Seminar for Arabian Studies

Seminar 2011 - Posters

The 2011 Seminar for Arabian Studies will be held at the British Museum in London from Thursday 28th - Saturday 30th July 2011.

This will be supported by the MBI Al Jaber Foundation. Visit their website at: www.mbifoundation.com

A total of 17 Posters have been submitted to date (as of 5 July 2011):

Poster 1

ALRAWAIBAH, Alaa
Department of Archaeology, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK

Alaa Alrawaibah is a PhD student at the University of Nottingham department of archaeology. My research interests lie in the area of archaeological heritage management.

In this poster I would like to introduce my dissertation 'Exploring New Narratives for Preserving and Presenting Archaeological Heritage of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia'. It aims to explore new narratives which shed light and an improved understanding upon the development of the KSA's archaeological heritage, from the pre-Islamic era to the present. This shall be addressed by:
1. Introducing archaeological case studies; based on readings in 'representation' studies, I will evaluate/demonstrate their significance for the consideration of chosen historical themes for example, the relationship of human societies to water, land corridors of human travel and exchange and impact on development of complex societies, sea corridors and social development in the Arabian Peninsula and nomadic pastoralism vs. settled agricultural and trading communities.
2. Addressing the potential for cultural tourism at these sites, as well as aspects of their preservation and management in the context of cultural heritage management in Saudi Arabia.
Objectives
o To explore themes in the archaeology and history of Saudi Arabia that cut across the traditional presentation of the archaeological past that is exclusively chronological. These themes will include some of the following: trade; contact; communication; environment; water; family and society.
o To demonstrate how themes can be applied to the presentation of specific archaeological sites in the KSA.
o To consider the benefits of managing these sites sustainably and how best to do this.

Case studies are:
Mada'in Salih, Thaj and Jubbah.

Poster 2

ALSHAREKH, Abdullah M.
Department of Archaeology, College of Tourism and Archaeology, King Saud University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Rock art in Saudi Arabia: hand engravings as an example

Hand engravings are common in Arabian rock art, and come in a variety of shapes and styles. This poster will shed light on this artistic motive and look into its meaning, implication and stylisitic methods. A geographic overview shall be attempted, to show the various styles used.
This poster is dedicated to a very common art motive that is usually studied as part of a whole variety of artisitic features; hence the focus on this topic will hopefully shed light on its importance and meanings.

Poster 3

ASHKANANI, Hasan
Department of Anthropology, University of South Florida,4202 E. Fowler Avenue, SOC 107 Tampa, FL 33620-8100, USA

TYKOT, Robert H.
Department of Anthropology, University of South Florida,4202 E. Fowler Avenue, SOC 107 Tampa, FL 33620-8100, USA

Sourcing Bronze Age ceramics from Kuwait and Bahrain using non-destructive XRF analysis
Ceramics from Kuwait and Bahrain were analyzed to address trade and exchange in the Bronze Age, the first such scientific study in the Persian Gulf. The statistically significant number of ceramic samples used in this analysis were collected from the early second millennium BC sites of F6 (known as a Governor Palace) and Al-Khidr in Kuwait, and from Dilmun sites of Barbar and Qalat in Bahrain. The ceramics were analyzed using a non-destructive, portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (pXRF). The quantitative data produced were used to examine the variation in both of the ceramics' components by examining their trace element composition.

Poster 4

COX, Sarah
Sarah Cox is a PhD student at the University of Nottingham, and is researching the archaeometallurgy of the 2nd Millennium BC Persian Gulf, with a particular focus on metal finds from Failaka. She has carried out fieldwork with the Kuwaiti-Danish Archaeological Mission to Failaka 2010 season and will join the Mission again in 2011. She is supervised by the lovely Dr Lloyd Weeks.

