Pottery from al-Zubārah, Qatar: reference collection and ware typology

Abstract

Between 2009 and 2014, archaeological excavations at al-Zubārah, Qatar, uncovered a large late Islamic pottery assemblage, of which 68,000 sherds were fully recorded and studied. The analysis of the al-Zubārah ceramic assemblage offered an insight into the social, cultural, and economic structure of this eighteenth- to nineteenth-century pearl-trading centre, and enabled a reconstruction of the widespread trading and cultural links of the once prosperous town. Six phases of occupation were recorded from the stratigraphic sequence, covering a historical span of a maximum 140 years.