The Prehistoric Fisheries of Akab Island (United Arab Emirates): New Insights into Coastal Subsistence during Neolithic in Eastern Arabia

Abstract

The Neolithic period in Eastern Arabia (especially from 5500 to 3100 BC) is better understood due to recent excavations of stratified sites stretching from Kuwait to the Sultanate of Oman. When oasis agriculture developed from the Bronze Age onwards, herding, shellfish gathering, and fishing became the primary modes of subsistence, and despite strong regional aridity, coastal shell middens provide the best preservation conditions in the Persian Gulf. Akab, one of the many Neolithic shell middens of the United Arab Emirates coastline, is situated in the Umm al-Quwain lagoon. This settlement is dated to the second part of the fifth millennium BC and has provided more than 37,000 fish remains, derived from over 50 fish species. Ichthyofaunal analysis underlines the predominance of coastal pelagics, such as kawakawas and trevallies, and the exploitation of several coastal fishes, mostly seabreams and emperors. Inhabitants fished over a wide aquatic territory, which included shallow-water biotopes, situated inside the lagoon, and the open sea. The associated fishing gear, composed of stone sinkers and shell fishhooks, indicates that nets and lines were used. Here, we review the seasonal organization of activities and mobility schemes from an archaeo-ichthyological perspective.

At the dawn of Arabian fisheries: Fishing activities of the inhabitants of the Neolithic tripartite house of Marawah Island, Abu Dhabi Emirate (United Arab Emirates)

“…Likewise, during the 6th and 5th millennium BC, the fisheries from Bahrain (al‐Markh J19) and Qatar (Khor P, FB, Shagra) are also characterised by the great occurrence of small planktivorous fish like sardines and silversides (Desse, ; Von den Driesch & Manhart, ), which suggests the use of small‐mesh devices along the shorelines. It is likely that small seines and barrier traps were the oldest devices used to fish in Eastern Arabia before the development of more advanced techniques such as cage trapping, luring and net setting in open waters from boats as presumed in the fisheries of Dosariyah (Saudi Arabia), Delma, and Akab (UAE) (Lidour & Beech, ; Lidour et al, ; Uerpmann & Uerpmann, ). Firing arrows, spearing, and harpooning may also have been utilised according to ethnographic records (e.g.…”

A first note on the excavations at UAQ38, a new Neolithic site in the Emirate of Umm al‐Quwain

“…However, it must be borne in mind that during the first half of the 5th millennium BC, a shift towards a less dense occupation seems to be recognisable in the whole area, and is well represented by the change between the early (14-9) and later (8-1) levels at UAQ2. This change has been associated with an aridification of the climate, possibly related to a reduced availability of natural resources (or a more difficult access to distant ones) which is mirrored in the evidence of a more utilitarian exploitation of the raw materials (Méry et al, 2019). At UAQ38, a similar trend seems to be recognisable between the earliest anthropic levels (specifically, SU23) and the later ones.…”

“…However, it is important to note that, in Polynesia, large schools of big‐eye trevallies are generally seen in the passes during the day, dispersing and entering lagoons during the night to feed (Bagnis et al, ). Further investigation is, therefore, necessary to determine whether open‐water fishing outside of the lagoon was carried out by UAQ38 inhabitants, as was recently highlighted at the nearby site of Akab (Lidour et al, ).…”

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

“…Remains of both the fish and fishing paraphernalia dating from the Neolithic period onwards demonstrate that late prehistoric fishers were capable of exploiting fish from both the coastal and deep‐sea zones, giving them access to a diverse array of species and large stocks of fish (e.g. Beech, ; Lidour et al, ). In addition to fish, a number of other animals from the marine environment were exploited throughout late prehistory, including sea mammals such as dugong ( Dugong dugon ; Beech, ) and dolphin (Delphinadae; Uerpmann & Uerpmann, : Tab.…”