Archaeometallurgy of Dilmun: Preliminary analysis of metal finds from Tell F6, Failaka

I intend to present the techniques being used in my ongoing PhD research - the study of 2nd millennium BC Persian Gulf metalwork. The poster will introduce my research and offer details of my project, which will be the largest analysis of 2nd millennium BC Persian Gulf metalwork to date. I will offer preliminary results from trace element analysis, metallurgical examination and analysis using an electron microprobe, through presentation of compositional data and photographs.
My research seeks to understand the early to mid 2nd millennium BC, in order to offer a new perspective on a period of structural change, political and economic completion, decline and collapse. I will characterise changes in technology and trade in the Gulf, linking these developments to the region's wider archaeological and historical record.
The samples discussed in my poster were all obtained from Tell F6, Failaka as part of the ongoing fieldwork by the Kuwaiti-Danish Archaeological Mission overseen by Flemming Højlund, and trace element analysis was carried out at Imperial College London with the kind support of Dr Paul Fennell. All other analysis was carried out at the University of Nottingham.

Poster 5

DEADMAN, William
Department of Archaeology, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK

William Deadman has recently completed an undergraduate degree in Archaeology at Durham University and will begin reading for an MA at the same institution in the autumn. His undergraduate dissertation focused on the use of GIS in the study of Hafit and Umm an-Nar tombs in Oman, and he hopes to continue to study the Early Bronze Age of the Oman peninsula in his postgraduate research.

Early Bronze Age tombs in Wadi Andam Oman, using Google Earth and GIS to analyse their distribution in the landscape.

I intend to present a poster detailing the results of my undergraduate dissertation - a study of Early Bronze Age tombs in Wadi Andam, Oman. The Early Bronze Age tombs of the Oman peninsula are a unique and underused dataset, particularly when it comes to the Hafit period in which they are practically all that remains of Bronze Age society between 3200 and 2500 BC. My dissertation has exploited this excellent dataset in an attempt to begin to explore how and what it could tell us about the past society that built these structures. Google Earth was used to perform a survey of a 3,600 km2 area of Wadi Andam and its environs, and several thousand possible tombs were discovered and labelled. This dataset was refined through several days of fieldwork to produce a final 'confirmed' dataset. The tombs were then inputted into GIS software and analysed in their landscape. Early Bronze Age tombs from known sites were also inputted and analysed in an identical manner, and an attempt was made to separate the tombs into specific periods of the Early Bronze Age based on this analysis. The distribution of the tombs in their landscape was modelled, and inferences were made about the possible nature and practices of Early Bronze Age society.

Poster 6

HERRMANN, Jason
Jason Herrmann is an archaeologist who uses a landscape approach to investigate in ancient human-environment interactions, settlement patterns, and remote sensing techniques with regional interests in the Middle East and United States. He is a doctoral candidate in the Environmental Dynamics Program at the University of Arkansas where he studies prehistoric ecodynamics in the Oman Peninsula and a Research Project Professional at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. Jason also conducts field schools in archaeological applications of GIS and geophysics at the Center for American Archaeology in Kampsville, Illinois and at Tell el-Amarna in Egypt.

CARTER, Rob
Oxford Brookes Archaeology and Heritage, Department of Anthropology & Geography, School of Social Sciences & Law, Gipsy Lane, Oxford, OX3 0BP, UK

Robert Carter is an archaeologist and historian who specialises in the history and prehistory of Arabia and the Persian Gulf. He is an expert on ceramics, ancient seafaring and early maritime trade, Christianity in the Gulf, Islamic archaeology and pearl fishing, but his research interests are broad and his publications cover a wide chronological span, from the Neolithic Period through to the 20th century AD. Rob has conducted fieldwork, artefact studies and consultancy in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ras al-Khaimah, Fujairah and Iran.

SIMON, Katie M.
Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies, J.B. Hunt Center for Excellence, University of Arkansas, USA

Katie Simon is Research Assistant at the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies at the University of Arkansas, where she specialises in high-resolution scanning and three-dimensional computer visualisation. Katie is an archaeologist that has used terrestrial and satellite remote sensing techniques in archaeological research in the Middle East, Central and South America and across the United States. Katie currently contributes to ongoing research in Greece, Egypt and Peru.

