A Bronze to Iron Age fishing economy at Kalbāʾ 4 (Emirate of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates)

Abstract

This paper represents a study of archaeological fish remains retrieved from the excavations conducted by C. S. Phillips between 1993 and 2001 at Kalbāʾ 4 (Emirate of Sharjah, UAE). Kalbāʾ 4 is a major coastal site that was continuously occupied from the Umm an‐Nar period to the Iron Age (c. 2700–600 BCE). The site is of particular interest regarding monumental architecture, pottery studies and exchange networks across Arabia and its neighbouring regions from the Bronze Age onwards. A corpus of about 5500 fish remains provides information on fishing economies during the entire occupation of the site. Data regarding fish complement results previously obtained from the study of other fauna including marine molluscs, sea turtles, terrestrial and marine mammals. They allow us to document a fishing‐based economy at Kalbāʾ 4. The results highlight the exploitation of a quite limited range of fish taxa associated mostly with reef areas (groupers, trevallies, snappers, spangled emperors, King soldierbreams), brackish waters (mullets) and the open sea (scombrids). The techniques seem to have mainly involved the use of baited lines from boats, fishing nets and possibly cage traps. The discussion includes comparisons with the other main fish studies conducted for the Bronze Age and the Iron Age in Eastern Arabia.

Kalba: research on trade networks of a prehistoric coastal community on the Gulf of Oman, United Arab Emirates

“…The annual monsoon probably brought rain and possibly filled a natural reservoir in the eastern part of the Hajar Mountains. This assumption is supported by the analysis of fish bones from species that live in brackish water (Lidour et al 2023). For these reasons, the region around Kalba can be considered an ecological niche at least until the early Iron Age.…”

“…The Austrian Archaeological Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, in co-operation with the Sharjah Archaeology Authority, recommenced excavations in 2019 (cf. Schwall & Jasim 2020;Schwall et al 2022Schwall et al , 2023.…”

“…Excavations have thus far revealed evidence for copper processing, with ore most likely coming from deposits in the nearby Hajar Mountains. Artefacts made of chert, jasper and chalcedony were also found, but such mineral resources are not available in the immediate vicinity of the site (Schwall et al 2023). In the search for possible deposits, suitable raw material was found beyond the Hajar Mountains on the western foothills at the transition to the desert (Figure 4).…”