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ADIAS - What's new ?
[ Visit the ADIAS website archive of past
updates for 2001
- 2002 - 2003
- 2004 - 2005
- 2006 ]
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- May - June - July
- August - September - October
- November - December 2006
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The Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey (ADIAS) undertakes data collection and preliminary recording of archaeological and palaeontological sites and publication of its earlier and continuing work, both in Abu Dhabi, and, through associates, elsewhere in the United Arab Emirates. This work is undertaken both as part of a continuing research programme and as contracted work for consultancy companies and others prior to the carrying out of development projects.
10 October 2006
New papers published
Two papers reporting on ADIAS work have been published in the latest issue (Vol. 16.1) of the Abu Dhabi-based journal Tribulus.
Hellyer, P. and S. Aspinall, 2006. "An archaeological and ecological curiosity - Terebralia palustris (Linnaeus, 1767) in the north-east of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi." Tribulus 16.1: 10-13.
Kallweit, H. 2006. "A new type of tool from Umm az-Zamul Neolithic sites." Tribulus 16.1: 14-15.
27-29 July 2006
Results of a third season of fieldwork in the deserts of south-eastern Abu Dhabi, undertaken by an ADIAS team in collaboration with the Department of Antiquities and Tourism in Al Ain, part of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, were presented in a paper delivered at the annual Seminar for Arabian Studies in London.
"Tombs, Burnt Mounds and Flints in the Desert: Recent Work in the Umm az-Zamul Region of Abu Dhabi Emirate, UAE." Richard Cuttler (University of Birmingham, U.K), Heiko Kallweit (ADIAS & Freiburg, Germany), Mark Beech (ADACH, U.A.E), Anja Zander (ASA Laboratory for Archaeometry, Germany), Will Pitt (University of Birmingham, U.K.) & Walid Yasin Al-Tikriti (ADACH, U.A.E.). An abstract of the paper is available here:
http://www.arabianseminar.org.uk/abstracts2006.html
1 June 2006
The former Senior Resident Archaeologist of ADIAS, Dr Mark Beech joined
the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) as Head of
Division - Cultural Landscapes.
29-31 May 2006
Dr Mark Beech participated
in the Symposium on the "Status
and Conservation of Dugongs of the Arabian Gulf, Red Sea and Western
Indian Ocean", organised by the Environment
Agency in Abu Dhabi, and sponsored by Total.
The event was held at the Beach Rotana Hotel in Abu Dhabi. He presented
a paper entitled: "An archaeological perspective on the exploitation
of dugongs in the Arabian Gulf".
ABSTRACT:
Although
the dugong is today a protected species they have been exploited by
humans as long as 7500 years ago in the Arabian Gulf. This paper discusses
the archaeological evidence for their exploitation. It highlights the
sites and locations where dugong remains have been discovered and provides
a historical synthesis of the relationship between human populations
and dugongs in the region.
Added
new stories to the press page:
Experts to discuss 'save dugong' plan (Source: Khaleej
Times)
Strategies
to save dugong population (Source:
Gulf News)
22 May 2006
Added the following item
to the publications page:
Beech, M., H. Kallweit, R. Cuttler
and W.Y. Al-Tikriti. 2006. Neolithic sites in Umm az-Zamul. Bulletin
of the Society for Arabian Studies 11: 17-26.
[ to download this article in
Acrobat .pdf format click
here (1.67 MB) ] .
21
May 2006
Added new stories to the press page:
TDIC backs Saadiyat Island archaeological studies (Source: AME
Info)
TDIC
backs Saadiyat Island archaeological studies (Source: Strategiy.com)
15
May 2006
Added new stories to the press page:
ADCHA reviews priority plan (Source: WAM
- Emirates News Agency)
Emirates' experience used to manage Sudan heritage sites (Source:
Khaleej Times)
[
download also a jpeg version of the article by clicking
here ]
13 May 2006
Added new story to the press page: ADACH
unveils plan for collection of cultural heritage of Abu Dhabi (Source:
Dubai Cityguide.com)
10 May 2006
Added new stories to the press page:
Seminar participants thank HM (Source: Times
of Oman)
Seminar
ends with focus on Oman’s rich history (Source: Oman
Observer)
9 May 2006
Added new stories to
the press page:
Sayyid
Haitham hosts dinner for participants of seminar on Arab peninsula
(Source: Times
of Oman)
Seminar reflects Oman keenness to preserve its cultural resources
(Source: Khaleej Times)
8 May 2006
Added new story to the press page: Qatabi
opens symposium on Arab peninsula (Source:
Times of Oman)
7-9 May 2006
Dr Mark Beech participated in the International Symposium "Archaeology
of the Arabian Peninsula Through the Ages", held at the Intercontinental
Hotel in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. To download further details about
the symposium click
here (pdf - 994Kb).
