Settlement patterns, polities and regional complexity in the Southeast Arabian Iron Age - article ; n°2 ; vol.24, pg 49-60

Magee P.

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Paléorient - Année 1998 - Volume 24 - Numéro 2 - Pages 49-60
L'analyse des données sur l'environnement et le « mode de vie » à l'Age du Fer en Arabie du Sud-Est met en valeur l 'existence d'une série d 'établissements de piémont auxquels étaient associés des systèmes d'irrigation, les possibilités d'une agriculture intensive et les moyens de contrôler et défendre ces ressources. Ces données, combinées à celles fournies par l'histoire, permettent d'entrevoir des systèmes politiquement complexes, limités à un environnement très précis. L'orientation de la recherche sur le terrain en Arabie du Sud-Est a conduit à surestimer l'importance de ces établissements en termes de hiérarchies régionales et d'interactions de pouvoir. L'examen de sites localisés dans d'autres environnements, combiné à l'analyse de la répartition des vestiges matériels, suggère que les établissements de piémont n'exerçaient pas de domination économique et politique sur l'ensemble de la région.
Analysis of environmental and settlement data highlights the existence of a series of piedmont settlements with which are associated : irrigation systems, the potential for intensive agriculture and the ability to control and defend such resources. When combined with historical evidence, these are interpreted as a series of politically complex polities existing in a restricted environmental z.one. The focus of fieldwork in southeastern Arabia has led to an over-emphasis of the importance of these settlements in terms of regional hierarchies and polity interaction. An examination of settlements in other environmental zones in combination with distributional analysis of artefacts suggests that piedmont settlements did not economically and politically dominate the region as a whole.
12 pages
Source : Persée ; Ministère de la jeunesse, de l’éducation nationale et de la recherche, Direction de l’enseignement supérieur, Sous-direction des bibliothèques et de la documentation.

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• Publié par: PALEORIENT
• Publié le: 01 janvier 1998
• Nombre de lectures: 33
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

