Seminar for Arabian Studies

Abstracts - 2005 Seminar

The 2005 Seminar for Arabian Studies was held held from Thursday 21 July - Saturday 23 July, 2005 , at the British Museum , London, U.K.

This event was supported by the MBI Foundation . Visit their website at: www.mbifoundation.com and read details about their sponsorship at http://www.mbifoundation.com/projects/seminar.html



All lectures were held in the Stevenson Auditorium in the Clore Centre within the British Museum. Click here to view the timetable for the 2005 Seminar.

All the abstracts below are for papers which were orally presented at the Seminar, except where otherwise stated.

9:40 -

Caroline DAVIES
University of Missouri-Kansas City , USA
Short biography
Caroline Davies is a geomorphologist with a PhD from Arizona State University. She teaches in the department of Geosciences at University of Missouri, Kansas City, and has considerable experience on the analysis of ancient lake deposits from Jordan and Yemen.

Adrian PARKER
Oxford Brookes University , UK
Short biography
Dr. Adrian G. Parker has been working in southeast Arabia for a number of years on palaeo lake deposits and dunes in establishing a framework of environmental change against which the archaeology of the region can be set. He has also worked on plant macrofossil and phytolith records from archaeological sites in the region.

Tony WILKINSON*
University of Edinburgh , UK
Short biography
T.J. Wilkinson is an archaeologist and landscape archaeologist at the University of Edinburgh, where he teaches Near Eastern Archaeology. Since 1994 he has been director of the Dhamar Project, which is investigating long term archaeological and landscape history of the Yemen plateau.

Abstract

THE EARLY-MID HOLOCENE MOIST PERIOD IN ARABIA: SOME RECENT EVIDENCE FROM LACUSTRINE SEQUENCES IN EASTERN AND SOUTH-WESTERN ARABIA

It is now well known that during the early and mid-Holocene much of the Arabian peninsula was significantly moister than it is today. In recent years a number of new sedimentary sequences from relict lakebeds have brought to light much new information on this period. These strengthen the original observations and also provide details that demonstrate that there was significant variation in this wet period, both in time and space, due to variations in local geography as well as global patterns of circulation. This paper builds upon recent fieldwork and analyses conducted by the authors in the Awafi area of Ras al-Khaimah, UAE, and the Dhamar area in Yemen. The 3.3m lake sequence from Awafi demonstrates the existence of lakes from 8500 BP until around 4100 BP, whereas several relict lakes in the Yemen highlands shows that moist conditions were in place from 10, 000 BP until at least 6800 BP, and perhaps as late as 3850 BP. Clearly such a moist interval is relevant to the patterns of exploitation of Neolithic communities and the paper will make some preliminary suggestions as to how this might have influenced patterns of settlement and land use.

10:05 -

Rémy CRASSARD*
Short biography
PhD candidate, CEFAS , Sana'a, Yemen & CNRS UMR 7041 ArScAn , Nanterre, France
Rémy Crassard is a PhD candidate in prehistory at Paris University, La Sorbonne, attached to UMR 7041, CNRS in France. He has now a grant at the French Centre for Archaeology and Social Sciences in Sana'a (CEFAS, Yemen). He works on Yemen's prehistory, with a special interest in lithic technology.

Joy McCORRISTON
Department of Anthropology , Ohio State University, USA
Short biography
Dr. McCorriston researches agricultural origins and development and paleoenvironmental conditions in the ancient Near East. Dr. Joy McCorriston and Eric Oches are co-directors of the RASA project in Hadramawt, Yemen.

Eric OCHES
Department of Geology , University of South Florida, USA
Short biography
Dr. Erich Oches and Dr Joy McCorriston are co-directors of the RASA project in Hadramawt, Yemen.

Julien ESPAGNE
University of Provence , Marseille, France
Short biography
Julien Espagne is a PhD candidate in prehistory at the University of Provence.

Mohammad SINNAH
University of Sana'a , Yemen
Short biography
Mohammad Sinnah is a Master student in prehistory at the University of Sana'a.

Abstract

MANAYZEH, AN EARLY TO MID-HOLOCENE OCCUPATION IN WADI SANA (HADRAMAWT, YEMEN)

Discovered during the 2004 campaign of the RASA project, Manayzeh is an exceptional Early to Mid-Holocene site in the province of Hadramawt, Yemen. Lithic industries are widely diversified with worked obsidian, bifacial arrowheads and numerous other tool types. For the first time in the Arabian peninsula, the 'fluting' technique appears in stratigraphy and is now well dated by radiocarbon to the 7th millennium BP. In addition to an exceptional corpus of stone tools, this site revealed a large amount of animal bones, activity areas and dwelling areas preserved under silt deposits, as well as elements of stone and shell jewellery.
The campaign carried out in the 2005 winter season which included an open area excavation has added much archaeological data in the form of bone identification, spatial analysis and precise lithic expertise which focused on debitage modalities and tool shaping. The study of features (hearths, pits, postholes…) has give us a first insight into the social organization of Mid-Holocene populations in Hadramawt. This prehistoric dwelling site is the first of its kind in terms of quality, diversity and the quantity of artefacts in Yemen. It is also one of the first known site with associated bones and lithic. This association is a crucial step towards redefining the "Neolithic" period in South Arabia.

10:30 -

Lamya KHALIDI
Department of Archaeology , University of Cambridge, UK
Short biography
Lamya Khalidi is a third year Ph.D. student in the Department of Archaeology at Cambridge University. Her dissertation focuses on prehistoric to transitional South Arabian settlement pattern in Yemen. Lamya Khalidi received a B.F.A with a minor in archaeology from the University of Michigan and an M.Phil in archaeology from Cambridge University. Since 1994 she has assisted in excavations in Beirut, Lebanon and Petra, Jordan and spent two years excavating and surveying in the northern Jezira, Syria on the sites of Tel Chagar Bazar and Tel Hamoukar. In 2001, she joined the Dhamar Survey Project in Yemen and conducted excavations and survey. Since, she has directed two survey projects in Hazm al Udayn and the Tihamah coastal plain, Yemen, as well as a reconnaissance mission in Eritrea.

Abstract

THE CULTURAL LANDSCAPE OF LATE PREHISTORIC SETTLEMENTS IN THE TIHAMAH COASTAL PLAIN (YEMEN): RESULTS OF THE TIHAMAH COASTAL SURVEY 2003 AND THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT SURVEYS OF THE MIDI-HODEIDAH-KHAWKHAH COASTAL ROAD 2003-2004

Intensive and extensive archaeological surveys conducted along the Yemeni Tihamah coastal plain, have elucidated a number of dramatic transformations in prehistoric patterns of settlement. In most cases these shifts in settlement placement, size and configuration are contemporaneous with micro- and macro-regional material cultural paradigm shifts. Although a comprehensive chronology for the Tihamah is still lacking, more detailed analysis of the results of these surveys and their comparison to dated excavated sites in the region, has exposed a trend in increased settlement size and an alteration of the cultural landscape from the third to the beginning of the first millennium BC on the Red Sea coastal plain. This trend has made it possible to identify sites of this period and to isolate and track the development of certain lithic technologies and ceramic types more confidently. This paper will discuss these later prehistoric settlements in relation to their landscape and material cultural associations, and the implications this has for inter and intra regional culture contact during the later prehistoric period in the Tihamah coastal plain.

10:55 -

Margareta TENGBERG
- Panthéon-Sorbonne, France
Short biography
Dr Margareta Tengberg is a lecturer in Archaeobotany at the University of Paris I-Panthéon-Sorbonne, France. Her field of research concerns the vegetation history and the evolution of plant economies in the Middle East (Eastern Arabia, Iran, Pakistan) and in southern Central Asia.

Abstract

WOOD EXPLOITATION AND DEGRADATION OF THE VEGETATION COVER IN EASTERN ARABIA FROM THE BRONZE AGE UNTIL EARLY ISLAMIC TIMES

The paper will use the results of the charcoal analyses carried out at several archaeological sites located in the Oman peninsula (Kalba, Hili 8, Tell Abraq, Mleiha, Muweilah, Kush) and in Bahrain (Qal`at al-Bahrain) in order to discuss various aspects of wood exploitation and vegetation change from the Bronze Age until early Islamic times. The data obtained at these sites show indications of an early degradation of the vegetation cover. Most obvious in the charcoal record is the impoverishment of the flora with the regression and disappearance of certain species. Other indications might be the shifting of areas for fuel wood collection as well as the increase of species characteristic of disturbed conditions. Particular attention will be drawn to the degradation of mangrove woodlands along the Arabian Gulf coast and to the regression of open thorn woodlands in the interior of the Oman peninsula. The role played by human activities, such as woodcutting and herding, versus climatic change will be discussed in the light of recent palaeoenvironmental data.

SESSION II: Early man and environment in the Gulf

11:50 -

Tara STEIMER-HERBET
Institut Français du Proche-Orient , Damascus, Syria
Short biography
Doctor in archaeology from Paris University (Paris I), Tara Steimer-Herbet is a researcher in the French archaeological institute in Damascus (IFPO-Syria). She studies the pastoral's remains in south Syria and north Jordan during the 3rd and the 4th millennium BC.

Abstract

STUDIES ON THE DISTRIBUTION AND ORGANISATION OF PASTORAL'S REMAINS DURING THE THIRD MILLENNIUM BC IN WADI WA'SHAH (HADRAMAWT-YEMEN)

Wadi Wa'shah offers for the first time in Bronze Age studies the possibility to link funerary practices and settlements in south Arabia. From 1999 to 2004 a French archaeological team did a survey of this wadi (Hadramawt Yemen) focusing on pastoral remains. Using GIS and a typology of these monuments the team discovered some 82 groups of graves and 19 groups of houses over a 18 km area showing a strong occupation during the third millennium BC. The funerary monuments are contemporary to the high circular tower tombs excavated in Jabal Ruwayk and Jabal Jidran in 1999 and 2000 (Ramlat as Sab'attayn). If these excavations gave a lot of information on funerary practices no settlement was found next to these huge cemeteries. The study of Wadi Wa'shah settlements structures represent a rare source of data to complete our knowledge of semi pastoral population in south Arabia.

12:15 -

Roland de BEAUCLAIR
Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte und Archäologie des Mittelalters , Abteilung Ältere Urgeschichte und Quartärökologie , Universität Tübingen, Germany
Short biography
I'm a student of prehistoric archaeology, physical anthropology and political science at the University of Tuebingen, Germany. I have also spent one academic term at the Université Laval in Québec City, Canada. The presentation to be given covers some results of my Magister thesis.

Abstract

NEW RESULTS ON THE NEOLITHIC JEWELLERY FROM AL-BUHAIS 18, (UNITED ARAB EMIRATES)

From 1996 to 2004, excavations at the Neolithic graveyard of al-Buhais 18 (Sharjah, U.A.E.) under the direction of Prof. Dr. Dr. Hans-Peter Uerpmann (University of Tübingen, Germany), have yielded more than 24,000 ornamental objects, many of marine origin. Their detailed analysis not only gives an insight into the shell and stone bead industry during the fifth millennium B.C., but also testifies to the great importance of the sea and its resources for this desert nomad population.
Furthermore, the wealth of material makes it possible to reconstruct some of the cultural rules and preferences governing the production or selection of beads and resulting in a rather standardized inventory. Specific uses of the different types of beads and pierced snail shells for various types of jewellery such as necklaces, headbands, bracelets and decorated loincloths or belts are identified, hinting to the value attribution in use.
Thanks to the exceptional in situ find situation in burial contexts, it can even be demonstrated that specific rules concerning the way jewellery was worn applied to different sub-groups of the population, thus shedding some light on its social organization.

12:40 -

Sophie MÉRY
CNRS - UMR7041 ArScan , Maison de l'Archéologie et de l'Ethnologie, France
Short biography
Sophie Méry is an archaeologist at the CNRS (MSH-Nanterre, France). Her PhD was on pottery production in the UAE and the Sultanate of Oman and was published in 2000. She is the Director of the French archaeological in the UAE, which regroups 3 different teams, and she conducts excavations at Hili together with Dr Walid Yasin al-Tikriti.

Walid Yasin Al-TIKRITI
Department of Antiquities and Tourism , Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Short biography
Walid Yasin al-Tikriti is an Archaeological Advisor at the Department of Antiquities and Museums in Al Ain and he has conducted numerous excavations in the Eastern Province of Abu Dhabi and other regions of the UAE. His PhD was completed at the University of Cambridge in 1982 on the Early Bronze Age in the United Arab Emirates. In 2002 he published a book on UAE Aflaj.

Julio BENDEZU-SARMIENTO
Short biography
Julio Bendezu-Sarmiento is a funerary anthropologist. He completed his PhD in 2004 at the Sorbonne University on Bronze Age Central Asian and joined the Hili field team in 2005. He supervised the excavation of the bone deposits this year.

Kathleen McSWEENEY
Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
Short biography
Kathleen McSweeney is a bone archaeologist and lecturer at the University of Edinburgh. She completed her PhD in 2003 at this University on the study of the bones excavated at Hili N by the Department of Antiquities in Al Ain. Since 1998, she is a regular member of the French field team at Hili and is responsible for the anthropological studies.

Abstract

ABOUT RELATIVE CHRONOLOGY OF THE UMM AN-NAR PERIOD IN THE EASTERN PROVINCE OF ABU DHABI EMIRATE.

Excavations at Hili N pit-grave and a new study of the 12 monumental circular graves at Hili by a joint Franco-Emirati team has provided new information on the relative chronology of the Umm an-Nar period in the Eastern Province of Abu Dhabi Emirate. Together with geo-archaeological studies, the manufacture of the stones used in the building of the Hili tombs was documented by stonemasons CNRS specialists. Every monument was found to be different in the type of stone used and construction and we could determine a sequence according to the techniques. The most elaborate monuments (such as Hili 1059) would have needed highly-skilled specialists and date to a recent phase of the Umm an-Nar period in the Eastern Region, but not the final one. The deposits found in the bottom of the pit-grave date to this penultimate phase. Imported pottery and objects from the Indus valley, Makran and Afghanistan were mainly found in association with the basal level, together with elaborate local pottery. In the upper levels, the pottery and other types of local and imported artefacts show an evolution which is indicative of socio-economic change. For example, the potter's wheel goes out of use locally.

SESSION III: Archaeology of Arabia

14:20 -

Arnulf HAUSLEITER
Deutsches Archäologisches Institut , Berlin, Germany
Short biography
Arnulf Hausleiter is co-directing field-work of the Saudi-German archaeological joint project in Tayma. He has been working at excavations and surveys in various countries of the Middle East and held positions at the universities of Berlin, Copenhagen and Vienna.

Abstract

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS AT TAYMA (SAUDI ARABIA)

Since 2004 a Saudi-German archaeological joint project conducts archaeological excavations at the site of Tayma, North-West Arabia. The site is known as oasis, as trading post of the incense road and as residence of the last Babylonian king Nabonidus (556-539 BC) who stayed at the site for ten years. The systematic archaeological investigation is aimed at (i) the study of environmental, topographical and archaeological data, (ii) the study of society, economy and subsistence strategies and, (iii) political and cultural relations to adjacent areas. Since Tayma has been mainly studied from a "foreign" perspective it seems important to develop a local and regional approach. This may have impact on our view on the natural and cultural landscapes in general and on the material culture of the site in particular.
Excavations in the central area of the site (Qraya) revealed substantial building remains and a moat at the inner wall. Traces of domestic architecture were studied as well. A graveyard SE of the site was object of rescue excavations. The discovered contexts from the central area of Tayma contain material remains of the élite culture with parallels to sites in the region and to 1st millennium Mesopotamia. However, first results of scientific dating methods suggest that Tayma was already a substantial settlement during the 2nd millennium BC.

14:45 -

Daifallah al-TALHI
Director General, Research & Survey Center, Ministry of Antiquities & Museums, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

RECENT EXCAVATIONS AT MADA'IN SALIH (SAUDI ARABIA)

The fifth excavation season at Mada'in Salih conducted in 2003 provided tantalizing information on the social and cultural life of Nabataens. For the first time, since the starting of the excavations in 1986, a paved courtyard was found with column bases. It is reached by three stone steps beside them a Latin inscription was discovered.
The Inscription is one of the rare complete inscriptions from the time of Caesar Marcus Aurelius (161-180 A.D.) which are so far found in Arabia. The inscription provided valuable information about the political status in Hegra, and mentions various names of some officials who influenced the political life in the town. It also shed light on the social life, and unity of the people of Hegra at the last quarter of the second century AD.
The paper includes a discussion on the excavation and building techniques as well as the artifacts with special attention to the Latin inscription.

15:10 -

Jamal Saad OMAR
King Saud University , Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Short biography
Field director of excavations, King Saud University mission at Al-Khuraybah (Saudi Arabia) 2004-2005; Member of the International Institute for Mesopotamian Area Studies excavations and research project at Mozan / Urkesh (Syria) since 1995.

Abstract

RECENT EXCAVATIONS AT KHURAYBAH - THE ANCIENT CITY OF DEDAN, SAUDI ARABIA

The main purpose of the recent excavation conducted by KSU at Al-Khuraybah are 1.To establish the general chronology of the site-Al-Khuraybah, 2.To examine the previous philological suppositions in regard to the Minaean, Dedanite, and Lehyanite occupations of Al-Khuraybah, 3.To determine the political specifications of the people, kingdom, region, and/or city of Dedan.
Our recording system aims to establish the diachronic and synchronic relationships between the elements of this site (such as architectural features, accumulations, depositions, etc) and between components of assembled aggregates. Relationships are established by giving special emphasis to diachronic and synchronic recordings of allotted aggregates and recordings of the types of contacts between elements. These types of relations are then assembled into a Harris Matrix resulting in the assignment of tell-formation sub-phases, which presumably contain the same cultural materials. The occupational level then determines the grouping of these sub-phases into main phases. On the other hand, a site-abandonment sub-phase marks a break in the cultural tradition- phase(s) are then assigned into separate strata.
Depositional history analyses of the site produced a stratigraphic sequence that has revealed three distinguished stratas, each of which is made up of one ore more phases for a total of four assigned phases (each highlighted by an occupational level). However, in tell-formation terms the site has gone trough eleven sub-phases.
In spite of the new discoveries from our recent excavations, we have to stress that our excavations are still at their preliminary stage and their results are tentative. Typological and stratigraphic analyses as well as classifications of the findings are underway.

16:05 -

Søren FREDSLUND ANDERSEN
Department of Classical Archaeology , University of Aarhus , Denmark
Short Biography
Søren Fredslund Andersen has been a Ph.D. student at the Department of Classical Archaeology, University of Aarhus, Denmark for the last two and a half years, working on burials in Bahrain from the period from Alexander the Great to the coming of Islam. Previously he did his master thesis analysing ceramics from the Danish excavations of the settlement at Qala'at al-Bahrain.

Abstract

THE TYLOS BURIALS (BAHRAIN)

Over the last 35 years the Department of Antiquities and National Heritage in Bahrain has excavated c. 150 burial mounds from the so-called 'Tylos Period' (300 BC to 600 AD) as rescue excavations. Due to the close relations between Bahrain and the Moesgård Museum and the Department of Classical Archaeology, University of Aarhus, Denmark, a joint project was initiated in 2002 with the aim to use this data to throw light on the period in question.
The first stage of the project is now coming to an end and it is thus time to present some of the results achieved. The primary objective has been to establish a chronological system for the graves and the grave goods. Since pottery and glass vessels are the most common grave goods, they were chosen to be the backbone of the system. By seriating graves combining more than one type of vessels, the material has been subdivided into five phases covering the period from c. 200 BC until c. 600 AD.
The sequence illustrates continuity during the first three phases, from c. 200 BC until c. 200 AD, with an increased number of East Roman glass-vessels in Phase III. During the second or third century AD significant changes in the inventory occurs and the number of vessels placed in the graves decreased. Being able to date the graves, it has also been possible to describe the development of the graveyards, where a slow change from individual monuments to communal can be attested. Finally the burials in Bahrain can now partly be placed in a regional context, where similarities with burials in Eastern Arabia could indicate an affiliation with Arabian tribes known from texts and coinage in the period c. 200 BC to c. 200 AD whereas the later periods still lack comparable material.

16:30 -

Mounir ARBACH
Short biography
Mounir Arbach is an epigrapher at the CNRS, working at the CEFAS (French Centre of Archaeological Studies and Social Sciences) in Sana'a . He specialises in South Arabian inscriptions and collaborates with several projects in Yemen (Qatabân, Jawf-Hadramawt, Tamna', Barâqish). Since 2004 he has been the director of the French Expedition in as-Sawdâ'.

Anne BENOIST
CNRS-MOM , Lyons, France.
Short biography
Anne Benoist is an archaeologist at the CNRS in Archéorient team of the Maison de l'Orient in Lyons. She is working on the pre-Islamic societies of Arabia. After many years spent on projects in the United Arab Emirates (Mleiha, al-Madam, Rumeilah, Bithnah) she is now also working in the Yemen where she is in charge of the excavations at the site of Makaynûn in the Hadramaut (Jawf-Hadramaut Archaeological Expedition).

Vincent BERNARD
Short biography
Vincent Bernard is an archaeologist, illustrator and topographer who has been working for twenty years on French excavations in the East: in Pakistan (with M. Kervran), in Bahrain (with P. Lombard), in the United Arab Emirates (with M. Mouton and A. Benoist), in Yemen (with A. Rougeulle and M. Mouton), and in Vietnam (with P.-Y. Manguin).

Michel MOUTON
CNRS- Institut Français du Proche-Orient , Damascus, Syria
Short biography
Michel Mouton is an archaeologist at the CNRS. A former director of the French Archaeological Expedition to Sharjah (Mleiha, al-Madam), and a former Secretary General of the Institut Français d'Archéologie du Proche Orient, he is currently working at the Institute and is the director of the French Archaeological Expedition in the Jawf-Hadramawt.

Jérémie SCHIETTECATTE*
Université de Paris 1 - CEFAS, Sana'a
Short biography
Jérémie Schiettecatte is a PhD student in archaeology at the Sorbonne University in Paris, and a grant holder of the ministry of Research in the French archaeological centre in Sana'a (CEFAS). He focuses on towns and the urbanisation of pre-islamic Yemen. He joined several French archaeological missions in Yemen (supervised by M. Mouton; Ch. Robin; A. Rougeulle; M. Arbach) and the Italian mission in Tamna', supervised by A. de Maigret.

Abstract

NEW INVESTIGATIONS AT THE PRE-ISLAMIC SITE OF MAKAYNÛN (YEMEN)

Two campaigns of excavation were carried out at the pre-Islamic site of Makaynûn (Yemen - central Hadramawt) in 2003-2004 by the French Archaeological Mission in the Jawf-Hadramawt. The aim of the mission is to study the evolution of an urban site in the oriental Hadramawt, Makaynun, and its surrounding territory.
The chronology of the site has been established through studying ceramics and artefacts, and strengthened by radiocarbon dating. It covers the whole first Millennium BC.
A survey of the neighbourhood as yielded some clues on the way the inhabitants managed their own land.
In this lecture, the site of Makaynûn will be set back in its historical and environmental context. We will try to check the archaeological and epigraphical data against the geomorphological one in order to paint a picture of this site and of the settlement pattern in its neighbourhood.

16:55 -

Yosef TOBI
Hebrew & Comparative Literature , University of Haifa , Israel & Jewish Theological Seminary, New York, USA
Short biography
Fields of research: Hebrew medieval poetry compared with Arabic poetry; Jews of Yemen; medieval and modern Judaeo-Arabic and its literature. Recent publications: The Jews of Yemen (Brill 1999); Judaeo-Arabic Literature in Tunisia (1850-1950) (with Tsivia Tobi. Tel Aviv 2000. Hebrew); Proximity and Distance ¨C Medieval and Arabic Poetry (Brill 2004)

Abstract

ISRAEL SUBAYRI COLLECTION OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ETHNOGRAPHIC OBJECTS FROM YEMEN

Israel Subayri, a Jew born in San'a in the first decade of the 20th century, was one of the central businessmen who dealt in import-export in Yemen during the 1930s and 1940s. Moreover, it seems that he was one of the few people in Yemen, if not the most active, who partook in importing arms from Europe for the army of Imam Yahya, who strove to build a modern, effective army to face the modern Saudi and British troops. About this occupation of Subayri, the present author wrote his Hebrew book, published in 2002 (A German edition is being prepared).
But what might be more important is Subayri contribution to the research on Yemen. During the 1920s and 30s he ran the only European-style hotel in San'a, because of which he became 'a person of the wide world' and a very close friend of European scholars and travellers who visited Yemen. Among his intimate European friends was the German scholar Carl Rathjens, whom he helped in the latter's travels in Yemen and with whom he kept in touch for many years. Subayri, about whom Imam Yahya said, he was the only person who did not try to deceive him, was the only person in Imam Yahya who was authorized to trade with archaeological and ethnographic objects of Yemen. Actually, he was the main supplier of Rathjens, whose collection is kept in Munich, Germany. But here comes the big story. Carleton S. Coon, the renowned American anthropologist, visited Yemen in 1926, accompanied by young Subayri. After Coon returned to USA Subayri used to send him archaeological and ethnographic objects, a quite large part of them pre-Islamic, all together about 350 items. Amazingly, this collection is not mentioned by any of the scholars. The paper, then, will focus on the this collection, how it was built and its importance, in order to bring it to the knowledge of the academic community searching the history and culture of ancient Yemen.

FRIDAY 22 JULY 2005
A celebration of A.F.L. Beeston (1911-1995)

9:45 -

Julia BRAY
Université de Paris VIII - Saint Denis, France & Oriental Institute, Oxford , UK
Short biography
Dr Julia Bray was taught Arabic and medieval Arabic literature by Freddie Beeston as an undergraduate, Oxford 1971-4; thesis on medieval Arabic poetic criticism supervised by AFLB; have taught at Oxford, Manchester, Edinburgh and St Andrews, and most recently at Paris 8 - Saint Denis and Sorbonne - Paris 4.

A REMINISCENCE OF FREDDIE BEESTON

SESSION I: Arabic Literature

9:50 -

Geert Jan VAN GELDER
Oriental Institute, Oxford , UK
Short biography
Geert Jan van Gelder was born 1947 in Amsterdam. He studied Semitic Languages at the Universities of Amsterdam and Leiden (Arabic as main language), obtaining his doctorate at Leiden University in 1982. He was employed as librarian, Institute of Modern Middle Eastern Studies, Amsterdam, 1973-1975, as lecturer in Arabic, University of Groningen, 1975-1998, and as Laudian Professor of Arabic, University of Oxford, since 1998. He has published many articles and several books on classical Arabic literature, including Beyond the Line: Classical Arabic Literary Critics on the Coherence and Unity of the Poem (1982), The Bad and the Ugly: Attitudes Towards Invective Poetry (Hija') in Classical Arabic Literature (1988), Een Arabische tuin [An Arabic Garden (anthology of classical Arabic verse in Dutch translations)] (2000), Of Dishes and Discourse: Classical Arabic Literary Representations of Food (200), and Close Relationships: Incest and Inbreeding in Classical Arabic Literature (2005). He has been executive editor of Middle Eastern Literatures since 2000.

