Mapping Continuity, Development and Resilience in the Southeastern Arabian Bronze Age: The Prehistoric Settlement at Tell Abraq, United Arab Emirates

Abstract

Tell Abraq, located on the Persian Gulf Coast of the United Arab Emirates, is one of the most important multi-period archaeological sites in southeastern Arabia. Although it forms part of a well-known architectural tradition, it is distinguishable from most other monumental Bronze Age sites as a result of its continuous archaeological sequence spanning approximately 2000 years. Relevantly, the Bronze Age occupation alone covers the period from ca. 2300–1300 BC. Previous archaeological investigations have established that continuous, intense occupation of individual sites was relatively rare during the southeastern Arabian Bronze Age. This prompts the question of why Tell Abraq stands amongst a select group of sites that developed in this manner. This thesis concentrates on two main areas in order to inform that specific inquiry: first, the architectural remains constructed, used and modified during the Bronze Age, along with the deposits surrounding them (the stratigraphic analysis); and second, Tell Abraq’s role in the regional context, particularly in light of contemporary environmental conditions in southeastern Arabia (the contextual analysis). There are clear similarities between Tell Abraq and other Bronze Age sites in the region yet Tell Abraq was occupied significantly longer than all but one other excavated site (Kalba 4). The continuous occupation of Tell Abraq therefore provides a unique opportunity to gain an insight into the development of this mode of settlement across the region during the third and second millennia BC. The distribution of Bronze Age monumental sites encompasses all of the major environmental and geographical zones across southeastern Arabia, but they are temporally limited to an earlier phase of the Bronze Age. The theory that Tell Abraq was a key component in an ancient regional network that spanned the entire Bronze Age is championed, despite prevailing environmental and social challenges, leading to a conclusion that resilience was adopted as a response to these challenges, rather than widespread collapse or social devolution.