Spotlight into Late Palaeolithic – Neolithic transition in Southern Arabia: The Wādī Sayy Rock shelter

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F67985912%3A_____%2F24%3A00601763" target="_blank" >RIV/67985912:_____/24:00601763 - isvavai.cz</a>

Alternative codes found

RIV/68081758:_____/24:00601763

Result on the web

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DOI - Digital Object Identifier

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Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Spotlight into Late Palaeolithic – Neolithic transition in Southern Arabia: The Wādī Sayy Rock shelter

Original language description

The area surrounding the port city of Duqm in south-central Oman has undergone significant industrial and economic development. In 2015, an Italian rescue archaeological mission documented hundreds of archaeological sites within the Special Economic Zone at Duqm (SEZAD). These sites include tombs, triliths, and abundant surface lithic scatters, tentatively dated to the Holocene and presumably the Terminal Pleistocene. One noteworthy discovery by the Italian team is a small rock shelter (DUQ-25a) in the Wādī Ṣayy, representing one of the few stratified sites. Lithic material, including a biconvex tanged projectile point excavated from the initial test trench in 2015, suggested a placement in the Middle Neolithic period. However, subsequent excavation seasons in 2023 and 2024, conducted under the ARDUQ archaeological project, revealed a much more complex occupation history ranging from the Late Palaeolithic to the Middle Neolithic. Through absolute 14C dating and material culture analysis, the ARDUQ project provides the first direct evidence of Late Palaeolithic occupation in central Oman. This evidence indicates continuous development, at least into the Middle Neolithic. Our presentation focuses on the technological study of lithic industries within the dated stratigraphical context. Furthermore, the site serves as a crucial witness to the transition between the Early and Middle Holocene, a phase almost unidentified in the region. It offers a unique opportunity to compare this aspect of Arabian prehistory with surrounding regions. While the Early Neolithic in Oman is poorly documented, the exploration of central southern areas is providing new insights into neolithization processes and mechanisms of technological innovation in the broader context of Southern Arabia.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

O - Miscellaneous

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

60102 - Archaeology

Project

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Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2024

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů