From neolithic stone-lined pits to underground water channels, there’s a lot they uncovered
There’s plenty to be dug up on the UAE’s history, at least for the DCT.
As part of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi)’s ongoing efforts to capture the UAE’s history and cultural heritage, excavation and research activities have been rife across Abu Dhabi.
The findings from these were recently presented at the 2023 Seminar for Arabian Studies.
The DCT presented three papers on its latest archaeological findings in the emirate at the event held this year in Aarhus, Denmark this year.
First up was the recent work undertaken at Sas al Nakhl Island (formerly known as Umm an-Nar Island), famed for its Bronze Age tombs and settlements that were first excavated by a Danish archaeology team in 1959.
The new data will help paint a chronological picture of the island’s local economy, long-distance exchange, and everyday life in past eras.
The second paper revealed the discovery of neolithic stone-lined pits and hearths found within a large mound on the north coast of Ghagha Island.
The latest season of excavation on GHG0063 uncovered possible flues associated with these pits. The flue technology would have been used to regulate and control firing temperatures in the kilns.
Radiocarbon dates place the structures at around 6,300 BC, which dates the site to 200 years later than GHG0014, the earliest settlement site found previously on Ghagha.
Archaeologists of DCT presented various structures, stone tools, and plaster vessels recovered from the site, with discussions on the nature of these tools pending.
The third paper focused on DCT Abu Dhabi’s discoveries of aflāj (underground water channels) across more than 150 locations in Al Ain.
About 60 separate ancient aflāj have been found in three main areas of the city – around Hili Oasis in the north, to the east of Qattara and Jimi Oases, and in the Central District of the downtown area to the east of Al Ain Oasis.
Lastly, DCT Abu Dhabi also presented a poster detailing the metal artefacts recovered from Al Ain’s Iron Age site Hili 14.
The large conical slag dating back to the Iron Age II Period (c. 1000 BCE – 600 BCE) is located within the boundaries of the Hili Archaeological Park, and potentially documents the various stages involved in the production and refining of metal and artefacts during that period.
Since 2011, the Bronze and Iron Age sites of Hili have been listed as one of the components of The Cultural Sites of Al Ain, a UNESCO World Heritage property.
We can’t wait to see what they dig up!
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Image source WAM
