Al Qawd, the first stratified profile in Duqm, south-central Oman

0575907 - ARÚ 2024 eng A - Abstract
Garba, Roman - Meredith-Williams, M. - Chlachula, Dominik - Beshkani, A. - Usyk, Vitalii
Al Qawd, the first stratified profile in Duqm, south-central Oman.
[INQUA Congress 2023 /21./. Rome, 13.07.2023-20.07.2023]
Method of presentation: Poster
URL events: https://inquaroma2023.org/ 
Grant - others:AV ČR(CZ) AP2203
Program: Akademická prémie - Praemium Academiae
Institutional support: RVO:67985912 ; RVO:68081758
Keywords : Arabian archaeology * Oman * Late Palaeolithic
OECD category: Archaeology; Archaeology (ARUB-Q)
https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.25541.22249

The Late Pleistocene landscape evolution of South-eastern Arabia has important implications for modern human settlement patterns; however, these are currently under-studied and represented by a limited number of securely dated stratified archaeological sites. The region of Duqm in south-central Oman, Al-Wusta Governorate, completely lacks any dated archaeological material older than the Early Iron Age, despite an apparent wealth of visible surface lithic scatters. Here we present the region’s first OSL-based chronology of a stratified sedimentary profile with in-situ lithic artefacts. The Al Qawd site is located 15km westwards (inland) from the modern port of Duqm and is in an area with high-quality chert nodules (a valuable lithic tool raw material) present throughout the landscape. The area features frequent lithic scatters of heavy bifaces and unidirectional large and heavy blades, suggesting long-term use of a uniform technology, or/and high-intensity episodes of the same lithic tool production over a short period of time. Up until now, the chronology has been based on lithic typology (there were previously no radiometric dates), with a postulated span from the Middle and Early Upper Palaeolithic, to the Holocene, based on the minimal presence of the surface patina on some artefacts. This study brings together a variety of complimentary geoarchaeological techniques on a range of scales: from broadscale remote sensing to identify landforms (and their likely chronological order), down to site level stratigraphic and dating techniques. The OSL dates from this study provide insight into the chronology of the Al Qawd lithic scatters and, therefore, the landscape evolution of this part of the Duqm region, informing on how the lithic sites fit into the broader landscape of the region. The results contribute to our knowledge of population dynamics and settlement patterns across the Arabian Peninsula during the transition from the Late Pleistocene to Holocene. The research was conducted as a joint effort of ARDUQ and LARiO expeditions in Oman.
Permanent Link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0345650