Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy最新文献

This study examines plant-based foods, their production, foraging and trade, as well as the flora of Failaka Island during the Late Islamic period. Archaeobotanical analysis of charred food remains, fuels and domestic waste recovered from the sediments of the Kharaib al-Dasht site provides insights into the diet and subsistence economy of the island. The recovered seeds indicate the consumption of cultivated cereals, including free-threshing wheat, barley and rice, as well as fruits and berries such as date palm, grape and plum/cherry. While these staple food products could have been imported, archaeobotanical evidence suggests the local cultivation of wheat. Additionally, the recorded wild plants are characteristic of the island's xerophilous flora. These findings offer valuable material evidence for understanding the history of food consumption, trade and the environmental conditions of Failaka during the Late Islamic period.

Five years of large-scale excavations and surveys carried out by the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) and the Saudi Heritage Commission at the ancient caravan city of Thāj (Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia), c. 75 km inland from the Gulf coast, produced a significant pottery assemblage of imported Mediterranean wares—particularly in the levels dated between the fourth and second c. BCE. These finds suggest strong economic connections with the centre of the Hellenistic world through long and complex communication routes. The aim of this paper is to present this unique assemblage of imported pottery and to raise a discussion over possible routes via which Mediterranean goods reached the site. This will be considered in relation to other finds of fine wares and transport amphorae at sites of the Gulf and their broader distributions in Arabia and Mesopotamia.

This research seeks to study and analyse two Sabaic inscriptions from the archaeological site of Kamna (Kmnhw) in Wādī al-Jawf in northern Yemen. These two votive inscriptions, dedicated to the Sabaean god ʾAlmaqah, date back to the second half of the eighth century bc, to the time of the reigns of the Sabaean mukarribs Yadaʿʾīl, Yathaʿʾamar (Bayyin) and Dhamarʿalī (Dharīḥ), and of the reigns of the contemporary kings of Kamna named ʿAmmkarib, Biʿathtar and Nabaṭʿalī. The importance of the two inscriptions lies in the fact that they shed light on the history of the town of Kamna and its relationship with the kingdom of Sabaʾ during that period, confirming the existence of coalitions and friendly relations between the two political entities and contributing towards establishing a clearer chronology of their rulers. They illustrate the Sabaean partial control over the town of Kamna, with deputies representing the mukarribs and bearing the title of kabīr of Sabaʾ.

This paper examines the correlation between coastal archaeological sites and Holocene sea-level changes in Kuwait Bay, focusing on specific historical periods. Recent investigations in Al-Subiyah revealed diverse sites, including late Neolithic Ubaid settlements, a Bronze Age tumulus cemetery, scattered pottery from the late pre-Islamic period and later stone-lined wells possibly from the Islamic period. Radiocarbon dating of marine mollusk shells from former seabed deposits and paleo-shorelines in Bahra refines the chronology of sea transgressions, showing that peak sea levels coincided with the Early and Middle Bronze Age. Fluctuations likely influenced the location of coastal sites, such as stone structures oriented toward the sea. By adding new radiocarbon dates linked to the paleo-coastline of Kuwait Bay, this study advances research on Holocene sea-level fluctuations in the Gulf, emphasizing the interplay between marine processes and human activity in the region.

Marine shells containing greenish or blackish pigments are frequently found at pre-Islamic archaeological sites in Southeast Arabia and are generally interpreted as ancient eye makeup, representing a long-standing tradition that continues to the present day. While these ‘cosmetic’ shells are primarily found in funerary contexts, their presence in residential areas suggests broader use within the community. Although relatively abundant, these shells have undergone limited chemical and mineralogical analysis, hindering a deeper understanding of their composition and production. This study presents the first archaeometric results from six marine shells excavated at Bronze and Iron Age sites in the Salūt and Bisya oasis (Sultanate of Oman). Chemical analyses reveal copper- and manganese-bearing minerals as the primary components of the greenish and blackish pigments, respectively. The presence of these minerals near the Salūt oasis suggests local pigment sources. This study represents the first step in a broader analytical programme aimed at the characterisation of samples from other archaeological sites of Southeast Arabia spanning over a wider chronological time frame.