The tusk was 2.5 metres in length. What an incredibly exciting find! And this was only the beginning. Before too long, equally old fossil fragments of ancestors of crocodiles, probable hippopotamus, giant turtles and primitive horses were discovered, again in the desert sands.

 By Patricia Groves 

 The picture that emerges of life six to eight million years ago in the late Miocene period is of a thickly vegetated land, abounding in wildlife, not unlike present day East Africa. There was evidence of wide rivers flowing through what must have been well-wooded savannah plains.

This series of finds is what Dr Beech calls a “Golden Great” of Palaeontology, the scientific study of life existing in former geological periods. Dr Mark Beech is a research fellow from the University of York working as the Senior Resident Archaeologist on the Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey (ADIAS). 

Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the president of the UAE, established ADIAS eleven years ago, and the organisation is charged, under the patronage of Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, with surveying for, recording, and, where appropriate, excavating archaeological sites on the coast and islands of Abu Dhabi. Dr Beech described the process by which the fragile elephant tusk was safely taken from its almost unfathomably old bed in the sand. 

The case, weighing about 400 kg, was then lifted by crane onto a truck, which would carry it over the rough desert terrain seven kilometres to the nearest tarmac road and on to the ADIAS headquarters in Abu Dhabi. There the tusk would be removed from the case, the foam taken off, the glue “reversed” with chemical treatment; and, the tusk returned to its original state as found in the desert. Other fossil fragments from the exotic “pre-elephant” (Stegotetrabelodon syrticus) were discovered, including another tusk; a relatively complete pair of jaws over one metre long; a number of rib sections including one almost entire specimen about a metre long — and not all from the same animal. The fragments bore signs of being washed by a river, confirmed by palaeoecological information.

Equally evocative were the mysterious frozen tracks of unknown animals — not camels, not gazelles; were they ancestors of lions? We were shown extraordinary footprints from groups of animals going off into the distance; and then the enormous circular pad-like prints of either a colossal pre-elephant or one of lesser weight moving faster.

Hundreds and hundreds of fossils footprints were found embedded in rock. Dr Beech mentions that within Palaeontology the study of footprints is a science of its own. 

Excavations on the islands and shores of Abu Dhabi revealed findings very similar to those discovered in Oman, where remains indicated that people lived in circular structures, wore beautifully designed shell jewellery and used flint tools. On Dalma Island in the UAE, Dr Beech found sherds of plaster vessels made from local gypsum, and traces of other household goods. Ubaid pottery sherds with distinctive black stripe decoration indicated the existence of trading links with Mesopotamia. The pottery was made in what is now southern Iraq near Tell Al Ubaid. The ancient settlement on Dalma also provided some of the earliest evidence for date consumption in the Arabian peninsula. Dr Beech ended his lecture on the ADIAS project by again zooming forward in time, bringing us to a period only 1,500 years ago on Sir Bani Yas Island. Here the remnants of a pre-Islamic church and monastery were unearthed. 

The site represents the first archaeological evidence of Christianity in the United Arab Emirates, and indeed in southeastern Arabia. A very similar church was discovered by French archaeologists in the 1980s working on the island of Failaka in Kuwait. 

The majority of the pre-Islamic Christians in the area were from the Church of the East, formerly known as Nestorian Christians. The site on Sir Bani Yas Island was abandoned in the mid to late seventh century AD. Christianity rapidly disappeared after the coming of Islam, probably as a result of conversion or dispersal.

It is a persistent human characteristic to wonder about the past and to try to solve its mysteries. Even space investigations are geared as much to understanding the origins of the universe, our galaxy and solar system, as they are to anticipating the future. Perhaps the more we know about the past, the more firmly rooted we feel here and now. Whatever the reason, having concrete information about an era almost unimaginably long ago when rivers ran through Arabia is both exciting and strangely comforting.

The dramatic landscape of the Sultanate of Oman has long been enticing archaeologists who have not been very successful resisting their itch to bring Oman, long known as the hermit of the Middle East, out from its shell. Dr Mark Beech, senior resident archaeologist for the Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey (ADIAS), was in Muscat recently on invitation by the Historical Association of Oman. Dr Beech, who has more than 20 years of field experience working on a range of impressive historic and archaeological sites and projects gave a lecture about his exciting findings in the past 10 years in the UAE.

