Human–Environment Interactions in the United Arab Emirates: An Archaeological Perspective

Abstract

This paper provides an archaeological perspective on pre-modern human-environment interactions in the United Arab Emirates over the past 200,000 years. It first outlines the key topographic and ecological zones and highlights localised subsistence strategies, then provides a summary of the development of human societies and their growing economic needs. It then goes on to explore past climate change and human adaptions, the social and economic implications of early farming and herding, and the transition from subsistence strategies to local industries. Generally, it is argued that human interactions with the natural world were driven largely by economic factors, with foreign demand leading to the exploitation of natural resources on an industrial scale.