Ra’s al-Hadd (Sultanate of Oman)
Research on the settlement dynamics between Middle Holocene and the Iron Age
Coordinator
Maurizio Cattani
Research Area and ERC Panels
- Archaeology from Prehistory to Middle Age
- SH6: The Study of the Human Past: Archaeology and history” (12 III level)
Starting and development of the project
The research project is part of the Italo-French Joint Hadd Project which started in 1985 in collaboration with the Ministry of Heritage and Culture of Sultanate of Oman, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Italian Institute for Africa and Asia (ISIAO, now ISMEO).
Overview
The Ras al-Hadd area represents one of the most important regions for understanding the evolution of the settlement dynamics in the Sultanate of Oman and the formation of the Arab civilization.
The excavations started in 1995 and discovered several temporary campsites and stable settlements from Middle Holocene to the Iron Age. Among those investigated by the University of Bologna, it is important to remark the hamlet of HD-6, dated to the end of the 4th and early centuries of the 3rd millennium BC, as well as the landing site HD-1 of the second half of the 3rd millennium BC.
The first is characterized by architecture made of mud-bricks, a perimetral wall with stone foundations and an intense metal, shell and stone manufacture. One of the most important aspects is the chronology of the site, which correspond to the Copper Age, known as Hafit period, characterized by cairns of HD-7 and HD-10 sites. The identification of one of the rare settlements allows to document the so called “great transformation”, namely the transition from small household system based on fishing and gathering subsistence, to a more complex system of larger settlements organized around an extended network of kinship ties, which also involved inland communities , characterized by the exploitation of the oasis and of the copper sources.
The complex HD-1 shows an exceptional quantity of ceramic of the Indus Valley Civilization (second half of the 2nd millennium BC) and represents a unique contexts for the understanding of the relationship between the Arabian peninsula and the Indus Valley, in the broader framework of the exchanges between Mesopotamia and the Indo-Pakistan Subcontinent.
The new researches at HD-1 begun in 2016 and led to a more updated paleoenvironmental sampling and a more analytical study of the production activities. The site was probably occupied seasonally by fishermen and sailors, with intense activity of storing and manufacturing. These activities seem to indicate that the settlement represented a sort of “harbour” of the 3rd millennium BC, as also suggested by the advantageous position between the sea and a wide lagoon.
The Sultanate of Oman is reachable with several flights from Bologna or other Italian airports.
The arrival is at Muscat, where students will be picked up. Internal transfers, accommodation and food costsarecovered by the University
The activities include excavation and documentation on the field, as well as in the laboratory.
Contact: maurizio.cattani@unibo.it
References
Cattani M., Cavulli F. 2004, La Missione Archeologica Italiana in Oman, in: M.T. Guaitoli, N. Marchetti and D. Scagliarini (eds.), Scoprire. Scavi del Dipartimento di Archeologia. Catalogo della Mostra, Bologna, pp. 225-232.
Cattani M., Kenoyer J.M., Frenez D., Law R.W., Méry S. 2019, New excavations at the Umm an- Nar site Ras al-Hadd HD-1, Sultanate of Oman (seasons 2016‑2018): insights on cultural interaction and long-distance trade, «Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies» 49, pp. 69-84.
Cleuziou S., Tosi M. 2007. In the Shadow of the Ancestors. The Prehistoric Foundations of the Early Arabian Civilization in Oman, Muscat.
Frenez M., Cattani M. (eds.) 2019, Sognatori. 40 Anni di Ricerche Archeologiche Italiane in Oman. Dreamers. 40 Years of Italian Archaeological Research in Oman, Bologna.
Giardino C. 2017, Magan. The Land of Copper. Prehistoric metallurgy of Oman, Muscat.