The prehistoric fisher-gatherers of the western coast of the Arabian Sea: A case of seasonal sedentarization?

World Archaeology

Volumn 38, Issue 2, 2006, Pages 220-238

  Biagi, Paolo ^a   Nisbet, Renato ^b  

^a CA' FOSCARI UNIVERSITY OF VENICE   (Italy)

^b NONE

Author keywords

Arabian Sea; Fisher gatherers; Mangrove swamps; Marine resources; Shell middens; Sultanate of Oman

Indexed keywords

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE; HOLOCENE; PREHISTORIC;

ARABIAN SEA; INDIAN OCEAN;

EID: 33745064837     PISSN: 00438243     EISSN: 14701375     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/00438240600708188     Document Type: Article

References (84)

1. Andersen, S. (2000) Køkkenmøddinger (shell middens) in Denmark: A survey Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, 66, pp. 361-384.
2. Arrian.(1966) Indica, Book VIII. London: Heinemann. 3rd reprint
3. Batanouny, K.(1981) Ecology and Flora of Qatar. Oxford: Alden Press.
4. Bell, M.(1981) Seaweed as a prehistoric resource. In Environmental Aspects of Coasts and Islands. (pp. 117-126). Oxford British Archaeological Reports International Series 94
5. Biagi, P. (1988) Surveys along the Oman coast: Preliminary report on the 1985-1988 campaigns East and West, 38(1-4), pp. 271-291.
6. Biagi, P. (1994) A radiocarbon chronology for the aceramic shell-middens of coastal Oman Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy, 5, pp. 17-31.
7. Biagi, P. (1999) Excavations at the shell-midden of RH6 1986-1988 (Muscat, Sultanate of Oman) Al-Rāfidān, 20, pp. 57-84.
8. Biagi, P. (2004) Surveys along the Oman Coast: A review of the prehistoric sites discovered between Dibab and Qalhāt Adumatu, 9(1), pp. 29-50.
9. Biagi, P.The shell-middens of the Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf: Maritime connections in the seventh millennium BP? Adumatu, 11(1). in press
10. Biagi, P. and Nisbet, R.(1989) Some aspects of the 1982-1985 excavations at the aceramic coastal settlement of RH5 at Qurum (Muscat-Sultanate of Oman). In Oman Studies. (pp. 31-46). Serie Orientale Romana
11. Biagi, P. and Nisbet, R. (1992) Environmental history and plant exploitation at the aceramic sites of RH5 and RH6 near the mangrove swamp of Qurum (Muscat - Oman) Bulletin de la Société Botanique Française, 139(2-4), pp. 571-578.
12. Biagi, P. and Nisbet, R. (1999) The shell-midden sites of RH5 and RH6 (Muscat, Sultanate of Oman) in their environmental setting Archaeologia Polona, 37, pp. 31-47.
13. Biagi, P. and Salvatori, S. (1986) Gli scavi nell'insediamento preistorico e nella necropoli di Ra's al-Hamra 5 (Sultanato dell'Oman) Rivista di Archeologia, 10, pp. 5-14.
14. Biagi, P. and Torke, W. and Tosi, M. and Uerpmann, H. (1984) Qurum: A case study of coastal archaeology in Northern Oman World Archaeology, 16(1), pp. 43-61.
15. Biagi, P. and Maggi, R. and Nisbet, R.(1989) Excavations at the aceramic coastal settlement of RH5 (Muscat, Sultanate of Oman) 1983-85. In South Asian Archaeology 1985. (pp. 1-8). London: Curzon Press. Scandinavian Institute of Asian Studies, Occasional Papers, 4
16. Bjerk, H.(1991) Boreal foragers at Vega northern Norway: A study of site types and settlement patterns. In Social Space: Human Spatial Behaviour in Dwellings and Settlements. (pp. 123-133). Copenhagen: Odense University Press. Odense University Studies in History and Social Sciences 147
17. Boaz, J.(1998) Hunter-Gatherer Site Variability: Changing Patterns of Site Utilization in the Interior of Eastern Norway, between 8000 and 2500 B.P. Oslo Universitets Oldsaksamlings Skrifter. Ny rekke, 20
18. Bonsall, C.(1996) The 'Obanian problem': Coastal adaptations in the Mesolithic of Western Scotland. In The Early Prehistory of Scotland. (pp. 183-197). Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Dalrymple Monograph, 3
19. Boucharlat, R. and Dalongeville, R. and Hesse, A. and Millet, M. (1991) Occupation humaine et environment au 5e et au 4e millénaire sur la côte Sharja-Umm al-Qaiwan (U.A.E.) Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy, 2, pp. 93-106.
