Settlement history in the eastern Rub al‐Khali: Preliminary Report of the Dubai Desert Survey (2006–2007)

Abstract

Regional archaeological survey in desert areas of Dubai, U.A.E., has identified numerous archaeological sites in this rapidly changing landscape. Subsurface geophysical surveys have been undertaken in concert with surface collection and test excavation to document the extent and chronology of each site. Contrary to expectations that deserts were permanently abandoned following the end of the mid‐Holocene pluvial phase around 4000 BC, two sites, Al‐Ashoosh and Saruq al‐Hadid, show evidence of substantial occupation during the late third and early first millennia respectively. These findings suggest that the Rub al‐Khali supported human settlement much later than is generally thought, challenging traditional understandings of the region’s cultural and environmental histories.

Three‐Dimensional Mapping of Archaeological and Sedimentary Deposits with Ground‐penetrating Radar at Saruq al‐Hadid, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

“…To test the efficacy of this antenna, three long GPR profiles were collected on the central slag dune of Saruq al‐Hadid during a short visit in 2006. This test produced encouraging results in that the profiles clearly revealed dune‐bounding surfaces and the vertical positions of artefacts (Casana et al ., , Fig. 11).…”

“…Remote sensing of the subsurface in Arabia traditionally has been the domain of mineral and petroleum interests; however, some near‐surface prospection has been carried out for purely academic aims in the fields of archaeology and geology. Ground‐penetrating radar and other near‐surface remote sensing techniques (geomagnetic survey at al‐Madam (Carbó et al ., ), Muweilah (Blau et al ., ), Julfar (Herrmann et al ., ) and Al‐Ashoosh (Casana et al ., ) and electromagnetic conductivity in Bahrain (Frohlich and Lancaster, )) are emerging as effective tools in mapping subsurface deposits in the arid environments of southeast Arabia. Among these technologies, GPR has been shown to be an effective tool for depth‐sensitive mapping in dunes owing to the high resistivity of aeolian sands that allows better‐than‐average penetration by radar waves where larger sedimentary structures within dune deposits can be clearly seen (Bristow and Jol, , p. 2).…”

“…This model is used to examine the relationship between cultural materials and the surrounding sediments and reconstruct the intertwined histories of environmental change and settlement at this site. The earliest archaeological layers at Saruq al‐Hadid have been dated to the third millennium bce and the sequence of cultural levels reveals a pattern of periodic occupation at the site at least through the first millennium bc and possibly as late as the third century ce (Qandil, ; Casana et al ., ; Herrmann et al ., ). At Saruq al‐Hadid, GPR facies illustrate a sequence of dune accumulation episodes that took place between periods of occupation.…”

The exploitation of marine resources at Saruq al‐Hadid: Insights into the movement of people and resources in Bronze and Iron Age south‐eastern Arabia

“…). Programmes of survey and excavation undertaken at the site have identified persistent, temporary occupation from the Early Bronze Age, locally known as the Umm an‐Nar period, through to the early Iron Age ( c .2000–800 BCE), with evidence for periodic later activities through to the Islamic Period (Casana, Herrmann, & Qandil, ; Contreras et al, ; Herrmann, Casana, & Qandil, ; Karacic, ; Karacic, Boraik, & Qandil, ; Karacic et al, ; Nashef, ; Weeks et al, , , ). This activity is represented by a deep stratigraphy of interspersed cultural and natural layers in the central area of the site (Weeks et al, : 8, fig.…”

Pavements and Stone Mantles

“…Young pavements on beach ridges may have rounded particles (Figure 9.7), whereas those on alluvial fans (particularly near sources of salts such as playas) often have more angular clasts. Cooke (1970) divided the clasts into primary particles, which are similar in size, form or lithology to the original surface, and secondary particles, derived from the primary particles by disintegration (splitting or granular disintegration) or added later as human artefacts (Casana, Herrmann and Qandil, 2009). The presence of secondary Neolithic or Palaeolithic artefacts on pavement surfaces provides evidence of their stability (Peel, 1968).…”