Dr Mark Beech presented the following paper at the symposium:
RETHINKING THE NEOLITHIC OF SOUTH-EASTERN ARABIA: NEW
RESULTS FROM EXCAVATIONS ON MARAWAH ISLAND AND UMM AZ-ZAMUL, ABU DHABI
EMIRATE, UAE
ABSTRACT - This
paper will discuss two ongoing projects of the Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological
Survey (ADIAS) which shed new light on the Neolithic period in south-eastern
Arabia. Firstly, recent excavations on Marawah Island located some 100km
west of the city of Abu Dhabi have revealed traces of a very important
early neolithic settlement dating back to the mid 6th millennium BC.
The site, known as MR11, consists of a series of large impressive stone
buildings. Interesting finds include imported Ubaid pottery from Mesopotamia,
locally made plaster vessels and pearl oyster buttons. Secondly, recent
survey work and excavations in the Umm az-Zamul region located in the
south-east of Abu Dhabi emirate, not far from the borders of the Sultanate
of Oman and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, have uncovered new evidence
for neolithic settlement within the Rub Al-Khali. The results of recent
survey and excavation work will be presented. These and other findings
will be discussed in comparison with material found at early prehistoric
sites located in the Sultanate of Oman. The new evidence provides an
intriguing insight into life in south-east Arabia at this time.
29 April 2006
Added new stories to the press page:
in arabic [download
also pdf version]
(Source: Al Ittihad)
Elephant
fossil bones found in excavation site in UAE (Source: Kuwait
News Agency, KUNA)
Ancient
elephant fossils found (Source: Gulf
News)
15 April 2006
Added new stories to the press page:
in arabic [download also pdf
version] (Source: Al Ittihad)
Archaeological
survey planned (Source: Gulf
News)
Abu
Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage unveils plan to conduct archaeological
and palaeontological surveys (Source: WAM
- Emirates News Agency)
9 April 2006
Added new story to the press page: Abu
Dhabi culture and heritage panel launches excavation drive in Al Ain
(Source: Khaleej
Times)
4 April 2006
Added new story to the press page: Elephant
Fossils Found in Western Abu Dhabi (Source: Cultural
Heritage News Agency - Iran
29-30 March 2006
ADIAS attended the Fourth Annual Symposium on Recent
Archaeological Discoveries in the Emirates, held at Le Mercure Hotel
on Jebel Hafit in Al Ain.
Click here to see details of the programme and to read abstracts
of the papers presented.
Three papers were presented by ADIAS team members:
"Umm al-Ishtan and Bida al-Mutawa: new Late Miocene
fossil sites in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi Emirate" by Dr.
Mark Beech (ADIAS), Dr. John Stewart, (University College, London)
and Dr. Heiko Kallweit (ADIAS).
"Investigating
the Desert Neolithic: a report on the 3rd season of archaeological survey
and excavations at Umm az-Zamul, Abu Dhabi Emirate" by Dr. Heiko
Kallweit (ADIAS), Richard Cuttler (Birmingham University), Dr.
Mark Beech (ADIAS) and Dr. Walid Yasin al-Tikriti (Department
of Antiquities and Tourism, Al Ain / ADACH).
"Archaeological
survey and excavations on Sadiyat island, Abu Dhabi Emirate: 2005 and
2006 seasons" by Dr. Heiko Kallweit, (ADIAS), Richard Cuttler
(Birmngham University) and Dr. Mark Beech (ADIAS)
30 March 2006
Added new stories to the press page:
Elephantine discovery throws light on ancient world [also download
jpeg version] (Source:
Gulf News)
8-million-year
old elephant fossils found in Abu Dhabi (Source: Zee
News - India)
29 March 2006
Added new stories to the press page:
Fossils
of elephants that lived 8 million years ago found in Western Abu Dhabi
(Source: UAEinteract.com)
Fossils of ancient elephants found (Source: Khaleej
Times)
Elephant
fossil find (Source:
7 Days)
When elephants roamed
free [jpeg version] (Source: Emirates
Today)
UAE-Archaeology:
Elephant fossils found in Western Abu Dhabi (Source: TMCnet)
28 March 2006
Added new stories to the press page:
Elephant
fossils found in Western Abu Dhabi (Source:
WAM - Emirates News Agency)
Fossils
of elephants that lived 8 million years ago found in Western Abu Dhabi
(Source: WAM - Emirates News Agency)
Elephant
fossils found in Western Abu Dhabi (Source: Al
Arab Online)
Diplomats'
Spouses visits Al Ain (Source: WAM
- Emirates News Agency)
8-16 March 2006
Dr Mark Beech was invited by Shehab Shehab, Director of the National
Museum in Kuwait, to participate in the joint Kuwaiti-Slovak Archaeological
Team working on Failaka Island. The team is currently excavating an
important Bronze Age/Dilmun period settlement at Al-Khidr, located on
the north-west coast of the island.
During this visit he carried out collaborative work on the animal bone
assemblage from Al Khidr, together with Zora Miklokova from the Institute
of Archaeology, Slovak Academy of Sciences. Discussions were also held
with Dr Mohsen Al-Husaini from the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research
(KISR) concerning the progress of the joint marine catfish otolith research
project.
