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Worked and decorated shell discs from southern Arabia and the wider Near East
Author(s) -
Weeks Lloyd,
DavidCuny Hélène,
Avanzini Alessandra,
Lischi Silvia,
Genchi Francesco,
Caputo Francesco,
Al Ali Yaaqoub Youssef,
Boraik Mansour
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
arabian archaeology and epigraphy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.384
H-Index - 18
eISSN - 1600-0471
pISSN - 0905-7196
DOI - 10.1111/aae.12126
Subject(s) - archaeology , excavation , shell (structure) , geography , range (aeronautics) , ancient history , history , engineering , civil engineering , aerospace engineering
This article presents and discusses a corpus of worked and decorated shell discs from recently excavated archaeological sites in southern Arabia, including Dibba (northern Oman), Saruq al‐Hadid ( UAE ) and Sumhuram/Khor Rori (southern Oman). The artefacts are compared to a wide range of shell discs from controlled excavations in Arabia and the broader Near East in order to better understand their date, manufacture and use. The comparative study highlights the wide distribution of decorated shell discs across the ancient Near East, particularly during the early Iron Age, and the complex economic and cultural connections that underpinned the collection, crafting, exchange and significance of such items.