A tumulus cemetery on the north coast of Kuwait Bay: results of survey and excavation in the al-Ṣabiyyah region

Authors

  • Łukasz Rutkowski

Keywords:

Gulf archaeology, tumuli, typology, burial practices, Bronze Age

Abstract

Since 2007, the Kuwaiti-Polish Archaeological Mission (KPAM) has been working in the coastal region of al-Ṣabiyyah (Subiyyah), a desert plateau extending along the north coast of Kuwait Bay. It carried out an extensive survey and excavated selected stone structures, mainly burial mounds. More than 200 archaeological structures and sites, including around 130 tumuli and around 100 stone features of different types, were recorded. A selection of forty stone structures was excavated, of which twenty-seven were burial mounds. This paper summarizes the results of six seasons of investigations, from 2007 to 2012. The survey, coupled with excavation of selected structures from the survey area, has provided extensive data for a preliminary analysis of the tumulus cemetery found in al-Ṣabiyyah. Based on this research, it is possible to present the following: a provable classification of tomb forms; distribution patterns of the burial mounds; specific burial practices in the region; and a tentative chronology of the sepulchral structures.

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Published

01/01/2018

How to Cite

Rutkowski, Łukasz. (2018). A tumulus cemetery on the north coast of Kuwait Bay: results of survey and excavation in the al-Ṣabiyyah region. Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies, 48, 303–321. Retrieved from https://archaeopresspublishing.com/ojs/index.php/PSAS/article/view/1029

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