20. Breen, C. and Lane, P. (2003) Archaeological approaches to East Africa's changing seascapes World Archaeology, 35(3), pp. 469-489.
21. Carter, R. (2006) Boat remains and maritime trade in the Persian Gulf during the sixth and fifth millennia BC Antiquity, 80(307), pp. 52-63.
22. Cavallari, A. (2004) Joint Hadd Project: Campagna di ricognizione 2003-2004, Sultanato dell'Oman, regione del Ja'lān: Risultati e prospettive per una comprensione del popolamento nomade nel Medio Olocene OCNUS: Quaderni della Scuola di Specializzazione in Archeologia, 12, pp. 27-35.
23. Cavulli, F. (2004a) L'insediamento di KHB-1 (Ra's al-Khabbah, Sultanato dell'Oman): Lo scavo, i resti strutturali e i confronti etnografici OCNUS: Quaderni della Scuola di Specializzazione in Archeologia, 12, pp. 37-48.
24. Cavulli, F. (2004b) Problemi stratigrafici relativi allo scavo di sedimenti sciolti in ambiente arido OCNUS: Quaderni della Scuola di Specializzazione in Archeologia, 12, pp. 49-62.
25. Chapman, V.(1975) Mangrove Vegetation. Vaduz: J. Cramer.
26. Chapman, V.(1983) Mangroves in New Zealand. In Biology and Ecology of Mangroves. (pp. 81-85). The Hague: Junk Publications.
27. Charpentier, V.(2002) Archéologie de la Côte des Ichtyophages: Coquilles, squales et cétacés du site IVe-IIIe Millénaires de Ra's al-Jinz. In Essays on the Late Prehistory of the Arabian Peninsula. (pp. 73-99). Serie Orientale Romana
28. Charpentier, V. and Angelucci, D. and Méry, S. and Saliège, J. (2000) Autour de la mangrove morte de Suwayh, l'habitat VIe-Ve millénaires de Suwayh SWY-11, Sultanat d'Oman Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies, 30, pp. 69-85.
29. Charpentier, V. and Marquis, P. and Pellé, E. (2003) La nécropole et les derniers horizons Ve millénaire du site du Gorbat al-Mahar (Suwayah, SWY-1, Sultanat d'Oman): Premier résultats Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies, 33, pp. 11-19.
30. Clark, D. and Fontes, J. (1990) Paleoclimatic reconstruction in Northern Oman based on carbonates from hyperalkaline groundwaters Quaternary Research, 33(3), pp. 320-336.
31. Cleuziou, S.(2004) Pourquoi si tard? Nous avons pris un autre chemin. L'Arabie des chasseurs-cueilleurs de l'Holocène au début de l'Age du Bronze. In Au Marges des grand foyers du Néolithique: périphéries débitrices ou créatrices?. (pp. 134-148). London: Trident Press.
32. Cleuziou, S. and Tosi, M. (2000) Ra's al-Jinz and the prehistoric coastal cultures of the Ja'lān The Journal of Oman Studies, 11, pp. 19-73.
33. Coppa, A. and Macchiarelli, R. and Salvatori, S. and Santini, G. (1985) The prehistoric graveyard of Ra's al-Hamra (RH5) (a short preliminary report on the 1981-83 excavations) The Journal of Oman Studies, 8(1), pp. 97-102.
34. Costa, P. (1988) Fishing stations of the coast of Oman: A theme of ethno-archaeological research Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies, 18, pp. 3-13.
35. Costa, P.(1991) Musandam: Architecture and Material Culture of a Little Known Region of Oman. London: Immel.
36. Costantini, L. and Audisio, P. (2001) Plant and insect remains from the Bronze Age site of Ra's al-Jinz (RJ-2), Sultanate of Oman Paléorient, 26(1), pp. 143-156.
37. Davis, J., Jr. (1940) The ecological and geological role of mangroves in Florida Papers of Tortugas Laboratory, 32, pp. 303-412.
38. Dimbleby, G.(1978) Plants and Archaeology. London: J. Baker.
39. Durante, S. and Tosi, M. (1977) The aceramic shell middens of Ra's al-Hamra: A preliminary note The Journal of Oman Studies, 3, pp. 137-162.
40. Gaultier, M. and Guy, H. and Munoz, O. and Tosi, M. and Usai, D. (2005) Settlement structures and cemetery at Wadi Shab-GAS1, Sultanate of Oman: report on the 2002 and 2003 field seasons Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy, 16, pp. 1-20.