“The similarities in the archaeological sites explain how people moved about in the combined areas. The history and archaeology of both the countries are intermingled. Behind all the present modernisation and industrialisation, Oman is strewn with precious archaeological finds that speak for themselves. Surveys reveal a large number of Pre-Islamic cemeteries and settlements that provide archaeologists with interesting information about how people lived thousands of years ago,” he says.

The Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey was established in 1992 by President Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan. ADIAS is charged under the patronage of Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan, with surveying for, recording and where appropriate, excavating archaeological sites on the coast and islands of Abu Dhabi. In the more than twelve years that have followed, ADIAS has identified over a thousand sites or groups of sites on the coast and islands of Abu Dhabi.

“My trip now was also intended to collect and exchange more information, archaeological publications and other details that would help guide us in our work here. On this visit I have been meeting with research colleagues at the Ministry of National Heritage and Culture, the Department of Archaeology at the Sultan Qaboos University and the Bait Al Zubair Museum, discussing the future, and possible collaborative projects. 

“It is important for archaeologists working in an area to communicate with neighbouring states. The main thing is that we are all fighting for the same cause, to protect the cultural heritage of a land. It is a good idea that there are centres here in Oman that invite people interested in archaeology to come forward and contribute information. Oman is blessed with an extraordinary number of archaeological sites and therefore needs a large number of trained experts to care for its rich heritage”.

Dr Beech says archaeology museums in any country are very important as they provide a direct window into the past. Organising school visits to museums are important not only from the point of view of education but also because they provide a vital foundation for understanding the culture of a land and its people. Archaeology is the scientific study of the remains of past human cultures. “It is important to present how archaeological sites and their remains look at the present day. Reconstructions play an important role but they have to be done very carefully. People should be encouraged to recognise what archaeological sites look like so that they know what should be reported to the authorities. So the first problem is increasing public awareness of what is an archaeological site. The information has to be centralised and managed in an organised way.

“Taking into account the number of wilayats in a big country like Oman, things could be done more quickly with one archaeologist in each wilayat to patrol and report about the archaeological sites. This, and the sufficient arrangements and the appropriate people to support, the work would be the ideal situation. In Oman there is an urgent need for a greater investment in the infrastructure of archaeology and heritage management, especially as modern developments are taking place in the country.” Dr Beech recently met some young Omani archaeologists who have graduated from SQU “The future appears bright for Oman with the younger generation very passionate about protecting their heritage. There are more people being trained in archaeology today. I met some of them in London and the UAE at conferences. Many have done their Master’s degrees in the UK and USA.”

Dr Beech, who grew up in England says he decided to be an archaeologist right from the age of 8 or 9 when he used to insist his parents take him to museums and archaeological sites. At a very early age he joined the Young Archaeologist’s Club in England and later, went on to complete his Bachelor’s degree from the Institute of Archaeology at the University of London which was established by Mortimer Wheeler, the famous archaeologist who excavated Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa. He took his Master’s degree, specialising in environmental archaeology, at the Department of Archaeology and Prehistory at the University of Sheffield. 

He was particularly interested in the link between humans and their environment. His research interest was centred in the prehistoric period. The Neolithic period, from about 7,000 to 5,000 years ago, was of particular interest to him. Dr Beech says this time period fascinated him because it is when the earliest known settlements appear in the UAE. Some of the pottery that has been unearthed has been found to originate from southern Iraq. So it shows that 7,000 years ago people made use of sophisticated boats for the purpose of trade and transportation.

Dr Beech has had the opportunity to work in a number of other countries like Jordan together with a team from the British Museum. He has also worked in Pakistan on two expeditions. More recently he has spent time in Kuwait and Bahrain visiting important archaeological sites. “The world is much smaller today than it was before,” says Dr Beech. “We have very fast communication and travel to different parts of the world. Hence, it is more important today than ever before that we appreciate each others’ culture and live in harmony. 

Archaeology takes you on a journey and connects you into the past and to the present, exchanging ideas. None of us come from nothing and each of us have an interesting journey to complete. Archaeologists are mainly interested in what we call cultural transmission, the transfer of cultural practices and ideas between different past communities. We should enjoy the diversity of cultural expressions witnessed through archaeology and learn from the heritage of our ancestors!”