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Peter Magee
Settlement patterns, polities and regional complexity in the
Southeast Arabian Iron Age
In: Paléorient. 1998, Vol. 24 N°2. pp. 49-60.
Abstract
Analysis of environmental and settlement data highlights the existence of a series of piedmont settlements with which are
associated : irrigation systems, the potential for intensive agriculture and the ability to control and defend such resources. When
combined with historical evidence, these are interpreted as a series of politically complex polities existing in a restricted
environmental z.one. The focus of fieldwork in southeastern Arabia has led to an over-emphasis of the importance of these
settlements in terms of regional hierarchies and polity interaction. An examination of settlements in other environmental zones in
combination with distributional analysis of artefacts suggests that piedmont did not economically and politically
dominate the region as a whole.
Résumé
L'analyse des données sur l'environnement et le « mode de vie » à l'Age du Fer en Arabie du Sud-Est met en valeur l 'existence
d'une série d 'établissements de piémont auxquels étaient associés des systèmes d'irrigation, les possibilités d'une agriculture
intensive et les moyens de contrôler et défendre ces ressources. Ces données, combinées à celles fournies par l'histoire,
permettent d'entrevoir des systèmes politiquement complexes, limités à un environnement très précis. L'orientation de la
recherche sur le terrain en Arabie du Sud-Est a conduit à surestimer l'importance de ces établissements en termes de
hiérarchies régionales et d'interactions de pouvoir. L'examen de sites localisés dans d'autres environnements, combiné à
l'analyse de la répartition des vestiges matériels, suggère que les établissements de piémont n'exerçaient pas de domination
économique et politique sur l'ensemble de la région.
Citer ce document / Cite this document :
Magee Peter. Settlement patterns, polities and regional complexity in the Southeast Arabian Iron Age. In: Paléorient. 1998, Vol.
24 N°2. pp. 49-60.
doi : 10.3406/paleo.1998.4676
http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/paleo_0153-9345_1998_num_24_2_4676Settlement patterns, polities
and regional complexity in the
Southeast Arabian Iron Age
P. Magee
Abstract : Analysis of environmental and settlement data highlights the existence of a series of piedmont settlements with which
are associated : irrigation systems, the potential for intensive agriculture and the ability to control and defend such resources.
When combined with historical evidence, these are interpreted as a series of politically complex polities existing in a restricted
environmental z.one. The focus of fieldwork in southeastern Arabia has led to an over-emphasis of the importance of these settlements
in terms of regional hierarchies and polity interaction. An examination of settlements in other environmental zones in combination
with distributional analysis of artefacts suggests that piedmont settlements did not economically and politically dominate the region
as a whole.
Resume : L'analyse des données sur i environnement et le « mode de vie » à l'Age du Fer en Arabie du Sud-Est met en valeur
l 'existence d 'une série d 'établissements de piémont auxquels étaient associés des systèmes d 'irrigation, les possibilités d'une agriculture
intensive et les moyens de contrôler et défendre ces ressources. Ces données, combinées à celles fournies par l 'histoire, permettent
d'entrevoir des systèmes politiquement complexes, limités à un environnement très précis. L'orientation de la recherche sur le
terrain en Arabie du Sud-Est a conduit à surestimer l'importance de ces établissements en termes de hiérarchies régionales et
d'interactions de pouvoir. L'examen de sites localisés dans d'autres environnements, combiné à l'analyse de la répartition des
vestiges matériels, suggère que les établissements de piémont n'exerçaient pas de domination économique et politique sur l'ensemble
de la région.
Key-words : United Arab Emirates, Oman, Environment, Settlement Patterns, Social hierarchies, Iron Age.
Mots clefs : Émirats Arabes unis, Oman, Environnement, Distribution des établissements, hiérarchies sociales, Age du Fer.
theses2. There has been, however, no systematic attempt to INTRODUCTION
understand the settlement dynamics of this time nor has there
been any attempt to integrate environmental data with archaeol
In the last twenty years southeastern Arabia (fig. 1), the ogical evidence. In this paper we contribute to a broader un
area encompassing the modern countries of the United Arab derstanding of settlement systems during this time by firstly
Emirates and Sultanate of Oman, has been the focus of intensive examining the changing patterns of settlement during the Iron
Age. Moving on from there we examine the evidence for the archaeological research. Beginning in the mid-1960's when
an Iron Age culture (c. 1300-300 ВС) was first recognised1, emergence of a series of regional polities in a particular en
much material dating between с 1 300 and 300 ВС has come vironmental zone and discuss how these settlements interacted
to light and been incorporated into several archaeological with those in other environments.
Bibby. 1967: Frifelt. 1969: 171. 2. Lombard. 1985: Potts. 1990a: Boucharlat. 1984.
Paléorient. vol. 24/2. p. 49-60 © CNRS ÉDITIONS 1999 Manuscrit reçu le 2 octobre 1998 et accepté le 16 décembre 1998. :
:
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50 P. Magee
Mesopotamia
Iran
ARABIAN GULF
Arabia
Fig. 1 : Southeastern Arabia and the Near East.
Fig. 2 : Southeastern Arabia.
ENVIRONMENT
Although average annual rainfall is less than 100 mm3 and
southeastern Arabia can be described as having a 'hot arid
desert climate with high summer temperatures and warm wint
ers with some rainfall'4, the region, in fact, consists of a
Aeolian Agriculture diverse range of environmental zones in which human adap
Sabkhas tation and subsistence can vary significantly. Running through
Western the spine of the peninsula is the al-Hajjar mountain range Eastern Desert Coastal Piedmont (fig. 2, 3). Although it receives slightly more rainfall than Piedmont Zone Zone Zone the surrounding plains, this rainfall is of limited agricultural Zone
value here because it occurs in an area where there is very
little flat land, good soil or groundwater storage5. On the east Fig. 3 : Cross Section showing the major geophysical features
side of the mountains lies the Batinah coast an alluvial plain of southeastern Arabia.
which provides considerable agricultural soils. This plain ex
tends to the sea, at which point access to the water table with
wells allows various forms of cultivation. In terms of land-use, the most marked dichotomy exists
On the west side of the mountains lies an alluvial zone, between the alluvial, piedmont plain and the desert/coastal
known locally as the al-Madam, Gharif or Jiri plain, that con regions. The former contains resources which encourage agri
tains soils to a depth of 60 cm (fig. 3)6. This leads to an culture while the latter lacks soils and receives the least rainfall
area of aeolian sand dunes that is the northern extension of of the entire peninsula. Paradoxically, the water table can be
the Rub al- Khali or Empty Quarter. Although notas inhospitable accessed by wells in the piedmont, but it is even more accessible
as the latter region, exploitation of this desert belt is limited closer to the coast at the point where it is forced up by interfacing
by the lack of soils and water. The desert merges into the with denser, salt-water.
coastal plain facing the Arabian Gulf at which point sabkhas,
which probably represent ancient lagoons, are common (fig.
3). While land use is limited in this zone due to the lack of
CHANGING PATTERNS OF SETTLEMENT : soils, access to the water table by wells permits some cultivation.
1 300-600 ВС
3. Wilkinson, 1977: 41.
4. Stevens, 1975 161. In this section we examine the changing settlement patterns 5. Wilkinson, 1977 49.
6. Satchell. 1978: 206. during the Iron Age. Unfortunately, an acute lack of deeply
Paléorient. vol. 24/2. p. 49-60 <0 CNRS ÉDITIONS 1999 1
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patterns, polities and regional complexity in the Southeast Arabian Iron Age 51 Settlement
Archaeobotanical evidence suggests that the date-palm
(Phoenix dactylifera). which is ideally suited to the environment Sliima
Tell Abrají • of southeastern Arabia and one of the few plants that flourishes Ham n va La«
there, was heavily exploited during the Iron Age I period.
Analysis of mudbricks from Tell Abraq indicates that wheat
and barley were also cultivated13. Such cultivation was un
doubtedly supported by wells; an example of which was r
ecovered in the excava