Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy最新文献

Four rock-cut tombs have yielded nine Nabataean inscriptions or fragments of inscriptions, five of which are already published (Nehmé, 2015, pp. 51–52). They were all photographed either by L. Nehmé in 2005 or during the surveys undertaken in 2017 and 2018 by the al-Badʿ Archaeological Project (Charloux et al., 2021; Bigot-Démereau et al., 2024). They are presented below according to the tomb to which they belong, the number of which is the one given by the al-Badʿ Archaeological Project, followed, when relevant, by the number in Philby's Land of Midian (1957).

The worship of baetyls in antiquity is well documented in the Near East and the Mediterranean, archaeologically as well as historically. While such practices were also common in South-East Arabia, the archaeological information on it is still very limited. A boulder carved with a ‘trident’ (a mark familiar from local Abiel coin issues), which came to light at the site of Mleiha, has a circular cavity on the side similar to those visible on stones and on an eagle statue from contemporary ed-Dur. This association suggests a religious context for the Mleiha petroglyph and, thus, a possible identification as a baetyl. The archaeological evidence for stone worship and associated cult practices from the SE-Arabian Mleiha/PIR A-C period (3rd century bce–3rd century ce) is reviewed and compared with ethnographic parallels and information from, among other sources, the Kitāb al-aṣnām (Book of Idols) by Hishām ibn al-Kalbī (737–819 ce).

The Nabataean monumental rock-cut tombs in the oasis of al-Badʿ are the main heritage and tourist attraction of the Madyan peninsula, in the heart of the Neom region in Saudi Arabia. Through an analysis of their architectural and decorative features, this study provides, for the first time, a thorough overview of the 35 tombs in the necropolises of Mughāyir Shuʿayb and al-Aṣīfir. A multiscalar examination sheds light on the processes used in their realisation, assesses the investments required for their execution and the status of the sponsors, and thus reveals a social and spatial ranking of the Nabataean necropolis. The study also reveals a ‘cultural’ standardisation of the tombs in terms of the techniques used to cut and decorate them, as well as a local particularity dependent on topography, geomorphology, culture and personal choices. The presence of these impressive funerary monuments at al-Badʿ confirms the siteʼs major economic, political and cultural role within the Nabataean world, as well as the importance of the caravan route leading from the Red Sea ports to the major urban centres of the southern Levant, including Petra.

Excavations at the site of QA 21 near the village of ʿAyn Banī Saʿdah in the Qumayrā microregion yielded new information on Iron Age (IA) II settlement in the Hajjar mountains. Located halfway between the modern towns of Yanqul and Buraymī, in an area with little-known Iron Age occupation, QA 21 is a c. 2 ha open site scattered with the remains of numerous buildings. The pottery found on the surface is largely of IA II date even though some of the structures can date from a later, possibly Late Islamic period. Excavations of a large IA II house provided a rich and well-stratified collection of pottery, some stone tools and marine shells. Analysis of the finds’ distribution and the building's construction details revealed functional differences between certain areas of the house. The entire structure can be interpreted as a large village household with domestic, storage and food-processing areas. The provenance of the ceramic assemblage associated with this household is both regional and local, as indicated by geochemical analysis of the pottery, suggesting that the settlement participated in regional exchange networks.

This study examines four tombstones associated with significant figures in Yemen's history during the early Qāsimī State era: ʿAlī b. Imām al-Muʾayyad Muḥammad b. al-Qāsim (1013–1078 Hiǧrī (h)/ad 1603–1617) and his brother al-Qāsim b. Imām al-Muʾayyad Muḥammad b. al-Qāsim (1024–1127 h/ad 1632–1715). The research sheds light on their biographies and historical roles. It aims to document and study these stone artefacts from both archaeological and artistic perspectives, providing a detailed description and analysing the inscriptions in terms of form and content. The inscriptions contain valuable historical information, religious and historical titles and supplicatory phrases. The researcher employed a descriptive–analytical approach and an inductive method by describing the four artefacts, reading their written texts, analyzing their contents and referencing various archaeological evidence sources and historical references. The study emphasises the importance of preserving these artefacts due to their significant archaeological and cultural value amid the ongoing armed political conflict in Yemen.

The 3-month excavation conducted in Area G at Sarūq al-Ḥadīd yielded novel insights into the historical occupation, abandonment and utilisation patterns of the site. The archaeological strata unearthed during our excavation dating span a significant timeframe, ranging from the fourth to the first millennium BC. Employing a stratigraphical approach, we systematically established a relative chronological sequence for the area supported by C14 absolute dating. This methodological framework enabled us to discern the temporal evolution of the site, unveiling pertinent information regarding the nature of occupation, the construction phase of the well and its temporal utilisation and the occurrences of natural phenomena such as climatic disruption, alluvial processes and sand accumulation.