41. Gregg, S. and Kintigh, K. and Whallon, R.(1991) Linking ethnoarchaeological interpretation and archaeological data. In The Interpretation of Archaeological Spatial Patterning. (pp. 149-198). New York and London: Plenum Press.
42. Haaland, R. (1995) Sedentism, cultivation, and plant domestication in the Holocene Middle Nile region Journal of Field Archaeology, 22, pp. 157-174.
43. Hall, H.(1986) Aboriginal-dolphin commensalisms: Substantiating a traditional fishing strategy in Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. In Traditional Fishing in the Pacific. (pp. 3-14). Pacific Anthropological Records
44. Heizer, R. (1956) Archaeology of the Uyak site Kodiak Island, Alaska Anthropological Records, 17(1).
45. Hogarth, P.(1999) The Biology of Mangroves. New York: Oxford University Press.
46. Hughes-Buller, R.(1997) Makrén: Text and Appendices. Karachi: Indus Publications. Baluchistán District Gazetter Series, 7 (reprint)
47. Hutchings, P. and Recher, H.(1983) The faunal communities of Australian man groves. In Biology and Ecology of Mangroves. (pp. 103-110). The Hague: Junk Publications.
48. Isetti, E. and Biagi, P. (1989) The polished stone earrings of RH5 and the distribution and chronology of the prehistoric earrings of coastal Oman Rivista di Archeologia, 13, pp. 5-17.
49. Kiesewetter, H. and Uerpmann, H. and Jasim, S. (2000) Neolithic jewellery from Jebel al-Buhais 18 Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies, 30, pp. 137-146.
50. Kunkel, G.(1977) The Vegetation of Hormoz, Qeshm and Neighbouring Islands (Southern Persian Gulf Area). Vaduz: J. Cramer.
51. Lancaster, W. and Lancaster, F.(1992) Tribe, community and the concept of access to resources: Territorial behaviour in south-east Ja'alan. In Mobility and Territoriality: Social and Spatial Boundaries among Foragers, Fishers, Pastoralists and Peripatetics. (pp. 343-364). New York and Oxford: Berg.
52. Maggi, R. and Gebel, H. (1990) A preliminary report on the chipped stone industries of the Mid-Holocene shell-midden communities of Ra's al-Hamra 5, Layer 1 (Muscat, Sultanate of Oman) Rivista di Archeologia, 14, pp. 5-23.
53. Masry, A.(1997) Prehistory in Northeastern Arabia: The Problem of Interregional Interaction. London and New York: Kegan Paul.
54. M'Crindle, J.(1896) The Invasion of India by Alexander the Great as Described by Arrian, Q Curtius, Diodoros, Plutarch and Justin. Karachi: Indus Publications. (reprint)
55. Minc, L. and Smith, K.(1989) The spirit of survival: Cultural responses to resource variability in North Alaska. In Bad Year Economics. (pp. 8-39). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. New Directions in Archaeology
56. Nadjmabadi, S.(1992) 'The sea belongs to God, the land belongs to us': resource management in a multi-resource community in the Persian Gulf. In Mobility and Territoriality: Social and Spatial Boundaries among Foragers, Fishers, Pastoralists and Peripatetics. (pp. 329-342). New York and Oxford: Berg.
57. Phillips, C.(2002) Prehistoric middens and a cemetery from the Southern Arabian Gulf. In Essays on the Late Prehistory of the Arabian Peninsula. (pp. 169-186). Serie Orientale Romana, 93
58. Potts, D.(1990) The Arabian Gulf in Antiquity, Vol. 1, From the Prehistory to the Fall of the Achaemenid Empire. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
59. Renouf, M.(1988) Sedentary coastal hunter-fishers: An example from the Younger Stone Age of northern Norway. In The Archaeology of Prehistoric Coastlines. (pp. 102-115). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
60. Rowley-Conwy, P.(1987) Animal bones in Mesolithic studies: Recent progress and hopes for the future. In Mesolithic Northwest Europe: Recent Trends. (pp. 74-81). Sheffield: University of Sheffield Department of Archaeology and Prehistory.
61. Rowley-Conwy, P.(1998) Cemeteries, seasonality and complexity in the Ertebølle of Southern Scandinavia. In Harvesting the Sea, Farming the Forest: The Emergence of Neolithic Societies in the Baltic Region. (pp. 193-202). Sheffield: Sheffield University Press.
