Water management is essential for survival in marginal environments such as the North Arabian des... more Water management is essential for survival in marginal environments such as the North Arabian desert. The present study examines strategies of water management near Dûmat al-Jandal, a major oasis at the edge of the Nafud. Through a synthesis of architectural, ceramic and geological data sets, we attempt to reconstruct the purpose and function of a water collecting system recently discovered in the desert margin of the oasis. We then compare this system with those found in other Arabian oases to understand the origins and influences on the present system. We conclude that the closest comparable strategies of water management can be found in Northwestern Arabia, where Nabataean systems blended with local strategies. Les aménagements hydrauliques sont essentiels à la survie dans un environnement marginal désertique comme l’Arabie du Nord. Le but de cet article est d’étudier la gestion de l’eau en marge de l’oasis historique de Dûmat al-Jandal, située au nord du Nafûd. Nous nous proposons de reconstituer la fonction d’un système hydraulique de collecte d’eau de pluie récemment découvert, à travers une synthèse architecturale, un court examen de la céramique et en interrogeant les données géologiques du site. Nous comparons également ce système de collecte avec ceux développés dans d’autres oasis d’Arabie afin de comprendre ses origines et ses influences. Il est ainsi possible de conclure que les stratégies hydrauliques les plus proches du système hydraulique à l’étude se trouvent en Arabie du Nord-Ouest, où les Nabatéens surent intégrer des stratégies locales.
Prehistoric stone structures are prominent and well studied in the Levantine desert margins. In n... more Prehistoric stone structures are prominent and well studied in the Levantine desert margins. In northern Arabia, however, such structures have received less attention. This article presents the results of investigations of a 35m-long stone platform, first constructed in the mid sixth millennium BC, overlooking the oasis of Dûmat al-Jandal in northern Saudi Arabia. Excavation of the platform has yielded bioarchaeological and cultural remains, along with evidence for several phases of construction and intermittent use down to the first millennium BC. Analysis of the platform and nearby tombs highlights the persistent funerary and ritual use of this area over millennia, illuminating nomadic pastoralist lifeways in prehistoric Arabia.
Since 2017, the French Archaeological Mission in Bahrain has been engaged in a research project a... more Since 2017, the French Archaeological Mission in Bahrain has been engaged in a research project at Abu Saiba, a major necropolis from the Tylos archaeological period of the island (c.200 BC-AD 300). The site appears as the typical, roughly circular, low mound generally constituting a Tylos cemetery, with a diameter of c.70 m and a height of c.4-5 m. Fifty built graves have already been identified and eighteen were excavated by a team including a bio-archaeologist. The presence, above several of them, of a sandy mound covered with flat stones-a traditional marker of high status-shows the importance of the community buried there. The organization of the cemetery as well as the architecture of the tombs are discussed here, and special attention is paid to the burial rituals. Looting in antiquity was extensive but not systematic, and the few grave-goods recovered (glazed vessels, daily life items, jewellery, and adornments) indicate a main occupation covering the end of the first centur...
Prehistoric stone structures are prominent and well studied in the Levantine desert margins. In n... more Prehistoric stone structures are prominent and well studied in the Levantine desert margins. In northern Arabia, however, such structures have received less attention. This article presents the results of investigations of a 35m-long stone platform, first constructed in the mid sixth millennium BC, overlooking the oasis of Dûmat al-Jandal in northern Saudi Arabia. Excavation of the platform has yielded bioarchaeological and cultural remains, along with evidence for several phases of construction and intermittent use down to the first millennium BC. Analysis of the platform and nearby tombs highlights the persistent funerary and ritual use of this area over millennia, illuminating nomadic pastoralist lifeways in prehistoric Arabia.
Two reports on excavations carried out in 1985–1986 by archaeologist Khaled Abdulaziz al-Dayel an... more Two reports on excavations carried out in 1985–1986 by archaeologist Khaled Abdulaziz al-Dayel and published in the journal Atlal (1988, 1986) have revealed the existence of ‘Hellenistic tombs’ in the Dumat al-Jandal oasis (ancient Adummatu/Dumat/Dumata) in northern Saudi Arabia. Although attributed more precisely to the Nabataeans by Khalil al-Muaikel (1994), these tombs nevertheless appear not to have interested specialists of this historical period in the least. Moreover, a re-examination of the architectural data and of the grave-goods indicates the difficulty of establishing a link between the unearthed remains and a purely ‘Nabataean’ cultural sphere (i.e. of the Petra type). This study therefore attempts to reassess published archaeological data, formulate questions on the Nabataean presence in the oasis, and also to demonstrate the relations connecting Dumat to the great Levantine and Mesopotamian cultural spheres between the first century BC and the second century AD.