MARKUSSEN, Christine
EnviroSystems Management, Inc., 23 East Fine Avenue, Flagstaff, Arizona 86001, USA

Christine Markussen is the GIS Program Manager for EnviroSystems Management, Inc. in Arizona, USA, overseeing geospatial data collection, processing, and map production with respect to cultural and natural resources projects in the Southwest United States. She works within archaeology as a supervisory archaeologist, geospatial analyst, and geophysical prospection specialist on both domestic and international projects. Christine earned her Master's Degree in Anthropology at the University of Arkansas where she focused on computer applications in archaeology. Her primary interests include the application of advanced computer technologies in answering archaeological research questions.

2010 Geomagnetic Survey of Julfar al-Mataf, Ras al-Khaimah, United Arab Emirates.

A large section of the plan of the medieval settlement at Julfar al-Mataf was revealed through a geomagnetic survey conducted by a team from the University of Arkansas and Oxford Brookes Archaeology and Heritage and with the support of the Ras al-Khaimah Department of Antiquities. Al-Mataf, located on a coastal sand bar on the Arabian Gulf coast in Ras al-Khaimah Emirate, comprised part of the larger settlement complex known as Julfar, a major trading hub in the southern part of the Arabian Gulf and the precursor to the modern city of Ras al-Khaimah. Soil-poor environments such as those that cover most of the Arabian Peninsula are generally not well-suited for geomagnetic survey; however, minute concentrations of organic materials remaining from the medieval occupation at al-Mataf yielded magnetic anomalies that demarcate the locations of several architectural features and hint at the overall plan of the site. The anomalies mapped through this survey likely reflect site organization during the latest recorded phase of occupation at al-Mataf, during the 15th and 16th centuries including several architectural blocks and a network of streets. These encouraging results demonstrate that geomagnetic survey can yield useful results at al-Mataf as well as at archaeological sites in similar environments. In the future, geomagnetic survey at al-Mataf can be enhanced by the use of other geophysical prospection methods.

Poster 7

IBRAHIM, Moawiyah M.
Jordan's Representative to UNESCO of World Heritage Committee.
Representative of Jordan to UNESCO World Heritage Committee He is a PhD graduate of the Free University of Berlin (1970). He served in several academic administrative positions including Yarmouk University (1979-1994) and Sultan Qaboos University (1994-2004) and Al-Isra University (2006-2009). He was visiting professor at FU Berlin (1973-1974), University of Tübingen (1976) University of Pennsylvania (1985-1986), and University of Richmond - Virginia (1992-1993). He published 10 books and over 120 scientific articles. He led field investigations in Palestine, Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Yemen.
The results of this research were published in several books and over one hundred articles in journals and other publications.

Investigations at Wadi Bani Kharous, Sultanate of Oman

This poster addresses the occupational history of Wadi Bani Kharous, a side Wadi that intersects the western mountains of Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar, based on historical records, oral history and archaeological data. Field investigations in this Wadi were conducted by the author on behalf of Sultan Qaboos University between December 2002 and February 2003. Preliminary field work and further research show that the occupational history in the Wadi goes back as early as the third and second millennia BC as indicated by a Hafit-type tomb and a fortification system on a mountain overlooking the Wadi opposite the village of Stal. Special emphasis focuses on over seventy tomb inscriptions from two cemeteries and several panels of rock inscriptions and drawings. The inscriptions can be seen as a continuation of epigraphical work published by the present author (PSAS 2001) from Nizwa and Wadi el-Haymali. They date from the 9th century until the fourteenth century AH and reflect ethnic, tribal and family associations of the community in this area. Some inscriptions provide information about the social status of both males and females.
It is worth mentioning that this is one of the best known Wadis in Oman. Several rulers (including three of the early Imams), theologians, scholars, and poets originate from this Wadi. The investigations will continue to include translation of the inscriptions, water system, oral history of descendents still living in the area and traditional architecture on both sides of the valley.