Abstract

AN EXPERIMENT WITH BEESTON, LABID, AND BASHSHAR: ON TRANSLATING CLASSICAL ARABIC VERSE

Taking Beeston's article 'An Experiment with Labid' as a starting-point, my paper will deal with the ways he and others have translated classical Arabic poetry. Beeston's 'experiment' is primarily a linguistic one, but since he expresses the hope that his version will be "attractive" to the English reader is it clear that he did not merely intend to produce a crib. In subsequent translations published by him, such as his selection of poems by Bashshar ibn Burd, he seems to have abandoned both his linguistic experiment and his attempts at making literary translations.
This, it will be argued, is a pity. Even in anthologies intended for students of Arabic one ought to translate poetry as poetry, for what else is the point of turning to poetry?-unless, of course, one considers poetry merely as a source (a rather dubious one) of linguistic data, or a source (a rather unrewarding one) for historical facts. I shall review some ways in which Arabic verse has been rendered into English. I shall even, presumptuously for an immigrant whose native tongue is not English, try my hand at some poems translated by Beeston (though not the complete Mu'allaqa by Labid).

10:35 -

James MONTGOMERY
Faculty of Oriental Studies, Cambridge , UK
Short biography
JE Montgomery is Reader in Classical Arabic at the University of Cambridge and Fellow in Oriental Studies at Trinity Hall. He has published on Classical Arabic Poetry, the Vikings in Arabic sources (in particular Ibn Fadlan), and al-Jahiz in the context of Ninth Century 'Abbasid' intellectual systems. He is currently struggling to write two books on al-Jahiz but the great man is proving deceptively elusive.

Abstract

AL-JAHIZ AND HELLENIZING PHILOSOPHY

Abu 'Uthman' Amr ibn Bahr al-Jahiz (d. 868/9) was a Ninth Century speculative theologian (mutakallim) who was a vigorous promoter of the doctrines of the then newly emerging Mu'tazila, a disparate group of intellectuals who prioritised the absolute unicity of Allah (tawhid) and a deep and unqualified emphasis on man's moral responsibility (taklif), for the complete realisation of which man had been provided by Allah with both 'reasoning intellect' ('aql) and 'choice' (ikhtiyar). Al-Jahiz is more renowned as a stylist and portait-painter of life than as a mutakallim, and it was his Essays which Freddie Beeston saw as the essence of al-Jahiz's artistic achievement and which he did so much to make available to students. This paper will aspire to consider al-Jahiz's most perplexing essay, the Kitab al-Tarbi' wa-l-Tadwir (The Treatise on the Solid and the Rotund).

11:35 -

Clive HOLES
Oriental Institute, Oxford , UK
Short biography
Clive Holes was educated at the University of Cambridge, where he did a BA in Arabic & Turkish (1969, MA 1973) and a PhD in Arabic Linguistics (1981). He also holds an MA in English language from the University of Birmingham (1972). On graduation from Cambridge, he taught English for two years in government schools in Bahrain, and then worked for 12 years for the British Council, in postings to Kuwait, Algeria, Iraq and Thailand, taking extended leave to do an SSRC-funded post-experience PhD on social change and language change in Bahrain, 1976-9. In 1983 he was appointed Lecturer in Arabic and Applied Linguistics at Salford University, and in 1985-7 seconded to Sultan Qaboos University, Oman, as Director of its Language Centre. He returned to Trinity Hall, Cambridge in 1987 as Lecturer in Islamic Studies, and became Reader in Arabic in 1996, before moving to his present position, Khalid bin Abdallah Al-Sa'ud Professor for the Study of the Contemporary Arab World, University of Oxford, in 1997. He was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 2002. Prof Holes has published widely on the Arabic language, and especially on the dialects, popular literature, and culture of the Arabian Gulf. He has just published Dialect, Culture and Society in Eastern Arabia Volume II: Ethnographic Texts (Leiden, Brill), Volume I: Glossary having appeared in 2001. The third and final volume in the series, a detailed grammatical description of the eastern Arabian dialects in their historical and geographical context, will be published in 2007.

Abstract

THE ARABIC DIALECTS OF ARABIA

The Arabic dialects of Arabia are frequently described as 'conservative' compared to those of other Arabic-speaking areas outside Arabia, if Classical Arabic is taken as the yardstick of comparison. In what senses is this true, and if so, how and why? The disposition of modern dialectal forms in Arabia suggests that there have long been two basic types of Arabic dialect in competition, those of the periphery and those of the centre, and that those of the periphery which were once much more geographically extensive than they now are, have been subject to repeated pulses of migration from the centre, resulting in their recession and loss, as is also the case with the so-called Modern South Arabian languages. There is evidence to suggest that the Arabic dialects on the periphery of the peninsula are ancient, and show traces of linguistic substrata, both lexical and structural, which have survived from other Semitic languages once in use there.

12:20 -

Bonnie Glover STALLS
Department of Linguistics , University of Southern California , Los Angeles, USA
Short biography
Bonnie Glover Stalls is Adjunct Associate Professor in Linguistics at the University of Southern California and Coordinator of the Master's Program in Computational Linguistics, USC. She is a specialist in the dialect of Muscat, Oman (on which she gained her Phd), and surveyed the language of Jabal Razih in 1979.

Khalid al-RAZIHI
Sa'dah, Yemen
Short biography
Khalid Abdo al-Razihi has an MA from SOAS in Arabic-English translation. He is a native speaker of Razihi, and has worked extensively with Shelagh Weir as a research assistant both in Yemen and the UK.

Janet WATSON*
University of Oslo , Norway and Durham, UK
Short biography
Janet C. E. Watson is Associate Professor in Arabic at the University of Oslo. She specialises in Yemeni dialects (on which she gained her PhD), and is author of several books on Arabic and on the dialect of Sana'a.

Shelagh WEIR
Research Associate, Department of Anthropology and Sociology , SOAS , London, UK
Short biography
Shelagh Weir is Research Associate in the Department of Anthropology, SOAS. Until 1998 she was Curator for the Middle East at the Museum of Mankind, British Museum, for whom she conducted 18 months' anthropological fieldwork in Jabal Razih in 1977, 1979-80 and 1993. She was awarded her PhD from the University of London in 2004.

Abstract

RAZIHI: A YEMENI ARABIC DIALECT OR A SEPARATE LANGUAGE?

Several Arabists and epigraphers (including Beeston, Behnstedt, al-Iriani, Rossi, Watson) have noted the persistence of Ancient South Arabian (ASA) morphological and lexical features in extant Yemeni dialects. However, Semiticists have generally assumed that, with the exception of Modern South Arabian, Arabic entirely displaced indigenous ASA languages. On the basis of preliminary findings from Jabal Razih, a remote massif in north-west Yemen which had only limited contact with other regions until the 1970s, we question this assumption.
Data in Behnstedt (1985, 1987) show Razihi to be an isolate in Yemen; its uniqueness is confirmed by its incomprehensibility to other Yemenis, by the absence of numerous Razihi words in specialized dictionaries of Yemeni Arabic (Landberg, Piamenta, Behnstedt, al-Iriani), and by oral and written materials collected in Razih by Bonnie Glover Stalls and Shelagh Weir during the late 1970s.
An examination of these materials shows that Razihi a) contains substantial ASA relics and b) has developed interesting grammatical innovations, many of which are unattested in other researched dialects of Arabic. Our hypothesis is that, rather than being an Arabic dialect with an ASA substrate, Razihi could be a survival of ASA with an Arabic adstrate.

13.45 -

Christian ROBIN
Laboratoire des études sémitiques anciennes, Paris , France

L'INSTITUTION MONARCHIQUE EN ARABIE DU SUD ANTIQUE: LES CONTRIBUTIONS FONDATRICES D'A.F.L. BEESTON RÉEXAMINÉES À LA LUMIÈRE DES DÉCOUVERTES LES PLUS RÉCENTES [KINGSHIP IN ANCIENT SOUTH ARABIA: A.F.L. BEESTON'S SEMINAL WORK IN THE LIGHT OF RECENT DISCOVERIES]

14:30 -

Carl Phillips
UMR 7041 , ArScAn du CNRS, Maison René Ginouvès de l'Archéologie et de l'Ethnologie, France
Short Biography
Carl Phillips studied prehistory at Edinburgh University. He has worked on archaeological projects in most countries of the Near East and particularly in the countries of the Arabian Peninsula. He is currently engaged on projects in the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Between 1990 and 2000 he taught at the Institute of Archaeology (London) and is currently a researcher with CNRS UMR 7041 (Paris).

Abstract

SABAEANS IN TIHAMAH (REVISITED)

Since the publication of Beeston's 'Sabaeans in Tihama' (1995) more epigraphic and archaeological information is now available in order to assess the early Sabaean presence. At al-Hamid the excavations have provided information about the religious and domestic architecture, burial practices and economy of its inhabitants. An inscription found at Waqir also provides some information about the political geography of the Tihamah in the early first millennium BC, and pottery and small finds from both sites have enabled comparisons with other sites throughout South Arabia.
In light of this far more detailed picture, the two hypotheses proposed by Beeston for the early Sabaean presence in Tihama will be re-examined.