62. Rowley-Conwy, P. and Zvelebil, M.(1989) Saving it for later: Storage by prehistoric hunter-gatherers in Europe. In Bad Year Economics. (pp. 40-56). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. New Directions in Archaeology
63. Salvatori, S.(1996) Death and ritual in a population of coastal food foragers in Oman. In The Prehistory of Asia and Oceania: XIII International Congress of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Sciences. (pp. 205-222). Forlì: ABACO. Colloquium, 16
64. Sanger, D.(1995) Mesolithic maritime adaptations: The view from North America. In Man and Sea in the Mesolithic: Coastal Settlement above and above Present Sea Level. (pp. 335-349). Oxbow Monograph
65. Sanlaville, P. (1992) Changements climatiques dans la Péninsule Arabique durant le Pléistocène Supérieur et l'Holocéne Paléorient, 18(1), pp. 5-26.
66. Santini, G. (1987) Site RH10 at Qurum and the preliminary analysis of its cemetery Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies, 17, pp. 179-198.
67. Santini, G.(2002) Burial Complex 43 in the RH-5 prehistoric graveyard at Ra's al-Hamra, Northern Oman. In Essays on the Late Prehistory of the Arabian Peninsula. (pp. 147-167). Serie Orientale Romana
68. (1912) The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea: Travel and Trade in the Indian Ocean by a Merchant of the First Century. New York: Longmans Green.
69. Steenstrup, J. and Forchhammer, J. and Worsaae, J.(2002) The discovery of kitchen middens from the Stone Age. In The Neolithisation of Denmark: 150 Years of Debate. (pp. 37-44). Sheffield: J. R. Collins.
70. Stevens, J. (1968) Quaternary events and their effect on soil development in an arid environment - the Trucial States Quaternaria, 10, pp. 73-81.
71. Tosi, M. (1975) Notes on the distribution and exploitation of natural resources in ancient Oman The Journal of Oman Studies, 1, pp. 187-206.
72. Tosi, M. (1983) Reconnaissance activity East and West, 35, pp. 331-332.
73. Tosi, M. (1986) The emerging picture of prehistoric Arabia Annual Review of Anthropology, 15, pp. 461-490.
74. Tosi, M. and Usai, D. (2003) Preliminary report on the excavations at Wadi Shab, area 1, Sultanate of Oman Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy, 14(1), pp. 8-23.
75. Uerpmann, H.(1989) Problems of archaeo-zoological research in Eastern Arabia. In Oman Studies. (pp. 163-168). Serie Orientale Romana
76. Uerpmann, M. (1992) Structuring the Late Stone Age of Southeastern Arabia Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy, 3, pp. 65-109.
77. Uerpmann, M.(2003) The dark millennium - remarks on the final Stone Age in the Emirates and Oman. In Archaeology of the United Arab Emirates. (pp. 74-81). London: Trident Press.
78. Uerpmann, M. and Uerpmann, H and Jasim, S. (2000) Stone Age nomadism in SE-Arabia - palaeoeconomic considerations on the Neolithic site of Al-Buhais 18 in the Emirate of Sharjah, U.A.E Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies 30: 229-34.
79. Usai, D. (2005) Chisels or perforators? The lithic industry of Ras al-Hamra 5 (Muscat, Oman) Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies, 35, pp. 1-9.
80. Walter, H.(1973) Vegetation of the Earth. New York: Springer Verlag.
81. Ward, P.(1987) Travels in Oman on the Track of the Early Explorers. New York: Oleander Press.
82. Wickham-Jones, C.(1990) Rhum: Mesolithic and Later Sites at Kinloch. Excavations 1984-86. Edinburgh: Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Monograph Series Number, 7.
83. Woodroffe, C.(1983) Development of mangrove forests from a geological perspective. In Biology and Ecology of Mangroves. (pp. 1-17). The Hague: Junk Publications.
84. Yesner, D.(1988) Island biogeography and prehistoric human adaptation on the southern coast of mine (USA). In The Archaeology of Prehistoric Coastlines. (pp. 53-63). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. New Directions in Archaeology