The Wādī Sūq archaeological landscape of Bāt (Dhahirah Governorate, Oman) and its interregional significance
Keywords:
archaeological landscape, Bāt, cemetery, settlement, Wādī Sūq periodAbstract
Conventional archaeological studies have reported that the Wādī Sūq societies of the Trans-Ḥajar region in the central and south-eastern sectors (to the east of Al‑Ain/Buraimi and Wādī Jizzī) are characterized by the deterioration of complex social organization, transformation towards a mobility-oriented society, and collective burial practices. This view has been questioned by recent archaeological evidence relating to several parts of the aforementioned sectors, but it is influenced by the substantial amount of burials and the lack of micro-geographical‑scale variability. In order to gain an understanding of the regional aspects of the Wādī Sūq landscapes, a re-examination of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Bāt, Dhahirah Governorate, in the central interior sector, provides evidence relating to mortuary and occupational aspects and a framework for understanding the local transformation of archaeological landscapes on a limited regional scale. This paper discusses the archaeological landscape of Bāt during the Wādī Sūq period, based on various available datasets. We identified seventy-one Wādī Sūq tombs including reused ones, four residential structures, and three non-occupational structures including walls. These multifaceted features indicated the presence of a seasonally settled community at the site despite the social change due to aridification on a regional scale. The archaeological evidence suggests regional aspects in the central interior of south-east Arabia during the Wādī Sūq period, which is represented by the continued but downscaled population and activities at Bāt.
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