6 March 2006
Added the following items to the publications
page:
Beech,
M. 2006. Book review of "Reef Fishes: UAE and Gulf of Oman"
by Richard Field. Dubai: Motivate Publishing, in Tribulus (Journal
of the Emirates Natural History Group) 15.2: 30-31.
[
to download this article in Acrobat .pdf format click
here (249 Kb) ] .
Beech, M. 2006. Book
review of "The Early Dilmun Settlement at Saar", edited by
Robert Killick and Jane Moon, London-Bahrain Archaeological Expedition
Saar Excavation Report 3. xii+367 pages, 536 colour illustrations, tables.
2005. Ludlow: Archaeology International; 0-9539561-1-3 hardback"
in Antiquity 80 (No.307, March 2006): 227-228.
[ click here to visit the Antiquity
website and to read the article ] .
Beech, M. and E.
Glover. 2005. The environment and economy of an Ubaid-related settlement
on Dalma island, United Arab Emirates. Paléorient 31/1:
97-107.
[ to read abstract click
here ].
Beech, M. and M.
Al-Husaini. 2005. Preliminary report on the vertebrate fauna from site
H3, Sabiyah: an Arabian Neolithic / 'Ubaid site in Kuwait. In: H. Buitenhuis,
A.M. Choyke, L. Martin, L. Bartosiewicz and M. Mashkour (eds.), Archaeozoology
of the Near East VI: Proceedings of the sixth international symposium
on the archaeozoology of southwestern Asia and adjacent areas. ARC
Publicaties 123. Groningen, Netherlands. pp.124-138.
[ to download
this article in Acrobat .pdf format click here (3.12 MB) ] .
3 March 2006
Added new story to
the press page: Excavations
come up with Stone Age tools [ also download a jpeg
version of the story ] (Source: Khaleej
Times)
8 February 2006
Added new stories to
the press page: ADCHA
board of directors named (Source: Khaleej
Times) and Khalifa
names Abu Dhabi Culture and Heritage Authority board (Source: UAEinteract.com).
7 February 2006
Added new stories on the press page:
Khalifa names ADCHA's board (Source: WAM
- Emirates News Agency)
and
ADCHA board holds its first meeting (Source: WAM
- Emirates News Agency).
28 January - 2
February 2006
An ADIAS team carried
out fieldwork at Umm al-Ishtan in the western region of Abu Dhabi.
The ADIAS team included: Dr Mark Beech (ADIAS Senior Resident Archaeologist),
Dr John Stewart (Department of Biology, University College London, U.K.),
Dr Heiko Kallweit (ADIAS associate and Freiburg, Germany) and Roxana
Mclennan (ADIAS associate, Abu Dhabi).
Mapping and excavation of a newly discovered fossil site near Umm al-Ishtan,
presumed to be Late Miocene in date, was undertaken. A number of important
fossil specimens were successfully excavated and transported back to
Abu Dhabi. These include almost complete specimens of elephant radius
and femur, as well as a large pelvis fragment. In addition, a new fossil
elephant trackway site was "discovered" close to Bida al-Mutawa.
19-24 January 2006
An ADIAS team carried
out fieldwork on Sadiyat island. The island is located just to the east
of the capital city of Abu Dhabi. A new tourism
development project is being developed there under the control of
the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA).
The ADIAS team included: Dr Mark Beech (ADIAS Senior Resident Archaeologist),
Dr Heiko Kallweit (ADIAS associate and Freiburg, Germany), Richard Cuttler
(ADIAS associate and Birmingham Archaeology, University of Birmingham,
UK), Phil Glover (ADIAS associate, Abu Dhabi) and Roxana Mclennan (ADIAS
associate, Abu Dhabi).
Detailed mapping was undertaken of two main areas of archaeological
interest on the island. Archaeological features recorded include hearths,
shell middens, pottery scatters and occupation mounds. The majority
of the pottery appears to date to the Late Islamic period, although
analysis is still underway on the assemblage. A report is currently
in preparation on the results of this work.
29
December 2005 - 16 January 2006
An ADIAS team carried
out fieldwork at Khor Al Manahil and Kharimat Khor
Al Manahil in the Umm az-Zamul region of South-East Abu Dhabi. This
is a joint project of the Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey (ADIAS),
in collaboration with the Department of Antiquities and Tourism in Al
Ain. The work is investigating Late Stone Age Neolithic sites discovered
in this area. The team included:
Co-directors: Dr Mark Beech (ADIAS Senior Resident Archaeologist), Dr
Heiko Kallweit (ADIAS associate and Freiburg, Germany) and Dr Walid
Yasin Al-Tikriti (Department of Antiquities and Tourism, Al Ain).
Team members: Richard
Cuttler (ADIAS associate and Birmingham Archaeology, University of Birmingham,
UK), Suzan Al Mutawa (ADIAS researcher), Phil Glover (ADIAS associate,
Abu Dhabi), Roxana Mclennan (ADIAS associate, Abu Dhabi), Hamed Al-Mutairi
(Department of Museums and Antiquities, National Council for Culture,
Arts & Letters, Kuwait) and Ahmed Abdullah Elhaj (Department of
Antiquities and Tourism, Al Ain).
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