The Wadi Suq period in south-east Arabia: a reappraisal in the light of excavations at Kalba, UAE

Abstract

Introduction This paper concerns the late Bronze Age, or Wadi Suq period, in the south-eastern Arabian peninsula, which covers the period between 2000 ВС and 1300 ВС. Despite the abundance of funerary evidence and the excavation of Wadi Suq period settlement remains at Hili 8 (Cleuziou 1989), Shimal (Vogt & Franke-Vogt 1987; Velde 1992) and Tell Abraq (Potts 1990; 1991; 1993), this remains an enigmatic phase in the prehistory of the south-eastern Arabian peninsula. Until the excavation of Tell Abraq, the evidence pointed to a comparatively sparse occupation of the region during the second millennium, perhaps entailing a switch to a nomadic, herding way of life (Cleuziou 1981 : 292). The discovery of substantial Wadi Suq period remains at Tell Abraq has challenged this view (Potts 1993 : 118); further evidence to change our perception of the Wadi Suq period has recently emerged at Kalba, Sharjah Emirate. Over the past four seasons there have been excavations at Kalba by a British team under the direction of Carl Phillips, of the Institute of Archaeology, UCL, kindly sponsored by the Department of Archaeology, Sharjah. Kalba lies on the east coast of the peninsula, just south of Fujairah. The excavations have revealed the presence of a deeply stratified site with a sequence running from the third millennium ВС Umm an-Nar period through to the Iron Age. This site is named Kalba 4. The second millennium remains at Kalba 4 are of great significance. Not only do they provide evidence of monumental architecture during this time, they have also yielded a ceramic sequence covering the entire second millennium ВС and more. This site, together with a small number of other sites, provides evidence for the existence of large permanent settlements with monumental architecture in south-east Arabia during the Wadi Suq period. One of the most puzzling features of the Wadi Suq period is the contrast between its great number of tombs and its small number of non-funerary sites (cf. Figs 1 and 2). Wadi Suq period tombs are numerous and variable in form. Figure 1 shows their relatively even distribution along the northern Gulf and Indian Ocean coasts, and throughout the foothills of the Hajar mountains and the inland oasis belt. This pattern is similar to that of third millennium Umm an-Nar period remains. There seems to be a concentration of Wadi Suq tombs in the north of the peninsula, which may be attributable to a higher amount of fieldwork in the United Arab Emirates compared to Oman. The only notable gap is on the eastern side of the peninsula, along the Batinah coast. This can also be put down to differential intensity of fieldwork, although the amount of alluvial deposition and the extent of modern agriculture on the Batinah coast are contributory factors. It is still not entirely clear how the various tomb types relate to the internal chronology or regional

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