No abstract

No abstract

In the Oman peninsula, the Umm an-Nar circular tombs, easily seen in the landscape because of their monumental architecture, have usually been robbed for building stones and for their objects. This was not the case for a pit-grave discovered at Hili (United Arab Emirates) in 1984, which presented a stratigraphy nearly 2 meters deep, with 4 phases of main funeraiy deposits dating to the end of the Umm an-Nar period (ca 2 200-2 000 ВС). Such a stratigraphie depth is unknown in the collective tombs of the Near East (or in France), where funerary deposits are never deeper than 50 cm. On the resumption of excavations in 1 998, the main objective was to record local funerary practices, using the latest techniques for excavating collective tombs, never before applied in this part of the world. The grave contained the remains of a large number of individuals, easily exceeding 500, most of which were primary burials. The biological study has provided information on the composition and state of health of the buried population. The mortality profile corresponds to that of a so-called traditional population, in this case agricultural and village-dwelling. A parallel analysis of the economic and social structures of the population, based on the study of craft production, particularly pottery and funerary architecture, was also undertaken. The study of the pottery includes experimental reconstruction.

Results from a programme of PIXE‐PIGME analysis of Iron Age ceramics from southeastern Arabia are presented. Compositional analysis indicates the existence of two discrete Iron Age II ceramic assemblages. A combination of geological and archaeological evidence suggests that one of these was produced in the inland oasis of al‐Ain. Geological evidence in combination with previously published data on the elemental composition of southeast Iranian ceramics suggests Iran as a possible source for the other group.

Protection, conservation, and site-management planning are normally fi nanced and conducted on major archaeological sites only, where there are expectations for visitor access and economic returns. Many smaller sites with lesser visible remains are then virtually abandoned, despite the value of their physical remains and archaeological, historical, and scientifi c potential.A pilot project by Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (now Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority) was conducted at Rumeilah, an Iron Age site excavated over the past forty-fi ve years. The project consisted of a full-scale site-management planning process including documentation and assessment of the site conditions and of its administrative context to demonstrate the benefi ts of applying value and community-based sitemanagement planning processes to 'invisible' heritage. The process resulted in the development of a management plan which identifi es continued explorations at the site and in the involvement of local schools and universities the activities that will be able to sustain its long-term preservation.