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The Long-Term Cultural Sustainability (ISTIDAMA) Project aims to identify the eco-cultural factors of sustainable lifeways and historical landscapes of the canyons and foothills of the Hajar Mountains. To this end, the project team conducted three field activities: (1) general surveys in the Tanūf district of Ad-Dākhilīyah Governorate, (2) detailed documentation of the cemeteries in the survey area, and (3) excavations at the cave site of Mughārat Al Kahf in Wadi Tanūf. Regarding the general survey, the team documented seven archaeological sites in Wadi Tanūf and six sites in As-Suwaihiriyah in the floodplain of Wadi Al Abyad at 5 km east of Tanūf. Among these, the team documented the cemetery of WTN07, 13, and 14 in detail. These cemeteries were occupied from the Wadi Suq period (ca. 2000 to 1600 BCE) and Early Iron Age (ca. 1300–650 BCE). In the cave site, the team opened a new trench next to the last season’s one to verify stratigraphy. The team also took coprolite, date stone, charcoal, and soil sample for ancient DNA, stable isotope, and radiocarbon dating analyses.
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Research towards the reconstruction of various archaeological landscapes in the Al-Ḥajar mountains is still ongoing. Past investigations in the Wādī Tanūf canyon have revealed long-term transformation of landscapes of higher places, such as hilltops and a cave on a cliff. However, the function of the wadi terraces has not been sufficiently investigated. In the 2022–2023 season, we surveyed the site of WTN07 on a wadi terrace and documented 123 Islamic graves, as well as one probable Wādī Sūq tomb (Tomb 122). A detailed examination indicates that Tomb 122 is a rare collective tomb in North-Central Oman and has composite characteristics represented by a U-shaped chamber, a possible entrance corridor, and an attached annex with a few subsidiary tombs. Furthermore, we have identified eight non-mortuary features, including a newly discovered building (Structure 01) in Wādī Tanūf, as well as a platform (Structure 02) and a long wall (Structure 04). These findings highlight the importance of the terrace in the canyon, given the limited flat space available. We assume that the small terrace running along the river was a place for different activities over time, with most of the evidence related to the movement of people in the trans-Ḥajar region, since the canyon can be considered as a corridor.
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The Wādī Sūq period (c. 2000 – 1600 BCE) is characterised by a decrease in sedentary sites in inland regions and in variegated burial shapes compared to the preceding Umm an-Nar period (c. 2700 – 2000 BCE). One of the factors causing this cultural shift is the aridification of the 4.2 ka event. However, the scarcity of Wādī Sūq sites with radiocarbon dates in central Oman prevents us from understanding human activity and its diachronic change during this period. One of the potential sites resolving this issue is the cave of Mugharat al-Kahf, the Wādī Tanūf, the Ad-Dākhilīyah, Oman, with previous excavations yielding the Wādī Sūq pottery, stone vessels, and the charred date stones whose radiocarbon dates ranged between 2000 – 1500 calBCE (Miki et al. 2020, 2022). To acquire further evidence of human activity in this cave during the Wādī Sūq period, we excavated a new test pit (TP4), and this paper reports our findings and results of the radiocarbon measurements. New radiocarbon measurements on the charcoal samples revealed a sequence of human activity involving the use of fire, spanning from 1900 to 1600 calBCE. In addition, we discovered a well-preserved ceramic vessel placed upright near a large rock in front of the neighbouring rock shelter. These new findings confirm repeated use of the cave during the Wādī Sūq period, providing a refined chronology for this period in inland Oman.
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Abstract This study describes the petrographic and geochemical characteristics of pottery collected from Mugharat al‐Kahf and WTN02 in Wadi Tanuf, north‐central Oman, to clarify interregional similarities and differences in pottery production techniques and examine the existence of interregional trade in pottery with respect to changes in mobile communities. Potsherds from these sites were characterised using thin‐section petrography and instrumental neutron activation analysis. Results revealed that several clay fabrics and tempers were used during the Wadi Suq period (2000–1600 BCE). A region‐wide similarity exists in pottery‐making techniques in terms of the tempering of specific minerals (Oman ophiolite) used in the Early Iron Age (1300–300 BCE). Geochemical results indicate differences in clay sources between the Wadi Suq period and the Early Iron Age in Wadi Tanuf and the unlikelihood of the interregional trade of domestic pottery.
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