Poster 8

JURGENSEN, Benjamin
Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar

PETERSON, Andrew
University of Wales Trinity Saint David

This poster is based on research carried out on a range of finds from the University of Wales excavations at Ruwaydha and Rubayqa in northern Qatar. The aim of the research is to investigate new ways of recording artefacts to enable recognition and comparison with similar finds from other archaeological sties in the Gulf and further a field.
The poster intends to present methods for documenting and sharing artifacts using portable and affordable 3D scanning technology.
Included in the poster are examples of the scanning process, potential visual outcomes, and proposed methods for sharing 3D models via the internet or an internet connected database.
3D scanning is a process in which a scanner measures and photographs an object using a contact free laser array and a CMOS sensor. These measurements and photographs are transferred to a computer as a point cloud and linked image sequence, from which a polygon mesh and resulting texture mapped 3d model are generated.
The scanned objects can be exported in multiple commonly used 3D file formats, rendered as images, or compressed and exported as 3D models viewable through a web browser. This poster demonstrates the capabilities of 3D scanning along with potential visual outputs.

Poster 9

KENNET, Derek
Department of Archaeology, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK

FITTON, Tom
Department of Archaeology, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK

The terraced fields of the Ru'us al-Jibªl

The terraced fields and associated settlements of the Ru'us al-Jibªl are one of the most remarkable aspects of the human geography of the Musandam Peninsula. The Ru'us al-Jibªl themselves are barren limestone mountains rising to a maximum of 1,800 meters between the Straits of Hormuz in the north and the 'Khatt-Diba' line in the south. Scattered across these mountains are numerous terraced fields and associated settlements that were occupied by cultivators through the winter months until quite recently. These fields would have taken a considerable effort to build and maintain yet the economic rationale behind them is not at all clear. A first step in understanding this is to look at the distribution and density of the fields using high-resolution satellite imagery of the area that has recently become available on Google Earth.
This poster will set out the results of the first complete and detailed survey and mapping of the fields across the whole of the peninsula using this methodology. It will also look at possible associations with geology and altitude in a first attempt to characterize the distribution and density of this remarkable phenomenon.

Poster 10

MAINI, Elena
Elena Maini is Ph.D Candidate at the Department of Archaeology, University of Bologna and member of the 'ArcheoLaBio' Research Centre for Bioarchaeology, as zooarchaeologist. Her main topic of research is the zooarcheology of Bronze Age Northern Italy, but she studies also faunal remains from Epipaleolithic sites in North Africa and from the prehistoric sites in the Ra's al-Hadd area, Sultanate of Oman.

CURCI, Antonio
Antonio Curci is professor of archaeology and zooarchaeology at the Department of Archaeology, University of Bologna, and director of the 'ArcheoLaBio' Research Centre for Bioarchaeology. He collaborate as zooarchaeologist to projects from Neolithic to Middle Age in Italy, Greece, Turkey, North Africa and in the Sultanate of Oman. Curci is also director of archaeological projects for the study of the Neolithic sanctuary-caves in Apulia, South Italy, and for the documentation of the rock-art evidence in Egypt (Assuan area), in collaboration with Yale University.

New Evidence For Dog Butchering From Prehistoric Coastal Sites In The Sultanate Of Oman

Cynophagy is well documented from the archaeological record in different regions world wide. Despite a subsistence economy mainly centered on sea resources and complemented with land mammals (either wild or domesticated), the coastal prehistoric sites of the Oman Peninsula gave an high percentage of dog bones with butchering and burning traces. Dog-meat eating was already attested in this area during the 3rd millennium BCE at Ra's al-Hadd HD-1 and HD-6, but this practice can be now dated back to the late 5th - 4th millennium BCE on the base of new evidence generated by recent excavations at Ra's al-Hadd HD-5 and Ra's al-Khabbah KHB-1.
The poster presentation will show in detail these new data and their archaeological context, embedding them in the wider perspective of local subsistence economies. Framing these evidence with contextual archaeological, environmental and ecological data will provide a better understanding of the adaptive strategies developed by prehistoric groups on the shorelines of Eastern Arabia.

Poster 11

PECCHIOLI, Laura
Heidelberg University

Dr arch Laura Pecchioli set her professional development on the area of software development to interactively access spatial data while navigating in 3D environments. With a background as an architect, she specialises on the conservation of archaeological sites. Last year she turned her attention to HCI (Interaction Design and Ubiquitous Computing). Her projects centre on architectural restoration applications and span several areas. Others include Geo Informational Systems, but also hands-on field projects in Rome (Commissione Pontificia di Archeologia Sacra), Quedlinburg/Saxony-Anhalt (Hochschule Bildende für Künste Dresden), Zafar/Yemen (Heidelberg University), Virtual Design Museum Project (Politecnico di Milano), Baalbek /Lebanon (TU Berlin), etc. She publishes in different media and lectures widely at international conferences.

