Camel and horse skeletons from protohistoric graves at Mleiha in the Emirate of Sharjah (U.A.E.)

Animal burials from a graveyard at Mleiha in the interior of the Sharjah Emirate (U.A.E.) are described and documented with regard to the archaeozoology of the represented species. These are two horses, nine dromedaries, and three camel hybrids. The hybrids represent crossbreeds between two-humped Bactrian camels and one-humped Arabian dromedaries where the latter species has been the female parent. According to their central position in the graveyard, the hybrids seem to have been status animals. One of the horses was in a similar position while the other was in a peripheral grave together with a dromedary.     

Comments on the lithic material from an 'Ubaid site in the Emirate of Ajman (U.A.E.)

This short note concerns a selection made by E. Haerinck of a few pieces among the lithic artefacts found on the surface of the site reported on in the preceding article (p. 84).     

Heading for the Straits of Hormuz, an'Ubaid site in the Emirate of Ajman (U.A.E.)

This brief note reports on the discovery of a prehistoric site near the coast of Ajman (United Arab Emirates), with lithics and ceramics which should probably be dated to the fifth millennium BC. Although small, the site nonetheless takes its place alongside a growing number of prehistoric points of habitation on the southern Gulf coast which attest to contact with'Ubaid Mesopotamia.     

Trilobate arrowheads at ed-Dur (U.A.E, Emirate of Umm al-Qaiwain)

This article discusses the trilobate arrowheads excavated at ed-Dur during the different campaigns. Special emphasis is placed on the trilobate or three-lobed type of arrowhead because these appear rather suddenly and are not widespread in southeastern Arabia. The broader cultural, geographical and historical framework of these arrowheads is sketched in order to place the ed-Dur material in context.     

Four "Iron Age" stamp seals from Qarn bint Sa'ud (Abu Dhabi Emirate – U A.E.)

In this brief contribution, attention is drawn to four stamp seals which were picked up in the late 1980's from the sand dunes covering the so-called and still unexcavated "Iron Age settlement" of Qarn bint Sa'ud in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.     

The third-millennium tombs and settlement at Mowaihat in the Emirate of Ajman, U.A.E.

Evidence of a settlement located near two late third-millennium tombs excavated at Mowaihat in the Emirate of Ajman is presented in order to complete the documentation of this site. Although the settlement evidence is only slight, especially when compared with the substantial architecture of the tombs, it is not atypical of contemporary sites in this region. A possible interpretation is, therefore, proposed in an attempt to explain the various third-millennium tomb and settlement associations that have been reported from the Gulf coast of the United Arab Emirates.     

Late pre‐Islamic burials at Mleiha,Emirate of Sharjah (UAE)

The history of two monumental grave buildings (nos. 4 and 5), excavated in area P of the late pre‐Islamic city of Mleiha, has been studied in detail. Like all other tombs excavated up to the present day in Mleiha, their chambers had been emptied in ancient times. They were found devoid of human remains and grave‐goods. In the upper parts of the grave fills, however, skeletal remains were encountered. One of the skeletons was radiocarbon dated to AD 623–656, the time of the Islamisation of south‐east Arabia. A radiocarbon date of 384–233 BC for a wooden beam from the same tomb showed that it was built during the late pre‐Islamic period (PIR‐A). These dates and stratigraphic observations made clear that the interments were intrusive. The surrounding sediments were deposited by flooding. Directly underneath the skull of the dated skeleton, a layer of sandy loam was encountered, showing mud cracks. To understand the relationship between the burial and these deposits, micromorphological analyses of the surrounding sediments were conducted. The microstructural organisation of the sedimentary components implied that the skull was interred as part of a burial, and not deposited by natural processes.     

Excavations at ed-Dur (Umm al-Qaiwain, U.A.E.)

The results of seven weeks'research in 1989 by a Belgian team from Gent University at ed-Dur, in the Emirate of Umm al-Qaiwain, are presented. Excavations were continued in the southern part of the site. A fourth altar was found near the temple (area M); graves were excavated in other areas (areas N and AT). A large, undisturbed, semi-subterranean tomb with a barrel-vault and enclosure (area AV) was also discovered.     

Composite bows at ed-Dur (Umm al-Qaiwain, U.A.E.)

This article discusses seven bone fragments excavated during the second Belgian archaeological campaign at ed-Dur (tomb G.3831, area N). Rather than weaving implements, these objects are identified as the reinforcing bone laths of composite bows. Information on the composite bow in general—origins, structural composition and technical advantages—will be given. Additionally, the question of which types of composite bows could have been present at ed-Dur and what role these weapons could have played at the site are discussed.     

Kush: a Sasanian and Islamic-period archaeological tell in Ras al-Khaimah (U.A.E.)

With contributions by Mark Beech (University of York, U.K.), Adrian Parker (School of Geography, University of Oxford, U.K.) and Alan Pipe (Museum of London Archaeological Service, U.K.     

The softstone vessels from Qarn Bint Sa'ud, Abu Dhabi (U.A.E.)

This paper draws attention to thirty unpublished Iron Age softstone vessels from Qarn Bint Sa'ud held in the Al Ain Museum. They are compared with softstone vessels from other Iron Age sites in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman and Mesopotamia, in order to study distribution patterns and exchange.