14:55 -

Mohammed MARAQTEN
Seminar für Semitistik der Philipps Universität , University of Marburg, Germany

Abstract

LEGAL DOCUMENTS RECENTLY DISCOVERED BY THE AFSM AT MAHRAM BILQIS, NEAR MARIB, YEMEN

The American Foundation for the Study of Man has been excavating at the Sabaean state temple Mahram Bilqis or Awam-temple, near Marib since 1998. Some dozens of Sabaean inscriptions have been discovered and the majority of them are dedicatory inscriptions. However, a little amount of them can be considered as legal documents such as decrees, codes and laws etc. These texts are of great significance since they give us new insights in the social and economic life of the Sabaeans. The purpose of this paper is to give a report about these texts within their archaeological contexts since most of them have been discovered in situ. It aims also to present the nature of these legal texts and to present a typology of them. In addition to penal laws, they include also sacral laws, i.e. structures, rules dealing with cult, pilgrimages or visiting the temple, ritual purity, relationship between worshipers and the divinity etc. One text as an example of these legal documents will be presented and translated.

15:20 -

Sergei FRANTSOUZOFF
Institute of Oriental Studies , Russian Academy of Sciences , St Petersburg, Russia
Short biography
Graduated from the Oriental Faculty of Leningrad University in 1985, Sergey Frantsuzov (Serge Frantsouzoff) maintained his Ph.D. thesis in 1991. Now he is Senior Researcher in the Institute of Oriental Studies (St Petersburg). His research activities are concentrated on: 1. South Arabian Studies; 2. Classical Arab Studies; 3. Ethiopian Studies.

Abstract

A MINAIC INSCRIPTION ON THE PEDESTAL OF AN IBEX STATUE FROM THE BRITISH MUSEUM

Among the unpublished inscriptions of ancient Yemen kept in the collection of the British Museum a short text engraved on the pedestal of an ibex statue, thoroughly cut in limestone, proves to be of considerable value for the study of South Arabian lexicography and religion.
The use of the verb s1brrt as well as the lack of mîmation in 'lb testify that the language of this text is Minaic. However, it contains a reference to the oath of the goddess Athîrat (h;.lf/'TRT) whose name is mentioned very seldom in Minaic inscriptions, but frequently occurs in Qatabanic epigraphic tradition.
From the lexicographical point of view the importance of this text is connected with a new interpretation of s1brr(t) usually attested in asyndetic subordinate clauses after kbd (pl. kbwdt) 'tax, duty'. Its previous translation 'to pay' implied the identification of the subject in those clauses with a worshipper of deity. The context b-kbd/s1brrt demonstrates that in fact this verb means 'to accept, approve' and describes an divine action, since its perfect feminine form obviously relates to Athîrat and not to her devotee who is a man ('MYD'/bn/YT'KRB).

Note: permission for the publication of this inscription was kindly granted to me by Dr. St John Simpson.

16:15 -

Alexander SEDOV
Institute of Oriental Studies , Russian Academy of Sciences , Moscow, Russia
Short biography
Head of the Department of the Ancient East Studies Institute of Oriental Studies Russian Academy of Sciences. Head of the Russian Archaeological Mission to the Republic of Yemen Chief Archaeologist of the Italian Mission to Oman (University of Pisa). Specialist in archaeology, numismatic and ancient history of Southern Arabia.

Abstract

HADRAMAWT COINAGE: ITS SEQUENCE AND CHRONOLOGY

Numismatic studies allow us to establish the typological sequence of the ancient Hadramawt coinage. Several series were determined - from the so-called 'early imitations' (imitations of Athenian tetradrachms) to the issues with 'local' iconography. The sequence and relative chronology of the series is based on typological studies. The absolute chronology of the series could be verified with the help of archaeological studies - the finds of coins in the dated strata of archaeological monuments. The following monuments are of very much importance for such studies: settlements in Raybun oasis and Juja near Shibam (both in the Wadi Hadramawt), Bir Ali settlement (ancient Qana') and the fortress in Khor Rori lagoon (ancient Sumhuram). It seems that first coins in Hadramawt were minted in the mid-4th century BC, while the last series - in the 2nd or early 3rd cent. AD. Probably, in addition to the central mint in Shabwa there are some grounds to speak about local mints (in Qana' and Sumhuram).

16:40 -

Alessandra AVANZINI
Dipartimento del Scienze Storiche del Mondo Antico , Università degli studi di Pisa , Italy
Short Biography
Alessandra Avanzini is a full professor of Semitic Philology at the University of Pisa. She is president of the curriculum for the 'oriental languages and cultures' degree at the University of Pisa. She is director of the Corpus of South Arabian Inscriptions project to produce a complete edition of the Corpus of Ancient South Arabian Inscriptions on-line ( http://csai.humnet.unipi.it ) and on paper (A.Avanzini, Corpus of South Arabian Inscriptions 1-3, Pisa 2004). She has worked in Yemen since 1981 with the archaeological mission of the University of Florence and since 1989 with an Italian-French-Yemenite mission. Since 1996 she has been the director of the 'Italian mission to Oman' (IMTO), for the excavation and restoration of the ancient city of Sumhuram: http://imto.humnet.unipi.it . Since 2004 the IMTO has been excavating the Iron Age site of Salut in Oman. Alessandra is responsible for the organization of the Museum 'Frankincense Trail' in Salalah (Sultanate of Oman); the Museum's opening is foreseen to be in November 2005.

Abstract

SOUTH ARABIAN ONOMASTICS: THE MECHANISM OF SOCIAL INDIVIDUATION

In the field of South Arabian research several collections of onomastics have been published recently. However, studies about the mechanism of social individuation of the individual are much fewer so far.
In the 1978 Beeston wrote a short and basic article about this topic. The increase of the documentation has made clearer some problems pointed out by Beeston.
Some observations on the onomastics of the kings in Qataban are linked with Beeston's studies on the royalty. In particular the name of the king's father is quite interesting from the social point of view.
At last, it is well known that the morphemes of anthroponyms made up of short phrases with suffixed pronouns or prefixes of the causative are in h, also in non-Sabaic languages. Beeston maintains that they can be linked to some kind of Sabaic influence, and provides an interesting socio-linguistic justification. But, in my opinion, all these anthroponyms are not demostrably Sabaic just because of the morpheme h. This onomastics is particularly conservative and contains, in first millennium documentation, attested names formally identical to Amorite names of the third millennium.

17:05 -

Michael ZWETTLER
Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures , Ohio State University , USA
Short biography
B.A. degree (English, Mathematics), University of Notre Dame, 1962;.M.A (Near Eastern Languages--concentrating in Arabic), University of California, Berkeley, 1965; Ph.D. (UC, Berkely), 1972--dissertation (revised and published 1978): The Oral Tradition of Classical Arabic Poetry: Its Character and Implications. Since about 1970, I have been teaching Arabic (mainly classical and medieval), pre- and early Islamic cultural history, the Qur'an, and early Arabic literature) at the Ohio State University. Since the mid-80s, when began as a brief note offering some observations on and possible corrections to then-current scholarship on the Nemara Inscription has become a large-scale project to produce a monographic study of the Inscription--new edition, commentary, and politico-cultural background/contextual essay. The present paper constitutes a 'spin-off' from that project. It is dedicated to the memory of Professor Beeston and has been composed in celebration of his life and his career, and in gratitude for all the help, advice, and encouragement he has offered to me and to so many others.

Abstract

BINDING ON THE CROWN - OR IT'S A LONG WAY FROM THAJ

Near the end of the first line of the famous Nemara Inscription (dated 328 AD and discovered 1902 in the south-eastern Hawran region of Syria) there is a short passage -- indeed, a single brief clause -- both the reading and the interpretation of which have been much disputed since Rene Dussaud first edited and published it in 1902-03. For probably too many years, I have been preparing a monographic study of the Inscription -- involving a somewhat revised reading of the text, a new interpretation, and a historical mise-en-scene -- that seems finally to be approaching its end. It was Professor A.F.L. Beeston who proposed in 1979 an important rereading and reinterpretation of the passage that I found initially very attractive. I visited him in Oxford during the mid- to late 80's of the last century, was received by him most hospitably, and learned much from our unforgettable conversations and intellectual give-and-take at that time. Although I have reached conclusions about the passage that differ from his (and, to my mind, support the original reading of Dussaud), I nevertheless would wish to dedicate this presentation and paper to his memory; for without his stimulus, incisive criticism, and sincere encouragement, my undertaking of the monographic project would have been far less interesting and valuable (though perhaps much easier!). For this clause establishes -- in my opinion (developed in the presentation and the paper), beyond any doubt -- the 'international', or at least inter-state or inter-cultural, significance of the Nemara Inscription; and it strongly supports the long-held, but in recent years much-questioned, position that identifies the king memorialized at Nemara as a loyal vassal of the Sasanian King of Kings Shahpur II -- neither foederatus of Rome nor quasi-independent prince.