Yule, Paul
Heidelberg University

Dr Paul Yule's fieldwork centres on Arabia and South Asia. In recent years in his teaching and fieldwork he has accented late antiquity, for instance in Zafar/Yemen, and Samad al-Shan in the eastern province of the Sultanate of Oman. Other projects map for research and cultural resource management purposes, as at the 3rd millennium tower tomb site of al-Jaylah in the eastern J. Akhdar. Yule studies the relation of Arabic linguistics in the archaeology of Arabia. He disseminates his research and archiving in the image and text servers HeidICON and PropylaeumDOK.

Zafar 2011: after excavation

The Zafar site museum was built in 1972 and remained empty until the team of Heidelberg University installed it in 2002. The antiquities service of the Yemen, GOAM, refurbished the physical structure in the same year. Exhibits and bilingual posters we prepared with the funds available from the Zaid Centre for Coordination and Followup. Afterward, the exhibition served as a depot for artefacts and disassembled vitrines. The museum is in principle no longer accessible as conceived.
Thus it is important and fitting to visit the exhibition virtually by means of our programme, ISEE. ISEE allows the user to navigate in the museum and interactively access information. The Zafar Virtual Museum is planned to reside in the home page of the Seminar for the Languages and Culture of the Near East of Heidelberg University.

Poster 12

RICHTER, Tobias
Department for Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, University of Copenhagen, 17-19 Snorresgade, 2300 Copenhagen-S, Kingdom of Denmark.

Tobias Richter is Assistant Professor of Near Eastern Archaeology at the University of Copenhagen. He received his PhD from UCL in 2009 with a thesis on the Epipalaeolithic of the Azraq Basin and is currently Deputy Director of the Qatar Islamic Archaeology and Heritage Project.

HOUSE, Michael

YEOMANS, Lisa

COLLIE, Thomas

JENSEN, Pernille Bansgaard
Department for Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, University of Copenhagen, 17-19 Snorresgade, 2300 Copenhagen-S, Kingdom of Denmark.

ROSENDAHL, Sandra

WORDSWORTH, Paul
Department for Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, University of Copenhagen, 17-19 Snorresgade, 2300 Copenhagen-S, Kingdom of Denmark.

WALMSLEY, Alan
Department for Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, University of Copenhagen, 17-19 Snorresgade, 2300 Copenhagen-S, Kingdom of Denmark.

The 2010-2011 Excavation Season at Al Zubarah

The Qatar Islamic Archaeology and Heritage Project returned to Al Zubarah in 2010-2011 to undertake a further five month season of fieldwork at this 18th-19th century settlement in north-western Qatar. This year's season focused on the continued excavation of three areas (ZUEP01, ZUEP02 and ZUEP04), as well as the excavation of a midden mound outside the town walls (ZUEP05).
The excavations documented the remains of a further courtyard house, continued to reveal elements of the souq area, and revealed a substantial amount of the 'palatial complex' in the south-eastern part of the site. The excavations in the midden mound ZUEP05 provided a wealth of material and data concerning the economy and food consumption of Al Zubarah's inhabitants.
The 2010-2011 excavation season has provided yet more key insights into the social and economic lives of Al Zubarah's inhabitants and how this unique settlement functioned within the context of the 18th century pearl fishing and trading economy.

Poster13

SAUNDERS, Ben
Department of Archaeology, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK

I am a researcher in Medieval Islamic ceramics at the University of Durham. Having graduated from this institution in 2010 with a BSc in Archaeology, I worked on the assemblage at Julfar during autumn 2010 and then as an excavation assistant on the Kadhima Project, Kuwait. I have worked in all periods of British archaeology, as well as gaining over a year of excavation experience. My other research interests are satellite imagery of the Near East, the 2nd Millennium in Mesopotamia and Anglo-Saxon landscapes.