Qaryatum dhāt Kāhilim (‘the City of [the god] Kahl’) is the Ancient South Arabian name of the modern site of Qaryat al-Fāw. This compound refers to the tutelary deity of the city, in this case, a god called Kahl. However, the identity of this Kahl is obscure. Who is this god that makes his appearance in history towards the end of the second half of the first millennium bc? Despite his name being recorded in various texts and inscriptions on numerous objects that confirm his role as the city's patron god, scant information exists regarding his attributes or sphere of influence. Nonetheless, clues on some of his characteristics can be gleaned from coins bearing his likeness. This serves as a springboard for exploring potential connections with iconographies seen in petroglyphs, statues and paintings from the region, suggesting that Kahl may fit within the archetype of the smiting or menacing god, a prevalent motif in the broader Eastern Mediterranean region.

Investigations into everyday food practices during the Umm an-Nar period (c.2700–2000 bc) in the Oman Peninsula are limited. We studied lipid residues in pottery from Salūt-ST1, an Umm an-Nar stone tower in central Oman, to understand domestic practices and vessel use in locally-produced Sandy Wares, regionally-produced Fine Red Omani Wares and imported Indus Black-Slipped Jars between c. 2460–2150 bc. Degraded animal fats were found in a majority of the vessels, and we report the first direct detection of dairy products in Umm an-Nar vessels. The use of non-ruminant fats, plants and/or mixtures of different products is also suggested. Variations in lipid concentrations and contents of Fine Red Omani Wares and Sandy Wares suggest different uses for these vessel categories. Finally, the detection of a range of products (ruminant meat, dairy fats, non-ruminant fats and mixtures) in Indus Black-Slipped Jars from the site indicates vessel multifunctionality and reuse of the vessels.

In Oman, many coastal sites dated to the Neolithic have yielded material culture related to ornament manufacture. These sites are the remnants of fishermen occupations, developing an economy mainly based on maritime and mangrove resources. The Omani islands of Maṣīrah and Al-Ḥallāniyah are both situated in the Arabian Sea. Today, Maṣīrah is located about 20 km from the continent, while Al-Ḥallāniyah is part of the Khurīyā Murīyā archipelago off the southern coast of Oman. On Maṣīrah, workshops have been discovered in Neolithic shell middens, revealing the work of stone and Spondylus sp. shells for bead production, using lithic tools. Separated by approximately 400 km from Maṣīrah, Al-Ḥallāniyah yielded several Neolithic sites with similar evidence for shell bead production. The main lithic tools discovered are micro-drills, pièces esquillées (splintered pieces) made of local chert, and multitasking tools made of stone, used as anvils, hammerstone and/or polishing stone. Most of the micro-drills are made from bladelets either with sharped edges or with steep edges and testify to predetermined knapping operations. However, others created on undifferentiated flakes appear to be more opportunistic (or expedient). Micro-drills of the Maṣīrah and Al-Ḥallāniyah types seem to be quite new to the Neolithic toolkit of coastal Oman. Pièces esquillées demonstrate the use of bipolar flaking (performed on an anvil) but functional questions remain. These could be cores, but also chisels used between a hammer and a material (shell) placed on an anvil. Stone tools show marks that are characteristic of use as hammers, anvils and as tools used to polish the beads after perforation.

The Badia Epigraphic Survey (BES) Project was launched in 2015 by Ali Al-Manaser and Michael C. A. Macdonald and, with two gaps, has been conducting annual surveys in the ḥarra of north-eastern Jordan ever since. The 2023 survey, like that of 2018, set out to rediscover the cairns at the border between the ḥarra and the ḥamād at which, in the late 1950s, Professor Fred V. Winnett and Gerald Lankester Harding (WH) discovered over 4000 inscriptions. The purpose was to identify the WH cairns by the inscriptions on them, to give them exact locations using Global Positioning System and to photograph all the inscriptions, most of which WH had had to record in hand copies. In the process, numerous inscriptions at other cairns were also recorded, as well as large numbers of modern Arabic inscriptions carved in the 65 years since the WH expedition. This article describes some of the finds made, gives the exact locations of the WH cairns rediscovered and discusses some of the interesting ancient and modern inscriptions and drawings which were found.