The settlement at Bahra 1 lies in the As-Sabbiya dessert, Kuwait. The site was preliminarily dated to the Ubaid 2/3 period, with four settlement phases distinguished so far. Phases A-C yielded remains of sturdy stone architecture, while the oldest Phase D was represented by a fire-pit horizon, as well as thin and low walls, perhaps serving as foundations for light and perishable superstructures. Even in the earliest phase, Mesopotamian influence is visible, evidenced by the structures' orthogonal plan and the high percentage of Ubaid ware. Although the remains of the earliest phase were preserved very fragmentarily and over a limited area, they shed more light on the character of the earliest settlement activity in the region.
K E Y W O R D SArabian Gulf, architecture, Neolithic, Ubaid
Excavation at the site of Kharaib el-Desht on Failaka Island, Kuwait, began in 2013 and continued in 2015 and 2016. The second season focused on the northwestern part of the site, namely Areas 1 and 4. In the third season, work also encompassed the southeastern part of the site, Area 3, where the exploration of a stone structure was resumed. A fragment of a residential complex was also unearthed in this area. Test trenches, opened inside the stone structure and below the foundation level of the residential remains, confirmed the existence of an earlier phase, predating the Desht settlement.
The Kharā’ib al-Dasht settlement, located on the north-eastern coast of the island of Failaka in Kuwait, has been excavated systematically since 2013 by the Kuwaiti-Polish Archaeological Mission. The investigated area yielded remains dated to the Late Islamic period, from the late seventeenth to the nineteenth century. In the northernmost part of the site, a fish processing area was uncovered, while the remains of residential structures (houses 1 and 2), as well as a mosque, were discovered in the eastern part of the site. Concentrations of fireplaces, hearths and ovens were discovered inside the houses and courtyards of what seems to be the centre of the settlement as well as from the periphery of the site. Fishing was evidenced not only by the presence of fish bones but also by recovered fishing technologies, including the remains of stone fish traps that were discovered in the coastal waters near to the site. The excavations yielded 12,182 bones of marine fishes. Twenty eight families are represented, including six families of cartilaginous fishes. Ariidae bones were most numerous followed by Haemulidae, Sciaenidae and Carcharhinidae. The analysis of the assemblage shows that fishing could have been of great importance to the inhabitants of the settlement. Moreover, we attest different patterns in the fish assemblages between the two different parts of the village. The fish processing area can be seen as a workplace, while the daily activity took place in the village. These differences can also be used to shed light on the fishing techniques these people used.
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