Crossing the Gulf, and Beyond: The ceramics of Julfar

The poster presents an analysis of the excavated ceramic assemblage from al Nudud, RAK, recently excavated by Oxford Brookes Archaeology and Heritage. It will demonstrate the use of ware and rim type families to show ceramic trends both spatially and temporally. This site will be considered both on a local and international scale. Bringing together data from other reports as well as the new assemblage, the trade routes heading in and out of Julfar can be partially mapped. Analysis of the context assemblages has allowed the assemblage to be used to show possible areas of storage and cooking across the site as well as showing its development from a mud brick town in the early 14th Century to a large trading centre with stone architecture in the 15th Century.
New ware types identified in this analysis show a diversification in wares and rim forms in conjunction with the growth and development of the city. They also show developments across the wider Western Indian Ocean, both in the ceramic trade and in general social movement. The poster highlights the brevity of trading settlements and their period of dominance and discusses the reasons for this.

Poster 14

TETLOW, Emma
Emma works as Project Manager for Environmental Archaeology, Qatar National Historic Environment Record and is based in the State of Qatar. Emma is responsible for all facets of environmental research from project design and evolution to field work, sample processing, analysis and publication.
Emma has worked as a commercial environmental archaeologist since completing her PhD in the field of palaeoentomology and intertidal archaeology in 2004. Her research interests include wetland archaeology, particularly intertidal and alluvial environments, palaeoecology and geoarchaeology.

CUTTLER, Richard
Richard is a Senior Research Fellow for HP VISTA at the University, Birmingham, U.K. He has undertaken archaeological surveys and excavations in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. He has recently overseen the development of the new Qatar National Historic Environment Record together with the Qatar Museums Authority. His research interests include Palaeolithic and Holocene Arabia, landscape survey, the use of Geographic Information Systems (G.I.S.) for cultural resource management, and the application of geophysics in marine and terrestrial environments.

MORAN, Lawrence

Al-NAIMI, Faisal
Faisal Abdulla Al-Naimi is head of the Antiquities Department at the Qatar Museums Authority. His research interests include the management of the archaeological resource of Qatar and the archaeology of the Arabian Peninsula, especially Qatar. He has a particular interest in prehistoric lithic technologies, stone tool knapping, human dispersals and survey techniques.

Footprints in the Wadi - geomorphology, sedimentology and geoarchaeology as tools for isolating preshistoric human occupation in the Wadi Debayaan, North Eastern Qatar

In 2010 a preliminary auger survey, part of work for the Qatar National Historic Environment Record (QNHER), identified deposits typical of coastal process and intertidal wetlands associated with positive sea-level tendencies c. 5980±40 14C years BP within the confines of the Wadi Debayaan, north eastern Qatar (Cuttler, Tetlow and Al-Naimi 2011). Investigation in 2011 aimed to provide a better understanding of interactions between terrestrial, intertidal and marine environments during the Holocene. Establishing the current and palaeo- geomorphology of the Wadi Debayaan is key to the interpretation of archaeological contexts which have been highlighted by excavation on the eastern fringes of the Wadi. These deposits are consistent with a prolonged phase of human occupation or utilisation of this area and are clearly associated with a sedimentary regime very different to that of present (Tetlow et al. 2011).
An extensive program of geoprospection was undertaken both longitudinally and latitudinally across the terrestrial and intertidal zones at the mouth of the Wadi Debayaan using a hand auger. This aimed to establish the wider sedimentary regime and the presence and location of a hypothesized deeper, discharge channel from the head of the Wadi to the to the coast. It was also anticipated that this geoprospection may isolate further areas of archaeological interest through the interpretation of these deposits by establishing other areas favourable for exploitation by past human populations. Further work targeted 'sink holes', which potentially contained deeper deposits of waterlogged sediment, suitable for the preservation of palynological and other proxy evidence. Palaeoenvironmental analysis would ultimately provide comment on both regional and more localised environmental change within both Wadi Debayaan and north eastern Qatar during the Holocene. This poster presents the preliminary findings of this work, outlining the sedimentary and depositional regime within Wadi Debayaan during the Holocene. The poster also outlines proposed prospection into the confines of the modern Zubara Bay part of a wider marine survey.

