Latest news with #ArabianArchaeologyandEpigraphy
The National
05-04-2025
- Science
- The National
Uncovering Arabia's Bronze Age 'tomb boom'
While the pyramids of Egypt are probably the Middle East's most spectacular tombs, the Arabian Peninsula has a wealth of monumental burial structures. New research has highlighted how north-west Arabia alone is home to tens of thousands of such constructions – although mysteries remain regarding who built them and why tomb fashions changed over time. A study based on the analysis of drone photographs has described how some of these structures were pendant-shaped with elaborate 'tails' stretching off from the tomb. Writing in Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy, researchers in Australia and Saudi Arabia note that as far back as the sixth millennium BCE, monumental tombs were built across the Arabian peninsula. However, these early constructions tended to be simple cairns or cist burials, which involve stone-lined rectangular chambers. It was during the Bronze Age, lasting from about 3000BCE to 1200BCE, that most of the large and elaborate burial structures were built. During this time some people were buried in the striking pendant structures, with the tomb in the head and a tail that could be more than 100 metres long. Others were buried in tower tombs. 'A significant number of these pendant burials are located along 'funerary avenues', pathways that are flanked by thousands of tombs that connect many of the oases of the region,' the researchers wrote. 'However, in comparison to the funerary landscapes of greater south-western Asia, comparatively little work has been undertaken on the development and evolution of these structures across the Bronze Age of north-west Arabia.' Dr Hugh Thomas, a lecturer in archaeology at the University of Sydney and the first author of the new study, told The National that it remained uncertain 'why these structures began to appear in the Bronze Age'. 'It does appear that a lot of change [was] happening across the Arabian Peninsula, and also more locally,' he said. At around the time of the tombs' construction, he said, major archaeological sites such as Tayma, an oasis town in the south-western Nafud desert, and Qurayyah, another oasis town, were settled. It all suggested that at this time 'something significant happened', Dr Thomas said, but it is unclear what. 'Not a lot is known about the people who built these elaborate Bronze Age tombs,' he said. 'They are found close to settled areas, such as the Khaybar Oasis, and also in the remote hinterland regions. 'So it appears that all of the local population, no matter where they lived, were part of this burial tradition. But who they were, what they called themselves: these are all things we don't know yet. Hopefully future archaeological work will find this out.' The 'sheer number' of tombs indicated that the structures were not reserved for the elite of society. 'Tens of thousands of tombs are also located well away from these areas, in more remote areas,' he said. 'These were likely built by people who moved across the landscape with their herds of animals.' Comparison of tombs in remote areas to those near the oases, found differences, particularly in the artefacts found inside. Simpler objects, such as beads and jewellery, are more common in hinterland tombs, while more elaborate goods, including pottery and weaponry, were inside tombs close to settled oases such as Tayma or Khaybar, Dr Thomas said. Almost all of the tombs the archaeologists have studied had been disturbed or, often, reused during later periods. They have not identified a Bronze Age tomb that had not been disturbed. 'They are massive structures, highly visible on the landscape,' he said. 'It seems likely that many were reopened within years of being constructed.' The research, sponsored by the Royal Commission for AlUla, which supports the preservation of the region in north-west Saudi Arabia, highlights another interesting feature: around the 19th century BCE, things changed and constructions became much smaller. The researchers are trying to determine whether there was a major societal upheaval that caused communities to stop building monumental tombs. Another possibility, Dr Thomas said, is that funerary practices changed and people lost their desire for grandiose resting places. Then, around the 12th century BCE, there was another major transition, because tomb building in the area stopped. 'It is at this time that Bronze Age cultures across the Levant and the Mediterranean began to collapse,' Dr Thomas said. 'It may be that this is further evidence for massive societal change at this time. But our understanding of this region is still in its infancy compared to places like Greece or Jordan, so hopefully as new archaeological evidence begins to be published, we can be more sure about what led to the creation and cessation of these enigmatic funerary structures.'
The National
04-04-2025
- Health
- The National
Make-up's ancient history discovered in Omani shells
Archaeological research near the Hajar Mountains in Oman has shed light on the history of cosmetics and proved there is nothing new about people wanting to enhance their appearance. A study, based on the analysis of half a dozen shells found at the Salut archaeological site, has revealed Iron Age people used black and green pigments that were kept in shells. Many of these were discovered in burial sites, indicating that the make-up may have been considered important in the afterlife. 'In the same way they were burying pots, stuff they used in daily life, maybe they were also burying them [cosmetic shells] to accompany the dead,' said first author of the study, Dr Michele Degli Esposti, from the Institute of Mediterranean and Oriental Cultures at the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw. Historically, pigments such as kohl have been regarded, not necessarily with scientific evidence, as being of medicinal value, perhaps because they were thought to prevent infection. 'It might be possible that ancient people reckoned kohl to have some curative property, so they wanted to give their dead some way to protect themselves,' Dr Degli Esposti said. 'This can just be speculation. The farther back we go in time, the more so, because you don't find literary sources.' The shells were also found around dwellings, a sign that the use of cosmetics was part and parcel of daily life. The paper 'A First Glance at Pre‐Islamic Pigments in Shells From Salut (Sultanate of Oman)' is published in Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy. Researchers looked at six cosmetic shells, three from an Iron Age settlement dated between 1300 BCE and 100 CE, and three from graves thought to be from the second or first millennium BCE. Archaeologists have found much earlier evidence for the use of cosmetics in the Middle East, with red ochre having been unearthed at a site in Umm Al Quwain dating back at least 6,000 years. Traditionally, both men and women in the region have used the black cosmetic kohl, especially around the eyes, so Dr Degli Esposti said it was possible the pigments found at Salut were used by anyone. 'Projecting what we see now in the past, we could suggest that both men and women were using it, especially if it was also endowed with medical properties,' Dr Degli Esposti said. 'It happens quite a lot that we project modern ethnographic observations into the past. Often you must be cautious with that, but in many cases it's the only way we have to build things into a broader context and into a narrative.' A central part of the research was discovering the chemical composition of the colours. The shells were sent to Italy, where researchers at the University of Milan found that the green pigments included minerals containing copper, while the black pigments had minerals containing manganese. The pigments also tend to contain calcite and quartz along with, probably, water and oil, although the recent research did not test for these. Another of the paper's authors, Prof Andrea Zerboni, of the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Milan, said the region's arid environment was good for preserving archaeological materials, including pigments. 'In this case, the pigments have been preserved thanks to the low presence of water in the sediments that hosted them, which prevented extreme alteration and the removal of the material,' he said. 'Earth science investigation techniques were used to study the mineralogical composition of the pigments and to understand how they have been preserved over time." Prof Zerboni added that the geology of the area influenced the development of the funerary landscape of the Salut region. 'It is interesting to observe how communities of the Iron Age and later periods consistently sought to take advantage of the landscape's natural forms to construct their funerary monuments, placing them on hilltops, or slopes, or associating them with large boulders present in the area,' he said. As well as looking at the pigments, the researchers who carried out the study were interested in the shells themselves, which they identified as coming from species of bivalve mollusc commonly found in the area. The paper offers initial results from a wider project that will analyse about 30 cosmetic shells from several locations, including some in the UAE, such as Tell Abraq, a site on the border of Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain where Dr Degli Esposti is currently working. Other samples in this larger follow-up study come from Siniyah Island in Umm Al Quwain and date from the sixth to the eighth centuries CE. 'This is nice because it extends the samples and also it comes closer to the modern day, which shows the continuity,' Dr Degli Esposti said.
