emirates Natural History Group) 11.1: 17-20. [ to download this article in Acrobat .pdf format click here (397 Kb) ] .

Beech, M.  2001.  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.  DPhil thesis - Departments of Archaeology and Biology, University of York, U.K.

Beech, M.  1999b. A new species of triggerfish recorded for the Arabian Gulf. Tribulus (Journal of the Emirates Natural History Group) 9(1): 18-20.  [ to download this article in Acrobat .pdf format click here (1.4 MB) ] .

Beech, M. 1998b. Comments on two vertebrate samples from early Islamic Jazirat al-Hulaylah (5th-9th c. AD) and Islamic Julfar (mid-14th - 16th c. AD), United Arab Emirates. Bulletin of Archaeology, University of Kanazawa 24: 197-203. [ to download this note in Acrobat .pdf format click here (221 Kb) ] .

Beech, M.  1998a. Ancient marine resource exploitation in the southern Arabian Gulf:  an archaeozoological perspective (Research in Progress - Archaeology). Tribulus (Journal of the Emirates Natural History Group) 8.2: 31-32. [ to download this note in Acrobat .pdf format click here (222 Kb) ] .

Beech, M. and Pipe, A. 1997. The Animal Bones. In: Kennet, D., Kush: a Sasanian and Islamic-period archaeological tell in Ras al-Khaimah (U.A.E.). Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy 8: 284-302 (pp.297-298).

Computer Applications in Archaeology

I have an ongoing interest in the use of computers in archaeology. This ranges from questions relating to the archiving of archaeological datasets, sites and monuments archives, GIS applications, to the development of web-based presentations and tutorials for enhanced learning.

I was responsible for pulling together and organising the digital archives of the Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey (ADIAS) - which included databases, reports and survey data from the 15 year duration of the project (1992-2006). This was digitally archived on a server, housed by the Environment Agency (EAD) in Abu Dhabi. The work also involved the development and implementation (in collaboration with EAD) of a database of all archaeological sites in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. This was linked to the Abu Dhabi Environmental Database, a government based initiative which permits a range of environmental data to be interrogated through a GIS system. This database was initially transferred to the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) and now to the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi). Archaeological sites are mapped using GPS-based systems. Maps are subsequently produced using ESRI ArcGIS/ArcMap 10.1 in conjunction with geo-referenced satellite images. Further work is underway on improving the Abu Dhabi sites database to include all palaeontological, archaeological and historical sites known within the emirate.

I have a particular interest in internet applications and the presentation of archaeological information. I was previously responsible for the design and maintenance of various websites including the former ADIAS and Seminar for Arabian Studieswebsites.

Research collaborators:
Will Higgs (Gilsland, Cumbria, U.K.)
Entesar Al Hosani (Head of IT Department, Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD), U.A.E.)
Anil Kumar (GIS manager, IT Department, Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD), U.A.E.)
Sultan Al-Mansoori (IT Co-ordinator, Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), U.A.E.)
Jaafar Al-Hashemi (GIS Co-ordinator, Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), U.A.E.)

Financial support:
Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH)
Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey (ADIAS)
Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD)

[ Last updated: 28 October 2012 ]

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