The social and economic development of the Neolithic in eastern Arabia as seen from archaeological investigations at Dosariyah/ Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

• Applicant: Dr. Philipp Drechsler
• Subject Area: Prehistory and World Archaeology
• Term: from 2010 to 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 159166007

Current archaeological research at the Neolithic site of Dosariyah (Eastern Province, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) contributes to a better understanding of economic and social processes that characterize settlements along the coast of the Arabian Gulf in the 5th millennium BCE. They allow for insights into diverse adaptations of human groups on specific environmental conditions that influenced the emergence of a food producing economy on the Arabian Peninsula during the early and mid-Holocene. Additionally, Dosariyah is one of the very few archaeological sites along the Arabian Gulf coast where well-established relationships to southern Mesopotamia can be extensively studied. Archaeological investigations at Dosariyah therefore have the potential to answer key questions of Eastern Arabia's distant past.Major aim of the project is the analysis of economic and social processes that accompanied the development of the Neolithic in Arabia. Exceptional preservation conditions of faunal remains, a broad spectrum of finds, and a well-defined stratigraphy at the site allow for multifaceted studies applying a broad methodological spectrum. These studies focus on the economic and cultural roots of the Neolithic in Eastern Arabia, but also on the exploitation of specific resources as a result of diverse environmental adaptations. The discovery of the most substantial corpse of Ubaid pottery in the Central Gulf area further allows for the study of interrelationships between the Gulf coast and Southern Mesopotamia. Probably interrelated is the appearance of a first indigenous pottery tradition in Arabia, a unique characteristic of Neolithic sites along the Arabian Gulf coast that is widely unexplored until today.The extension of research at Dosariyah offers the possibility to answer still open research questions concerning the local environment and economic conditions at the site. Predicted findings are expected to result in a more comprehensive picture of one of the most important Ubaid-related sites in the Central Gulf area. The reinvestigation of Dosariyah can thus be successfully completed.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: United Kingdom, USA
• Participating Persons: Professor Peter Magee; Professor Dr. Adrian Parker; Professorin Dr. Susan Pollock