Poster 15

TETLOW, Emma
Emma works as Project Manager for Environmental Archaeology, Qatar National Historic Environment Record and is based in the State of Qatar. Emma is responsible for all facets of environmental research from project design and evolution to field work, sample processing, analysis and publication.
Emma has worked as a commercial environmental archaeologist since completing her PhD in the field of palaeoentomology and intertidal archaeology in 2004. Her research interests include wetland archaeology, particularly intertidal and alluvial environments, palaeoecology and geoarchaeology.

CUTTLER, Richard
Richard is a Senior Research Fellow for HP VISTA at the University, Birmingham, U.K. He has undertaken archaeological surveys and excavations in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. He has recently overseen the development of the new Qatar National Historic Environment Record together with the Qatar Museums Authority. His research interests include Palaeolithic and Holocene Arabia, landscape survey, the use of Geographic Information Systems (G.I.S.) for cultural resource management, and the application of geophysics in marine and terrestrial environments.

AL-NAIMI, Faisal
Faisal Abdulla Al-Naimi is head of the Antiquities Department at the Qatar Museums Authority. His research interests include the management of the archaeological resource of Qatar and the archaeology of the Arabian Peninsula, especially Qatar. He has a particular interest in prehistoric lithic technologies, stone tool knapping, human dispersals and survey techniques.

ROBERTS, Howell
Howell is a Field Project Officer based in Qatar for six months a year with the QNHER. He works on environmental impact assessments, field survey, excavation, and the collating of documentary sources for inclusion in the QNHER. For the rest of the year, he is Head of Fieldwork at the Institute of Archaeology based in Reykjavik, Iceland. His research interests include late iron-age burial practice, and medieval trade
networks.

Fire in the Wadi - Excavation and evaluation of a stratified Neolithic midden from the Wadi Debayaan, northeastern Qatar

In 2010 a preliminary auger survey, part of work for the Qatar National Historic Environment Record (QNHER), identified deposits typical of coastal process and intertidal wetlands associated with positive sea-level tendencies c. 5980±40 14C years BP within the confines of the Wadi Debayaan, north eastern Qatar (Cuttler, Tetlow and Al-Naimi 2011). Investigation in 2011 aimed to provide a better understanding of interactions between terrestrial, intertidal and marine environments during the Holocene. Archaeological investigation on the eastern fringes of the Wadi established the presence of an extensive midden deposit consistent with a prolonged phase of human occupation or utilisation of this area and which is clearly associated with a sedimentary regime very different to that of present (Tetlow et al. 2011). Radiometric evidence indicates that deposition commenced c. 3510 to 3410 cal BC (cal BP 5460 to 5360) - 3390 to 3340 cal BC (cal BP 5340 to 5290), confining the earliest episodes of deposit formation to the mid Neolithic.
In excess of 20000l of material was sieved in the field, with hand collection used to recover both environmental and artefactual evidence. A further suite of samples were subject to wet sieving through apertures of 1mm/500µm/300µm and sorted under laboratory conditions. Further material from the top and bottom of each phase of deposition was also hand recovered in the field to provide an extensive radiocarbon chronology for the feature. The site is also situated close to series of burial cairns, extensive lithics scatters and deposits of Ubaid potsherds which litter a plateau directly above the Wadi (Al-Naimi et al 2011).
This poster presents the preliminary findings of this work, outlining the extensive environmental evidence and its implications for human occupation and to further explore the possible relationship between the middens and the cultural evidence of QNHER 141 to the west.

Al-Naimi, F. A., Price, K. M., Cuttler, R., and Arrock, H. (2011) Re-assessing Wadi Debayan; An important early Holocene Neolithic multi-occupational site in Western Qatar. Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies. Vol. 41.

Poster 16

WALKINGTON, Helen
Oxford Brookes Archaeology and Heritage, Department of Anthropology & Geography, School of Social Sciences & Law, Gipsy Lane, Oxford, OX3 0BP, UK
Dr Helen Walkington uses soil and sediment properties to try to understand the processes that have operated at archaeological sites including site formation and taphonomy. This work aids our understanding of how climate change and landscape evolution have impacted upon human society. Helen is working on a range of collaborative projects to provide a framework of environmental change for the archaeological record in Arabia (United Arab Emirates).