Water management is essential for survival in marginal environments such as the North Arabian des... more Water management is essential for survival in marginal environments such as the North Arabian desert. The present study examines strategies of water management near Dûmat al-Jandal, a major oasis at the edge of the Nafud. Through a synthesis of architectural, ceramic and geological data sets, we attempt to reconstruct the purpose and function of a water collecting system recently discovered in the desert margin of the oasis. We then compare this system with those found in other Arabian oases to understand the origins and influences on the present system. We conclude that the closest comparable strategies of water management can be found in Northwestern Arabia, where Nabataean systems blended with local strategies. Les aménagements hydrauliques sont essentiels à la survie dans un environnement marginal désertique comme l’Arabie du Nord. Le but de cet article est d’étudier la gestion de l’eau en marge de l’oasis historique de Dûmat al-Jandal, située au nord du Nafûd. Nous nous proposons de reconstituer la fonction d’un système hydraulique de collecte d’eau de pluie récemment découvert, à travers une synthèse architecturale, un court examen de la céramique et en interrogeant les données géologiques du site. Nous comparons également ce système de collecte avec ceux développés dans d’autres oasis d’Arabie afin de comprendre ses origines et ses influences. Il est ainsi possible de conclure que les stratégies hydrauliques les plus proches du système hydraulique à l’étude se trouvent en Arabie du Nord-Ouest, où les Nabatéens surent intégrer des stratégies locales.
Prehistoric stone structures are prominent and well studied in the Levantine desert margins. In n... more Prehistoric stone structures are prominent and well studied in the Levantine desert margins. In northern Arabia, however, such structures have received less attention. This article presents the results of investigations of a 35m-long stone platform, first constructed in the mid sixth millennium BC, overlooking the oasis of Dûmat al-Jandal in northern Saudi Arabia. Excavation of the platform has yielded bioarchaeological and cultural remains, along with evidence for several phases of construction and intermittent use down to the first millennium BC. Analysis of the platform and nearby tombs highlights the persistent funerary and ritual use of this area over millennia, illuminating nomadic pastoralist lifeways in prehistoric Arabia.
Since 2017, the French Archaeological Mission in Bahrain has been engaged in a research project a... more Since 2017, the French Archaeological Mission in Bahrain has been engaged in a research project at Abu Saiba, a major necropolis from the Tylos archaeological period of the island (c.200 BC-AD 300). The site appears as the typical, roughly circular, low mound generally constituting a Tylos cemetery, with a diameter of c.70 m and a height of c.4-5 m. Fifty built graves have already been identified and eighteen were excavated by a team including a bio-archaeologist. The presence, above several of them, of a sandy mound covered with flat stones-a traditional marker of high status-shows the importance of the community buried there. The organization of the cemetery as well as the architecture of the tombs are discussed here, and special attention is paid to the burial rituals. Looting in antiquity was extensive but not systematic, and the few grave-goods recovered (glazed vessels, daily life items, jewellery, and adornments) indicate a main occupation covering the end of the first centur...
Prehistoric stone structures are prominent and well studied in the Levantine desert margins. In n... more Prehistoric stone structures are prominent and well studied in the Levantine desert margins. In northern Arabia, however, such structures have received less attention. This article presents the results of investigations of a 35m-long stone platform, first constructed in the mid sixth millennium BC, overlooking the oasis of Dûmat al-Jandal in northern Saudi Arabia. Excavation of the platform has yielded bioarchaeological and cultural remains, along with evidence for several phases of construction and intermittent use down to the first millennium BC. Analysis of the platform and nearby tombs highlights the persistent funerary and ritual use of this area over millennia, illuminating nomadic pastoralist lifeways in prehistoric Arabia.
Two reports on excavations carried out in 1985–1986 by archaeologist Khaled Abdulaziz al-Dayel an... more Two reports on excavations carried out in 1985–1986 by archaeologist Khaled Abdulaziz al-Dayel and published in the journal Atlal (1988, 1986) have revealed the existence of ‘Hellenistic tombs’ in the Dumat al-Jandal oasis (ancient Adummatu/Dumat/Dumata) in northern Saudi Arabia. Although attributed more precisely to the Nabataeans by Khalil al-Muaikel (1994), these tombs nevertheless appear not to have interested specialists of this historical period in the least. Moreover, a re-examination of the architectural data and of the grave-goods indicates the difficulty of establishing a link between the unearthed remains and a purely ‘Nabataean’ cultural sphere (i.e. of the Petra type). This study therefore attempts to reassess published archaeological data, formulate questions on the Nabataean presence in the oasis, and also to demonstrate the relations connecting Dumat to the great Levantine and Mesopotamian cultural spheres between the first century BC and the second century AD.
Uploads
Papers by Marianne Cotty
Excavation of the platform has yielded bioarchaeological and cultural remains, along with evidence for several phases of construction and intermittent use down to the first millennium BC. Analysis of the platform and nearby tombs highlights the persistent funerary and ritual use of this area over millennia, illuminating nomadic pastoralist lifeways in prehistoric Arabia.
Excavation of the platform has yielded bioarchaeological and cultural remains, along with evidence for several phases of construction and intermittent use down to the first millennium BC. Analysis of the platform and nearby tombs highlights the persistent funerary and ritual use of this area over millennia, illuminating nomadic pastoralist lifeways in prehistoric Arabia.