In the Shadow of the Ancestors: The Prehistoric Foundations of the Early Arabian Civilization in Oman

Serge Cleuziou (1945–2009). French archaeologist and social scientist at the University of Paris «Sorbonne», Serge Cleuziou was deeply interested in studying the multifaceted relationships between population and environmental resources by reconstructing ancient landscapes and manufacturing processes. He has been one of the founding fathers of archaeological research in Southeastern Arabia, where he excavated first at Hili and later along the Ja’alan coast in Oman. ; Maurizio Tosi (1944–2017). Italian archaeologist and palaeoeconomist at the University of Naples «Orientale» and the University of Bologna, Maurizio Tosi researched the formation processes of prehistoric societies in Middle Asia. In 1977 he pioneered the archaeological research in Oman excavating Neolithic necropoleis and fishermen camps at Ras Al-Hamra.

• Foreword: Cornerstones of Archaeological Research in Oman – H.H. Haitham bin Tariq Al-Said ; Editorial Note: A Posthumous Expanded Edition – D. Frenez & R. Garba ; Acknowledgements ; In Memoriam of Serge Cleuziou, 1945-2009: An Arabian Explorer in a Cartesian Mind – M. Tosi† ; In Memoriam of Maurizio Tosi, 1944-2017: A Scientist of Curiosity – D. Frenez ; Chapter 1: A Land of Many Landscapes for Greater Opportunities ; Chapter 2: The Search for the Earliest Humans in Oman ; Window 1: On the Trail of the First Humans in Oman – J. Rose ; Chapter 3: From Early Hunters to the Last Foragers ; Window 2: Early Herders at A-Buhais 18 – M. Uerpmann & H.-P. Uerpmann ; Window 3: Earliest Cultures along the Coastlands of Oman – V. Charpentier ; Window 4: Sea Mammals and Humans in the Oman Peninsula – V. Charpentier & S. Méry ; Chapter 4: The Great Transformation ; Window 5: The Middle Holocene Fishermen Settlement of KHB-1 – F. Cavulli & S. Scaruffi ; Window 6: The Prehistoric Graveyard at Ras Al-Hamra RH-5 – S. Salvatori ; Window 7: Funerary Practices at Ras Al-Hamra RH-5. New Data from 2005/2009 – O. Munoz ; Window 8: Shell-Midden Economy in the Fourth millennium BC – M. Uerpmann & H.-P. Uerpmann ; Window 9: Marine Turtles from Ras Al-Hamra RH-5 – M. Delfino & J. Frazier ; Window 10: Neolithic and Early Bronze Age Occupations at HD-5 – F. Borgi & E. Maini ; Window 11: Bead Production in the Late Neolithic Communities of Coastal Oman – M. Buta, D. Frenez, E. Bortolini, V. Charpentier & J.M. Kenoyer ; Window 12: Jabal Al-Aluya. An Inland Neolithic Settlement – M. Lemée & G. Gernez ; Window 13: The Hafit Settlement HD-6 at Ras Al-Hadd – V.M. Azzarà & M. Cattani ; Window 14: The Early Metallurgy of the Oman Peninsula – C. Giardino ; Window 15: Analysis of Stone and Metal Artifacts from HD-6, HD-10 and HD-1 – R.W. Law ; Window 16: The Earliest Camel Remains of Oman from Ras Al-Hadd HD-6 – A. Curci & M. Carletti ; Chapter 5: A Great Society Emerges under the Eyes of the Ancestors ; Window 17: Tomb 1 at Ras Al-Jinz RJ-1 and Associated Bone Pits – H. Guy & O. Munoz ; Window 18: Zukayt and the Burial Fields of Wadi Halfayin – E. Bortolini ; Chapter 6: Taming the Desert with Oases and Herds ; Window 19: Animal Economy in an Early Oasis Settlement – M. Uerpmann & H.-P. Uerpmann ; Window 20: Earliest Potteries in the Oman Peninsula – S. Méry ; Window 21: An Early Third Millennium BC Madbassa? – S. Cleuziou † ; Window 22: The Early Oasis Settlements of the Hajar Region – J. Orchard & J. Orchard † ; Chapter 7: Trade and the Beginnings of Seafaring in the Indian Ocean ; Window 23: Copper from Magan for the Mesopotamian Cities – G. Weisgerber † ; Window 24: From Green to Red. Smelting Red Copper from the Green Ore – G. Weisgerber † ; Window 25: Indus Pottery in the Oman Peninsula – S. Méry ; Window 26: Reconstructing an Early Bronze Age Boat – T. Vosmer ; Window 27: Early Bronze Age Navigation and Trade Routes – T. Vosmer ; Window 28: Bitumen from Ras Al-Jinz RJ-2 – E. Badel ; Window 29: The Manufacture of Conus sp. Shell Rings at the Site of HD-60 – L.G. Marcucci ; Chapter 8: The Early Arabian Civilization at its Zenith ; Window 30: Al-Ayn. A Small Settlement and Palm Tree Garden in Eastern Oman – O. Blin ; Window 31: Copper Production as Seen from Al-Moyassar 1 – G. Weisgerber † ; Window 32: Bat. A Leading Centre of Early Civilization in Oman – C.M. Cable & C.P. Thornton ; Window 33: The Umm an-Nar Burial Pits of the Necropolis of Bat – S. Döpper & C. Schmidt ; Window 34: The Umm an-Nar Settlement of Al-Zebah – S. Döpper & C. Schmidt ; Window 35: The Indus Civilization Trade with the Oman Peninsula – D. Frenez ; Window 36: Carnelian and Agate Beads in the Oman Peninsula during the Third to Second millennia BC – J.M. Kenoyer & D. Frenez ; Chapter 9: The Wadi Suq Period. Collapse and Transformation ; Window 37: Copper in the Wadi Suq Period (Second millennium BC) – G. Weisgerber † ; Window 38: Adam North Graveyard in Central Oman – G. Gernez & J. Giraud ; Chapter 10: The Iron Age. New Developments on the Eve of History ; Window 39: Long Collective Graves LCG-1 and LCG-2 at Daba, Musandam (Oman) – F. Genchi ; Window 40: Mudhmar East. An Iron Age Ritual Site at the Desert Margin – G. Gernez & M. Jean ; Window 41: Iron Age Buildings with a Pillared Room in the Oman Peninsula – A. Benoist ; Window 42: Iron Age Mining and Smelting in the Lizq Period – G. Weisgerber † ; Window 43: The Early Iron Age in the Sultanate of Oman – P.A. Yule ; Window 44: ʿUqdat Al-Bakrah. An Early Iron Age Metal-Working Atelier just inside the Empty Quarter in Oman – F. Genchi, C. Giardino & P.A. Yule ; Window 45: The Fish-Eaters – Ichthyophagoi, by O. Nalesini ; Window 46: Ichthyophagoi their Culture and Economy during the Iron Age in Coastal Oman – R. Loreto ; Window 47: Rock Art of Al-Hajar Mountains. A Review and Update – A.E. Fossati ; Window 48: Triliths: Hinterland Monuments of Ancient Nomads – R. Garba ; Chapter 11: Dhofar. The Land of Frankincense ; Bibliography