Persistent Pastoralism: Monuments and Settlements in the Archaeology of Dhofar (Archaeological Heritage of Oman, 10)

A summary of archaeological teamwork along the Dhofar plateau and its backslope into the Nejd of Southern Oman, this book documents survey and excavation of small-scale stone monuments and pastoral settlements. Whether used as burial places, as landmarks, as mnemonic devices, or for other purposes, monuments are the enduring and prominent traces of desert pastoralists. In Dhofar, pastoralists constructed monuments in discrete pulses over 7500 years. Recognizing the dynamic ecosystems and climate regimes of Arabian prehistory, the author suggests that mobile pastoralists used monuments to link dispersed households into broader social communities. Furthermore, the range of practical adjustments to monuments as a consistent means of messaging among mobile people showcases the adaptive strength of Dhofar’s prehistoric inhabitants over time. A singular episode of settlement during a particularly arid period highlights the longer tradition of pastoral people on the move. With fictional vignettes to imagine the people who used these monuments, the chapters introduce archaeological analysis of the social identities, patterns of resource access, contacts, aversions, and exchanges with neighboring groups. Finally, the book underscores the rich heritage of persistent pastoralism within contemporary Oman. Cover 1 Title page 3 Copyright Page 4 Contents 5 List of illustrations and tables 7 Acknowledgments 15 Glossary notes 17 Chapter 1: A Story and Its Meaning 19 Chapter 2: Dhofar's Pastoral Landscape 29 Chapter 3: Archaeology in Dhofar: The Arabian Human Social Dynamics (AHSD) Project 41 Chapter 4: Cultural Inheritance of the Dhofar Pastoralists 55 Chapter 5: Building Pastoral Communities in the Neolithic (5000–4500 BCE) 63 Chapter 6: Tribes in the Bronze Age (3200–1500 BCE) 83 Chapter 7: Cultivating Pastoralism in the Late Iron Age (400 BCE–400 CE) 115 Chapter 8: Mobility and Community in the Late Iron Age (300 BCE–500 CE) 131 Chapter 9: Patterns of Monuments and Settlement Shaped Dhofar 145 Bibliography 149 Index 161