17:30 -

Manfred S. KROPP
Orient Institut Beirut in der DGIA, Beirut , Lebanon.
Short biography
Manfred S. Kropp studied Semitic Languages, Islamic Studies and Medieval and Modern History at the University of Heidelberg from 1969-1975. In 1970-71 he followed the courses at the Ecole des Langues Orientales Vivantes (Modern Arabic and Islamic Studies), Université Paris III (Islamic History and Arabic Literature) and the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (Semitic Philology). He submitted his dissertation Die Geschichte der 'reinen Araber' vom Stamme QaÆ"an. Aus dem Kitab Našwat a"-"arab fi tari× âahiliyyat al-ØArab des Ibn-SaØid al-Magribi in 1975. In 1977 he was appointed Assistant Professor for Semitic and Islamic Studies at Heidelberg University. He then specialized in Ethiopian History and Literature (Ethiopian medieval and early modern historiography) and Semitic epigraphy (Southarabian and pre-Islamic Northarabian). In 1990 he got the chair of Semitic languages at the University of Lund (Sweden). Since 1991 he holds the chair of Islamic and Semitic Studies at the Johannes Gutenberg-University a Mainz (Mayence), Germany. Since1999 he is on leave from his university to be director of the Orient-Institut Beirut in der DGIA (German Institute for Oriental Studies). He has published mainly on Ethiopian chronicles and socio-economic history of Ethiopia in the Middle Ages as well as on pre-Islamic Northarabian and Southarabian epigraphy. He is Co-Editor of the Oriens Christianus and on the scientific board for the Journal of Ethiopian Studies and the Journal of Semitic Studies.

Abstract

AN ARAMAISM IN THE INSCRIPTION OF AN-NAMARA: A FURTHER CONTRIBUTION TO ITS INTERPRETATION

The present paper is dedicated in gratitude to Prof. A. F. L. Beeston for his keen attention he lent to my first lecture on the inscription of an-Namara at the meetings of the SAS in Manchester 1994. I could make good use of his additional suggestions for the subsequent publication.
The inscription of an-Namara dating to AD 328 had to cede recently its rank as the eldest written document of a coherent text in Northern Arabic to the inscription of Ayn Abada (En Avdat). This document presents four lines in pure Northarabian, most probably a magic spell, perhaps even in poetic form, and dates to the end of the 2nd, beginning of the 3rd century AD. Nevertheless, the funeral inscription of king Mar al-Qays - possibly not the king of all the Arabs, but the king of all of the ã/garb" (Zwettler) - remains a rare and crucial document to attest the development of North Arabian into a literary language. It still is written in Nabataean script, thus it does not offer evidence for the emergence of a proper Arabic script. But its linguistic form, especially the rhetorically well constructed boast (far) in the last but one line, offers a glimpse of Arabic as an already developed medium of literary and poetic expression, as does already the inscription of Ayn Abada, some 150 years before. In fact the awran, at the edge of which an-Namara is situated Southeast of Damascus, played a great role in the emergence of the Arabs and Arabic in history.
More than 90 scholarly contributions have appeared since its discovery in 1901 yet no commonly accepted reading and interpretation of these 5 lines has come forth.
The paper is not meant as a comprehensive discussion of these readings and translations, but emphasises a linguistic peculiarity of the text: Aramaisms as they are present in the region's Arabic dialects till today. I will focus on a hotly disputed word in line 3 which has been read and translated in widely disparate ways: bayaa - nayala - nabbala etc. accompanied by philologically rather dubious translations and comments. Read as the Aramaic verb yabbl it resolves as a common grammatical construction and offers a plausible translation within the context.

SATURDAY 23 JULY 2005
SESSION I: Archaeological surveys in Oman

9:30 -

Juergen SCHREIBER
Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Berlin , Germany.

Jutta HÄSER*
German Protestant Institute , Amman, Jordan
Short biography
Studied Prehistory, Near Eastern Archaeology and Cruciforms in Göttingen, Aarhus and Berlin. She has a PhD in Prehistory. For six years she worked at the Orient-Department of the German Institute of Archaeology in Berlin with a specialization in Oman. Since April 2004 she has been the Director of the German Protestant Institute in Amman, and has excavated the site of Tell Zera'a in Northern Jordan.

Abstract

'TRANSFORMATION PROCESSES IN OASIS SETTLEMENTS IN OMAN' 2004: ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY AT IZKI AND THE JEBEL AKHDAR

In the context of the German-Omani co-operation project about 'Transformation processes in Oasis settlements in Oman' the third phase of archaeological investigations started in the spring of 2004.
The main activities were concentrated on the large oasis of Izki, located at the southern end of the Sumail-Gap and an important place in Oman's history. So Izki is locally believed to be the oldest town of Oman and is the only place there, which is probably mentioned in sources of the Neo-Assyrian period. More than 1000 archaeological sites/remains were discovered in the course of our survey. Beginning with tombs of the late 4th and early 3rd millennium BC and ending with Late Islamic settlements, most major periods were recorded.
The second part of our work was done on the Saiq-plateau at the central massif of Jebel Akhdar. Complementary to the activities of the agriculturists of our project in this area, we made a survey at the plateau, where all major settlements are located today. Despite the shortness of our visit, we were able to map around 100 sites. They belong to the Hafit-period, the Early Iron Age and to the Middle and Late Islamic times.

9:55 -

Paolo M. COSTA
University of Bologna , Italy
Short biography
P.M. Costa studied Classic archaeology at the University of Torino (Italy). Taught and carried out research in Iraq, contributing also to the establishment of the Iraq Museum opened in 1966. Appointed advisor for archaeology to the Yemen Arab Republic by the Italian Government, served in Sana'a from 1970 to 1975. From 1976 to 1986 he served as Advisor for archaeology at the Ministry of National Heritage and Culture in Oman. Lectureship of Islamic archaeology at the Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies (New York University), then visiting professor at the Universities of Venice and Naples. Appointed professor of Archaeology and History of Art of the ancient Near East, he taught at the Universities of Palermo and Bologna. After retirement (2002) he has been appointed member of the Council of the Inter-Departmental Centre for Sciences of Islam, University of Bologna.

Abstract

ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY IN THE NORTHERN AREA OF THE WILAYAT OF DANK (SULTANATE OF OMAN): A PRELIMINARY REPORT

Following an agreement signed on between the Ministry of National Heritage and Culture of Oman and an expedition sponsored by the Faculty of Conservation of Cultural Heritage of the University of Bologna (Italy), a team lead by the present writer, carried out a survey of structures, artifacts and items of archaeological interest located in the area to the North /North-East of Wadi Dank up to Wadi Ajran.
The paper will present a preliminary assessment of the archaeological finds and structures recorded on surface, illustrated by photographs and drawings produced at the end of two seasons carried out from January 1998.
Several sites, of which the most important are al-Fath, 'Ayn Bani Sa 'dah, al-'Aqayr, Mirbat al-Khayl, Bilt and Wadi Ajran, are described and discussed in all possible details, without the help of excavations or soundings, through measured drawings.
With the valuable help of local people and particularly Sheikh Hamed bin Said of al-Qumayrah, we were able to locate several dressed stones, presumably elements of opening of buildings circular in plan which could have had funerary function.
The survey was conducted principally for the preservation of relics of ancient settled life in the area, perhaps the least so far known of northern Oman.

10:20 -

Moawiyah IBRAHIM*
Short Biography
Moawiyah M. Ibrahim was a Professor and founding director of the Sultan Qaboos University Department of Archaeology (1994 - 2004), Sultanate of Oman. Prof. Ibrahim is a graduate of the Free University of Berlin (1970) in Archaeology and Languages of the Near East.
He coordinated an international project for the Excavations of Timna, capital of the Ancient South Arabian Kingdom- Qataban in Wadi Beihan- Yemen. He also headed a series of field projects sponsored by Sultan Qaboos University including the Excavations at Wadi as-Safafir, al-Balid (salalah), Manal in Wadi Samayil, the Archaeological Survey along the coast of Oman between Qurayat and Sur, Cemeteries and Inscriptions of Nizwa and Wai al-Haymeleh, and Investigations at Wadi Bani Kharous. Moawiyah ibrahim published the results of his fieldwork and research in several books and over 100 articles
He also served on editorial and scientific boards of several journals and periodicals. Prof. Ibrahim has served on numerous national and international boards and committees and in 1991 was elected Vice President of the International Association for the Promotion of Ancient Arabia.
Prof. Ibrahim has organized a number of Museums, Exhibitions, Festivals, Symposia and other projects related to the cultural/heritage resource management and tourism related to the Arab/Islamic World.

Badar al-ALAWI
Sultan Qaboos University , Muscat, Oman
Short Biography
From 1987 to 1991 I completed the degree of licentiate with specialzation in History from the Faculty of Arts, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman. From 1991 to 1994 I worked as a Demonstrator (Reader) in the Department of History, Faculty of Arts S.Q.U. From 1994 to 1997 I completed my Postgraduate Masters degree from the University of Yarmuk in Jordan, Inistitute of Anthropology and Archaeology, with specialization in History and Archaeology. The title was: Qal'at Nizaw Dirasa Imariyya Muqarana 1650-1979 AD. From 1997 to 2000 I worked as an Assistant Lecturer in History Department at S.Q.U. From 2000 to 2003 I completed my Ph.D in History at the Department of Middle Eastern Studies in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Manchester. The title of thesis was: Oman and the Islamic Caliphate 11-446/632- 1055 The Military Struggle. From 2003 I am working as an Assistant Professor in the Department of History, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, at the Sultan Qaboos University, Oman. The courses I teach at the S.Q.U:- Oman and Islamic Civilization, Islamic History of Oman, The History of Umayyad and The History of Abbasid.

