Social structure and everyday life at the Early Dilmun settlement of Saar, Bahrain (poster)

Abstract

The study of the Early Dilmun period in Bahrain has mainly focused on the mortuary evidence, especially from the iconic burial tumuli. This changed in the 1990s when, from 1990 to 1999, the only major excavation to date of a habitation site in Bahrain was undertaken. This was the excavation by the London-Bahrain Archaeological Expedition of Saar, which has provided a foundation for our understanding of life in Early Dilmun society. During the excavations a digital archive was collected and this is a presentation of the some of the results of an analysis of this data. The effectiveness of this analysis reveals the potential of research and the versatility of intra-site GIS data. These results provide further insights into life across society during this period and provides an indication of the importance of intra-site digital records. This analysis has produced new information about the functioning and organization of this proto-historic society. There are indications within the find distribution of subtle social structures and differences between the inhabitants of Saar.