PARKER, Adrian
Oxford Brookes Archaeology and Heritage, Department of Anthropology & Geography, School of Social Sciences & Law, Gipsy Lane, Oxford, OX3 0BP, UK
Professor Adrian Parker studies the prehistory of the Middle East (especially Neolithic and Bronze Age). His work draws upon Quaternary science, geoarchaeology and geomorphology, environmental archaeology and palaeoecology. His approach involves the application of multi proxy techniques e.g. phytoliths, pollen and geochemistry.

WHITE, Kevin H.
Department of Geography, School of Human and Environmental Sciences, The University of Reading, Whiteknights, PO Box 227, Reading, RG6 6AB, UK

KUTTERER, Adelina
Institut für Naturwissenschaftliche Archäologie, Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, Rümelinstr. 23, D-72070 Tübingen, Germany

UERPMANN, Hans-Peter
Institut für Naturwissenschaftliche Archäologie, Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, Rümelinstr. 23, D-72070 Tübingen, Germany

Neolithic paleoenvironments from the archaeological site of FAY NE 15, Emirate of Sharjah, UAE

FAY-NE 15 is a Neolithic archaeological site located adjacent to a palaeo-spring and within a small wadi at the north-eastern edge of Jebel Faya in the Emirate of Sharjah, UAE. Burials, hearths and numerous artefacts indicate occupation at the site during the mid to late Neolithic. A stratified sedimentary sequence records environmental changes during the late Neolithic period from c.4800 to 4300 cal BC. Phytolith analysis indicates that mixed C3 (Pooid) and C4 (Panicoid) grassland dominated the lower part of the sequence from 4800 cal BC. Both grass tribes decline over time (up profile) and are replaced by arid-adapted, short C4 Chloridoid grassland with an indication of water stress. The record also shows the persistent presence of palm in the Neolithic, the first inland record for this taxon. Sedimentary evidence reveals a complex interplay between aeolian and colluvial processes, driven by variations in monsoon rainfall. Rainfall variability had a major impact on regional hydrology, vegetation, environmental processes and ultimately human response and utilisation of the landscape. (166 words)

Poster 17

YULE, Paul
Dr Paul Yule's fieldwork centres on Arabia and South Asia. In recent years in his teaching and fieldwork he has accented late antiquity, for instance in Zafar/Yemen, and Samad al-Shan in the eastern province of the Sultanate of Oman. Other projects map for research and cultural resource management purposes, as at the 3rd millennium tower tomb site of al-Jaylah in the eastern J. Akhdar. Yule studies the relation of Arabic linguistics in the archaeology of Arabia. He disseminates his research and archiving in the image and text servers HeidICON and PropylaeumDOK.

LINDENBECK, Jörg
Jörg Lindenbeck (Lindensoft Verlag E.K.)
Trained as a prehistorian in Edinburgh and Cologne, Jörg Lindenbeck has developed a publishing house (Lindensoft) and works in a variety of other areas of high quality graphic reproduction, design and 3D scanning. His wide-ranging contacts are scattered throughout the archaeological publishing scene in Western Europe. He has 20 years of successful archaeological publishing to his credit.

3D Scan of Himyarite Relief Sculpture in Zafar - Yemenite Southern Highlands

Reliefs such as these have never come to light before, and in situ! The uncertain preservation situation and great importance of the finds required very exact recording. The excavated 15 m long relief wall of Himyarite date in the Stone Building at Zafar complements sketches, drawings and photos. Four horizontal rows comprise rosettes and leaf-crosses, paradisiacal scenes, alternating grape leaves and grapes as well as frontal bucrania.
Including the setup, we required 18 hours of recording time. The Konica-Minolta Vivid 910 recorded three wall sections by means of 370 individual recordings, 16.000.000 tesselations, and for the crowned figure with a further 6,000,000. This comprised in all 113,664.000 measuring points with a speed of 20480/second. The software thins out the data, since one does not always require high resolution. After the different scans are joined to one another, then one can cover the tessellations with a photographic 'skin'. Greatest challenge: getting the scanner in and out of the country!

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