Abstract

INVESTIGATIONS AT WADI BANI KHAROUS (SULTANATE OF OMAN)

This project intends to address the occupational history of Wadi Bani
Kharous, a side wadi which intersects the western Jabal al-Akhdar, based on historical records, oral history and archaeological data. Preliminary field investigations in this wadi were conducted between December 2002 and February 2003 and resumed in 2004. Special emphasis is upon over seventy tombs inscriptions from two cemeteries and several panels of rock inscriptions and drawings which were recently recorded. The inscriptions can be seen as a continuation of epigraphical work published by the first author (PSAS 2001) from Nizwa and Wadi el-Haymali. They date since the 9th century until the fourteenth century A.H. and reflect the ethnic, tribal and family association of the community in this area. Some inscriptions provide information about the social status of both males and females. It is worth mentioning that this is one of the best known wadis in Oman. Several rulers (including three of the early Imams), theologians, scholars and poets originate from Wadi Bani Kharous. The investigations will be complemented by oral history of descendants still living in the area. Preliminary fieldwork shows that the occupational history here goes back as early as the third/second millennium B.C. A major Iron Age fortification system was attested on the rocky hills surrounding Sital village. A reference will be also made to the agricultural and water systems as well as to the settlement patterns along both sides of the wadi.

10.45 -

Donatella USAI
Is.I.A.O., Rome
Short Biography
Dr Usai has a PhD in African archaeology and is a specialist in lithic analysis. She is currently researching the question of the mesolithic/neolithic transition and is directing an archaeological project in Sudan, as well as being involved in the excavation of a neolithic site in the Wadi Shab in Oman.

Abstract

A IV MILLENNIUM BC OMANI SITE AND ITS CONTECT: WADI SHAB-GAS1

Archaeological fieldwork delivers a record that is a static pattern of associations among things distributed in space and time. To understand the process which underline this association it is important to shift the attention from the intra-site setting to the surrounding context and, if possible, to an inter-site analysis.
This paper, after a brief excursus on the evidence produced by five field-seasons at Wadi Shab-Gasl, will offer suggestions as to the circumstances that made the Wadi Shab-Tiwi area an important outpost for the IV millennium BC in Oman. The site is located in a rich environmental niche, on a cliff line facing the sea, near a permanent freshwater source and not far from key resources, such as chlorite and steatite, which were thoroughly exploited by its inhabitants. This paper suggests that the archaeological evidence produced by this site and other contemporaneous sites, especially when lithic industries are considered, will provide some valuable observations as to the development of Wadi Shab-Gasl and its context in relation to other sites in Oman.

SESSION II: Trade and politics in Arabia

11:40 -

Eric VALLET
Department of History , University of Paris I, Pantheon-Sorbonne , France and UMR 8084 Islam médiéval
Short Biography
Allocataire-moniteur (lecturer assistant) at Paris 1 University (Department of History). Preparing a PhD on the subject: Power, trade and traders in Rasulid Yemen (13th-15th Century).

Abstract

LA 'POLITIQUE OCÉANIQUE' DU YÉMEN À LA FIN DU XIIIE SIÈCLE : NOUVELLES SOURCES ET NOUVELLES APPROCHES

Cette communication s'appuie sur une collection d'archives récemment publiées, Nur al-ma'arif fi nuzum wa-qawanin wa-a'raf al-Yaman fi'l-'ahd al-muzaffari al-warif (éd. M. Jazim, CEFAS, Sanaa, 2003), qui ont été compilées à la fin du XIIIe siècle. Ce sont surtout plusieurs listes de capitaines de navires et de gratifications versées par le sultanat rasûlide à des personnalités musulmanes et non-musulmanes de la côte de l'Inde qui retiendront notre attention. Elles offrent en effet une vision en profondeur des liens politiques et maritimes qui unissaient le Yémen, la côte de l'Inde et le Golfe à une période cruciale. Alors que le sultanat rasûlide étendait sa souveraineté sur de larges parts de l'Arabie du Sud, de Zafâr à Dahlak, le pouvoir turc du sultanat de Delhi réussit à annexer de riches régions de la côte occidentale de l'Inde, particulièrement le Gujarat. Au même moment, l'hégémonie de Qays dans le Golfe est menace. Comment comprendre dans ce cadre la 'politique océanique' du Yémen? Cette contribution tentera de répondre à cette question en confrontant ces nouvelles données archivistiques yéménites avec de nombreuses autres sources écrites contemporaines, en se concentrant sur la dynamique des relations entre commerce et pouvoir.

YEMEN 'OCEANIC POLICY' AT THE END OF THE 13TH CENTURY : NEW SOURCES AND NEW APPROACHES

This paper is based on a new published collection of archives, Nur al-ma'arif fi nuzum wa-qawanin wa-a'raf al-Yaman fi'l-'ahd al-muzaffari al-warif (M. Jazim ed., French Center for Archaeology and Social Sciences in Sanaa, 2003) which were registered at the end of the 13th century A.C. What will especially retain my attention are several lists of ship's captains and of muslim or non muslim personalities from the Indian coast granted by the Rasulid sultanate. They offer a very deep insight on maritime and political ties between Yemen, the Indian Coast and the Gulf in a key period. Whereas the Rasulid sultanate extended its sovereignty on large part of South Arabia from Zafâr to Dahlak, the Muslim Turkish Power of the Delhi Sultanate succeeds in annexing some rich areas of the western Indian coast, particularly Gujerat. At the same time, the Qaysi Hegemony is challenged in the Gulf. How could we understand in this frame the Yemeni 'oceanic policy'? This paper will try to answer this question by comparing these new Yemeni archival datas with a wider range of contemporary written sources, focusing on the dynamical relationships between trade and power.

12:05 -

12:30 -

Mashary A. al-NAIM
King Faisal University , Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Short Biography
Mashary Al-Naim is associate professor of architectural criticism in the faculty of architecture at King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia. He gained a PhD in 'History Theory and Criticism' from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (UK). He is the senior editor of Albenaa magazine (professional architectural magazine). As an architect he has designed and refereed several projects in Saudi Arabia, the Gulf region and the Arab world, including the Arab city award, Sultan Qabos Award and the Kind Abdulla Award (Jordan). Al-Naim worked as a consultant for both governmental and private large-scale construction projects. His research and writings span from the cultural impact on architecture, education and professional practice. He has had a weekly column in the Alriyadh Newspaper since 1996, AlYaum daily newspaper and monthly column in several journals. Al-Naim now works as a consultant with the Dammam Municipality in preparation for the master plan for Dammam Metropolitan.

Abstract

OTTOMAN OCCUPATION OF AL-HASA IN THE 16TH CENTURY AND ITS IMPACT ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CITY OF HOFUF

In the 1550s Ottomans occupied most of the eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula to protect the area from protégés invasion. City of Hofuf at that time was very small and consisted of two parts, western part which was established by AlJabreen (the existed al-Kut neighborhood) and a village called alriqayat located among the eastern palm trees farms (the existed Northern Alrifa). When Ottoman came to Hofuf they developed the city and constructed a number of buildings such as Ali Basha Mosque (the only central dome mosque in the sixteenth century built in the Arabian Peninsula) and Madras, steam bath, Emara and jail, etc. This paper tries to illustrate the impact of Ottomans occupation on the development of the city and how it contributed in shaping its form. Also, the paper will document and describe all buildings that built by ottomans at that time and their role in forming the architectural identity of the city.

SESSION III: Traditional architecture and environmental exploitation

14:00 -

Ronald W. HAWKER
Zayed University , UAE

Abstract

TRIBE, HOUSE STYLE AND THE TOWN LAYOUT OF JAZIRAT AL-HAMRA, RAS AL-KHAIMAH (UNITED ARAB EMIRATES)

In cooperation with the National Museum of Ras al-Khaimah, Zayed University has been documenting houses in Jazirat al-Hamra, sometimes known as Jazira az Zaab. The town was identified by J. G. Lorimer as the headquarters of the Zaab tribe. The Al Zaab dominated southern Ras al-Khaimah and according to oral history, originated on the Batinah Coast in Oman. They occupied a string of villages between Shinas and Ras al-Khaimah, including Khor Fakkan, and bought a substantial proportion of the date gardens in 'Ain al-Khatt. Because of longstanding conflict with the ruling Al Qassimi family, the Al Zaab relocated to Abu Dhabi shortly after the United Arab Emirates' confederation in 1971. They have subsequently refused to allow the demolition of the houses, thus leaving us with an opportunity to document a pearling port left essentially intact from the early twentieth century. Combining material drawn from our survey and from ethnographic interviews conducted by our students, I identify a series of house types dating to the century and relate them to what we know of the tribal make-up of the community. This defines stylistic variation in historic architecture on the Trucial Coast and locates this variation within its contemporary socio-economic context.

