Architecture, social relations, and trade at mountain settlements in Iron Age Oman

Authors

Keywords:

domestic architecture, settlement archaeology, Iron Age, landscape archaeology, Oman

Abstract

In 2023, a primary goal of the Archaeological Water Histories of Oman (ArWHO) Project fieldwork involved intensive mapping of architecture at sites near Yanqul, Oman to gain a better understanding of social relations during the Iron Age (1300–300 BC) in south-east Arabia. Small settlements (less than 2 ha) proliferated in remote mountainous areas during the Iron Age, reflecting broader changes in social organization. How were mountain communities organized, and what was their larger role in Iron Age societies that were engaged in wide-reaching networks producing and trading copper and softstone? Through mapping of architecture, surface collections, and test excavation, our ongoing research examines how small communities in the mountains and piedmonts were socially configured. Here we report on three of the four sites studied in early 2023: ʿAqīr al‑Shamūs, Ḥayy Ukur, and al-ʿAqar. Mapping of the fourth site, Raki 2, relies on alternative methods that are still being processed and will be reported in detail elsewhere. Our work has begun evaluating differences in the size, shape, abundance, and construction of architecture and surrounding water management and field systems. Preliminary results reveal a dense architectural plan with a possible public building at al-ʿAqar and broad similarities in architectural plans between ʿAqīr al-Shamūs, a specialized softstone production site, and Ḥayy Ukur, which lacks evidence of specialized production, suggesting autonomy as a likely social driver of the Iron Age settlement pattern.

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Published

11/06/2024

How to Cite

Paulsen, P., Zaribaf, A., Lehner, J., David-Cuny, H., Dumitru, I., Nathan, S., … Harrower, M. (2024). Architecture, social relations, and trade at mountain settlements in Iron Age Oman. Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies, 53, 194–210. Retrieved from https://archaeopresspublishing.com/ojs/index.php/PSAS/article/view/2243

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