Wadi Suq culture

Wadi Suq burial at Jebel Al-Buhais

The Wadi Suq culture defines human settlement in the United Arab Emirates and Oman in the period from 2,000 to 1,300 BC. It takes its name from a wadi, or waterway, East of Sohar in Oman and follows on from the Umm Al Nar period. Although archaeologists have traditionally tended to view the differences in human settlements and burials between the Umm Al Nar and Wadi Suq periods as the result of major external disruption (climate change, the collapse of trade or threat of war), contemporary opinion has moved towards a gradual change in human society which is centred around more sophisticated approaches to animal husbandry, particularly the domestication of the camel,[1] as well as changes in the surrounding trade and social environments.

History

Wadi Suq burial at Shimal, near Ras Al Khaimah

The transition between Umm Al Nar and Wadi Suq is thought to have taken some 200 years and more, with finds at the important Wadi Suq site of Tell Abraq in modern Umm Al Qawain showing evidence of the continuity of Umm al-Nar burials.[1] Evidence of increased mobility among the population points to a gradual change in human habits rather than sudden change[2] and important Wadi Suq era sites such as Tell Abraq, Ed Dur, Seih Al Harf,Shimal and Kalba show an increasing sophistication in copper and bronze ware as well as trade links both east to the Indus Valley and west to Mesopotamia.[3] Wadi Suq era pottery is also seen as more refined and distinctive, with finds of painted ware common[4] and the development of soft-stone vessels. Highly sophisticated weaponry developed during the Wadi Suq era includes bronze spear heads, arrows and double-edged swords.[5] One grave excavated in Shimal had no fewer than 18 fine bronze arrowheads. Studies of human remains from the period do point to a process of aridification taking place over the centuries contiguous between the Umm Al Nar and Wadi Suq periods, but do not support a sudden or cataclysmic movement or societal change rather a gradual shift in culture.[6] Changes in two important trading partners also took place, with the Mesopotamian city of Ur falling to Elam in 2000 BC and the decline of the Indus Valley Harappan Culture in 1800 BC. The abandonment of the port of Umm Al Nar took place at around this time.[7]

The Wadi Suq people not only domesticated camels, but there is evidence they also planted crops of wheat, barley and dates.[3] A gradual shift away from coastal to inland settlements took place through the period.[7]

Burials

Some of the most obvious evidence of the change in human habits and society following the Umm Al Nar period can be found in the distinctive burials of the Wadi Suq people, notably in Shimal in Ras Al Khaimah where over 250 burial sites are located. In some cases, cut stone from Umm Al Nar burials has been used to build Wadi Suq graves. Wadi Suq burials are long chambers entered from the side and many have been found to have been used for subsequent burials. Although Shimal has the most extensive Wadi Suq burials, grave sites are to be found throughout the UAE and Oman and vary from simple barrows to sophisticated structures.[8]

The notable Jebel Al-Buhais burial ground, the oldest radiometrically dated burial site in the UAE, is an extensive necropolis, consisting of burial sites spanning the Stone, Iron, Bronze and Hellenistic ages of human settlement in the UAE. The widespread area of burials exhibits a number of important Wadi Suq tombs, including a unique clover-leaf shaped burial chamber, but has no evidence of Umm Al Nar era burials, although there are burials representing later eras, including the Hellenistic.

References

  1. 1 2 "Societal changes in Bronze Age Arabia... here's the tooth in the matter". The National. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  2. ↑ Carter, R. (1997). "The Wadi Suq period in south-east Arabia: a reappraisal in the light of excavations at Kalba, UAE". Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies. 27: 87–98. doi:10.2307/41223590. JSTOR 41223590.
  3. 1 2 1968-, Magee, Peter,. The archaeology of prehistoric Arabia : adaptation and social formation from the neolithic to the iron age. New York. ISBN 9780521862318. OCLC 852824778.
  4. ↑ Potts, Daniel T.; Naboodah, Hasan Al; Hellyer, Peter (2003). Archaeology of the United Arab Emirates. Trident Press Ltd. ISBN 9781900724883.
  5. ↑ United Arab Emirates : a new perspective. Abed, Ibrahim., Hellyer, Peter. London: Trident Press. 2001. ISBN 9781900724470. OCLC 47140175.
  6. ↑ Gregoricka, L. A. (2016-03-01). "Human Response to Climate Change during the Umm an-Nar/Wadi Suq Transition in the United Arab Emirates". International Journal of Osteoarchaeology. 26 (2): 211–220. doi:10.1002/oa.2409. ISSN 1099-1212.
  7. 1 2 1963-, Hawker, Ronald William, (2008). Traditional architecture of the Arabian Gulf : building on desert tides. Southampton, UK: WIT. ISBN 9781845641351. OCLC 191244229.
  8. ↑ Heritage, Sharjah Directorate of Antiquities &. "Jebel Al Buhais – Sharjah Directorate of Antiquities & Heritage". sharjaharchaeology.com. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
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