14:25 -

Djamel BOUSSAA
Department of Architectural Engineering, Faculty of Engineering , UAE University , UAE
Short biography
Djamel Boussaa has a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Algiers, Algeria in 1984, and then a Master of Philosophy in Architecture from the University of York, in 1987. After practicing as an architect for one year in London he returned to Algeria in 1988. He was appointed as an Assistant Professor of architecture at the Institute of Architecture, University of Blida and taught for 8 years. He joined the UAE University, Department of Architectural Engineering in September 1996. Since October 1998, He is preparing his Ph.D. thesis on a part-time basis at the University of Liverpool in the UK

Abstract

URBAN CONSERVATION IN NORTH AFRICA AND THE GULF; PROBLEMS, OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

The city of Dubai encompasses a rich architectural and urban heritage, ranging from individual buildings such as forts and castles, to large historic quarters. The historic city of Dubai is composed of three main traditional districts, Shindagha, Deira and Bur Dubai. Prior to the discovery of oil, people used to earn their living from the trade, fishing and pearl diving around the natural creek harbor called 'Khor Dubai'.
The discovery of oil in 1966 in Dubai and the beginning of its exportation in 1969 generated considerable amount of income revenues. With the intention of people at that time, and during the 70s to erase images of the past's misery and under-development, large-scale projects were launched to catch up with the world's 'modernization'. However, this staggering urban growth was implemented while sacrificing many heritage districts to allow space for new 'modern' developments. As a matter of fact a large number of these heritage relics vanished in a very short period. In terms of figures, out of a total of 3000 existing heritage buildings only 371 have survived.
While the Shindagha quarter was almost completely erased and large parts of Deira were replaced by alien 'international style' buildings, in Bur Dubai Fareej (quarter) Al Bastakia has luckily escaped a complete demolition. Despite the loss of more than half of its original dwellings, this fareej is considered one of the rare survived historic areas in the Gulf. Bastakia forms a unique traditional townscape on the Dubai Creek, with its wind-towers rising up to catch the winds from whichever direction is blowing. This also exhibits a unique skyline that is being threatened by the surrounding and adjacent high-rise towers. The traditional townscape of Bastakia reflects a unique architectural identity of the historical Dubai, therefore it should be conserved and sustained if the city should rediscover and enhance a link and continuity with its past.
This paper will try to highlight the significance and value of conserving the Bastakia district. It starts with a brief historical overview of the settlement establishment, followed by a brief review of its urban and architectural significance. The efforts of the Historical Buildings Section in Dubai Municipality to save what is left of Bastakia through its conservation program and the intention of its revitalization will be presented and discussed. The main question to be asked here is how can urban conservation be a catalyst of injecting new life in Fareej Al Bastakia and transforming it from a physical restoration to a living heritage?

14:50 -

Miranda J. MORRIS
Honorary Research Fellow , University of St. Andrews , Scotland
Short biography
Honorary Research Fellow, University of St. Andrews. Main research interest the Modern South Arabian Languages and the ethnography of the areas in which they are spoken.

Abstract

TRADITIONAL FISHING ON THE ISLAND OF SOQOTRA

Fishermen on the island of Soqotra received boats with engines and modern fishing equipment only in the early 1970s. Before that time a small number of fishermen owned imported dugout canoes, but the rest had only locally made equipment and their own ingenuity with which to cull a harvest from the sea. Traditional fishing skills were formerly widespread: the long dry season when livestock was unproductive meant that the majority of the islanders of necessity fished seasonally. Now most of these skills have disappeared.
The paper discusses some of the traditional methods used for fishing, such as constructing rafts from local woods, fishing for turtle with remora fish, stunning lagoon fish with euphorbia latex, using locally cultivated cotton and sheep's wool to knot their fishing nets, processing shellfish, making lures from bone and plant material, and weaving fish traps.

SESSION IV: Ancient North Arabian and Arabic epigraphy

15:45 -

Fiorella SCAGLIARINI
University La Sapienza, Roma , Italy
Short biography
Dr Fiorella Scagliarini Degree in Oriental History: Hebrew, Doctor of Semitic Linguistics

Abstract

THE WORD ­LM/­NM ?'STATUE' IN ARABIAN LANGUAGE

The word ­lm is a 'common semitic one, used in Akkadian, in Northwest Semitic and in Arabian language, where it can be found both in the Southern and in the Northern group of dialects. In Ancient South Arabian it occurs in Sabaic and Qatabanic inscriptions.
In Ancient North Arabian there are thirteen instances in votive Dadanitic inscriptions from the al-'Ula oasis in Saudi Arabia where the word can be found in singular form (­lm), probably in dual (­lmn) and in plural form (JS.63.3: ' ­l[m]).
In a rock Nabataean inscription (JS.159) from the neighbour oasis of Mada'in ŸaliÆ (Åegra) the word for 'statue' is written ­nm. This instance makes clear the interchange between nasal and lateral consonants (­nm for ­lm), that took place in classical Arabic, happened before in Nabataen Aramaic dialect in the North Arabia oasis.
In Classical Arabic there are two words for 'statue', ­anam and wa an, both exactly meaning 'idol' and considered to be synonym.
Both the words are used in the work by Ibn al-Kalbi, Kit…b al-a­nam, containing news about the religious practices in pre-islamic period. The author makes a distinction: when the statue is maden of wood, gold and silver in the likeness of man is named ­anam, plural a­nam when the statue is only a stone it is named waÅan, plural awŅn. In main dictionaries the difference is between metal idol (­anam) and wooden or stone idol (waÅan). It is possible that in Ibn al-Kalbi's book, like in classical Arabic language, the difference is between an anthropomorphic figure of god (­anam) and a stone or wooden idol (waÅan).
In Ibn al-Kalbi's book there is the formula of a talbiya, that is the ritual invocation uttered by the tribes in pre-islamic period during their pilgrimage to Mecca. In the sources of the talbiy…t, there are lists of gods and idols worshipped by the different tribes. The talbiy…t reflect the ideas of the tribes about the supreme God and inferior gods dependent upon him. It is clear the belief in the authority of Allah over the principal Arab deities al-Lat, al-'Uzza and Manat and the other pre-islamic gods.
The tribal talbiy…t were prohibited and substituted by a Muslim formula.
The formula in the talbiya in Ibn al-Kalbi's book was a different instance: it was replaced by a new one in which God is addressed as 'the Lord of the lords' and 'the Subduer of every idol and graven image in the land'. The words for idol and graven image in the talbiya are waÅanin and ­anamin.
The talbiya stresses the struggle of God against the gods and the idols and His subjugation of them.
This is the only case in which a talbiya of a tribe is mentioned in islamic period.

16:10 -

Mutsuo Kawatoko
Research Director, The Middle Eastern Culture Center in Japan, Tokyo , Japan
Short biography
Kawatoko is the Research Director of the Section of Islamic Archaeology and Culture of the Middle Eastern Culture Center in Japan ( MECCJ ). He has been directing Japanese archaeological missions in al-Fus"±" (1978-present), the R±ya/al-º¹r area (1985-present), 'Aydh±b (1984-91), B±di' (1987, 1991/92) and Yemen (2004-), and also began rock inscription surveys in Saudi Arabia and South Sinai (2001-).

Risa Tokunaga*
Research Fellow, The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science , The Middle Eastern Culture Center in Japan , Tokyo, Japan
Short biography
Tokunaga is currently the Research Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, studying pre-Islamic Arabian rock inscriptions in MECCJ. She has been working in Bi'r Åim±, other rock inscription sites in Saudi Arabia (2001-), South Sinai (1999-) and the Eastern Desert (2000).

Abstract

THE ARABIC AND THAMUDIC ROCK INSCRIPTIONS OF SOUTH SINAI

This paper aims to demonstrate the network of sea and land routes in South Sinai diachronically by using the Islamic and Pre-Islamic Arabic rock inscriptions surveyed by the Mission of the Middle Eastern Culture Center in Japan.
The Mission has been carrying out archaeological surveys in the Raya/al-ºur area in southwest Sinai since 1985. As a pilgrim and trade port for Muslims and Christians, this area played an important role from the Late Antiquity to the early 20c. Mt. Naqus, situated 15 km north-northwest of al-ºur, has 1710 inscriptions consisting mainly of Arabic and Greek. Beside the registration of them (2001-2004), the Mission began a comprehensive survey of the inscription in South Sinai (2001-).
The Arabic inscriptions of Mt. Naqus, totaling 966 in number, include 76 dated inscriptions, 44 of which are dated to 8-early 11c AD, coinciding with the prime of the fortress of R±y±. However, later, Arabic inscription disappears in Mt. Naqus, and this fact seems to relate to the diffusion of paper in the Islamic world. Arabic inscriptions again appear here in 18c. Through the analysis of names and nisbas in the inscriptions, this region's vast maritime relation in the Early Islamic Period was illuminated. Meanwhile, most inscriptions from other sites were incised by early modern Christian pilgrims except some from southeast Sinai which indicate the connection with Palestine in the Early Islamic Period.
As for the Pre-Islamic period, 17 Thamudic inscriptions were registered in Wadi al-Mukattab and four other wadis. They were usually found among Nabatean inscriptions, and in some cases Thamudic inscriptions were clearly inscribed prior to them. Whereas the Nabatean inscriptions are considered engraved by local inhabitants, these Thamudic inscriptions are presumably left by the travelers from the Hijaz and Hisma regions considering their low density and the variety of scripts.

© Seminar for Arabian Studies 2006.

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