H3 (Kuwait)

H3
	Shown within Kuwait H3 (Kuwait) (Near East)
Location	Kuwait
Coordinates	29°38′30.001″N48°9′2.002″E / 29.64166694°N 48.15055611°E
Type	archaeological site
History
Periods	Ubaid period
Site notes
Excavation dates	1998–2004

Last updated April 03, 2024

H3 (also H3, as-Sabiyah) is an archaeological site in the Subiya Region (Kuwait) that was occupied during the second half of the sixth millennium BC. It was the Mesopotamian frontier of the Arabian Neolithic.^[1] Among the finds at the site were a boat model and pieces of bitumen covered with reed impressions that may have come from an actual boat, making this among the earliest evidence of a sea-going vessel in the world.

The site and its environment

H3 is located on Jazirat Dubaji, a low peninsula on the north side of Kuwait Bay. Originally, the site may have been located on the edge of a shallow lagoon, but today it is surrounded by mud flats. The site consists of a low mound with pottery and flint scattered over the surface. Some architectural remains are visible on the surface as well. Its size has been estimated at 90 by 80 m.^[2]

History of research

The site was initially identified by Fahad al-Wohaibi. A preliminary archaeological survey and small-scale excavation were subsequently carried out. Full-scale excavation started in 1998 by a joint team of the British Archaeological Expedition to Kuwait and Kuwait National Museum. Further excavation seasons were carried out between 1999 and 2004. The excavations were directed by Harriet Crawford.^[2]^[3]^[4]

Occupation history

Based on the pottery, H3 has been dated to the Ubaid 2-3 period, or second half of the sixth millennium BC. A single radiocarbon date from the oldest part of the site provided a date of 5511-5324 cal BC. The oldest part of the site is thought to be a fire pit that was exposed in the western part of the site. The excavators interpret it as an installation where fish was processed. The main occupation at H3 consists of several separate stone-built structures, of which two were excavated and several more are visible on the surface. One was an open-air enclosure with a storage room. This area was probably used for the production of stone and flint tools.The second structure consisted of four rooms with corbelled walls, possibly to support a roof. The function of the rooms could not be determined with certainty, but based on the presence of certain artefacts and fish and mammal bones, one of the larger rooms was probably used as living area.^[2] Based on these substantial architectural remains, it has been suggested that the inhabitants may have lived for extended periods at the site - if not permanently.^[5]

The majority of the pottery at H3 consisted of plain and painted Ubaid ware. This pottery has been dated to Ubaid 2-3, with parallels found at sites like Choga Mami in Mesopotamia and Dosariyah along the Gulf coast. Based on the abundant presence of fish bones and fishing equipments, fishing must have been of considerable importance at the site. Fishing was practiced in shallow water, but there is evidence for deep-water fishing as well.^[5] Some of the species identified at H3, such as tuna, are no longer present in Kuway Bay today.^[3] Gazelle and sheep/goat bones were also present, indicating that the occupants of H3 also practiced hunting as well as pastoralism.^[2] Date stones found at the site are among the earliest evidence in the world for date consumption, together with stones from Dalma Island (UAE).^[5] The inhabitants of H3 also manufactured shell jewelry, possibly to be traded with other communities.^[2]

According to Robert Carter, H3 has been interpreted as the Mesopotamian frontier of the Arabian Neolithic.^[1] The settlement has been interpreted as belonging to a local Arabian Neolithic tradition that practiced extensive contacts with the Ubaid settlements of Mesopotamia.^[6] It is likely that people of Mesopotamian origin lived in H3 and practiced Mesopotamian agriculture and cereal farming techniques.^[6] These contacts also likely involved trade, where Ubaid pottery, shells and pearls were commodities.^[6]

Seafaring

H3 has provided intriguing evidence for seafaring. The first piece of evidence is a ceramic model depicting a reed-bundle boat. Similar models have been found at Mesopotamian sites including Eridu, 'Oueili and 'Ubaid, but the model from H3 is more detailed, for example with incisions that mimic the reed bundles from which the real boat would have been constructed. The second consists of a ceramic disc made from a sherd that appears to depict a reed bundle boat with two masts. This is the oldest evidence for the use of masts and sails.^[2]^[7] Finally, many pieces of bitumen with barnacles attached on one side and reed impressions on the other side were found at H3. The bitumen is interpreted as a waterproof coating that was applied to a reed-bundle boat. These pieces are the earliest evidence for actual boats in Western Asia, and the earliest evidence for seagoing vessels in the world.^[2]^[7] Geochemical analysis of the bitumen showed that it originated from a source in Burgan, to the south of H3.^[4]

Related Research Articles

Kuwait is a sovereign state in Western Asia located at the head of the Persian Gulf. The geographical region of Kuwait has been occupied by humans since antiquity, particularly due to its strategic location at the head of the Persian Gulf. In the pre-oil era, Kuwait was a regional trade port. In the modern era, Kuwait is best known for the Gulf War (1990–1991).

The Ubaid period is a prehistoric period of Mesopotamia. The name derives from Tell al-'Ubaid where the earliest large excavation of Ubaid period material was conducted initially in 1919 by Henry Hall and later by Leonard Woolley.

Failaka Island is a Kuwaiti Island in the Persian Gulf. The island is 20 km off the coast of Kuwait City in the Persian Gulf. The name "Failaka" is thought to be derived from the ancient Greek φυλάκιο(ν) – fylakio(n) "outpost".

The history of Mesopotamia ranges from the earliest human occupation in the Paleolithic period up to Late antiquity. This history is pieced together from evidence retrieved from archaeological excavations and, after the introduction of writing in the late 4th millennium BC, an increasing amount of historical sources. While in the Paleolithic and early Neolithic periods only parts of Upper Mesopotamia were occupied, the southern alluvium was settled during the late Neolithic period. Mesopotamia has been home to many of the oldest major civilizations, entering history from the Early Bronze Age, for which reason it is often called a cradle of civilization.

Tepe Gawra is an ancient Mesopotamian settlement 15 miles NNE of Mosul in northwest Iraq that was occupied between 5000 and 1500 BC. It is roughly a mile from the site of Nineveh and 2 miles E of the site of Khorsabad. It contains remains from the Halaf period, the Ubaid period, and the Uruk period. Tepe Gawra contains material relating to the Halaf-Ubaid Transitional period c. 5,500–5,000 BC.

In the archaeology of Southwest Asia, the Late Neolithic, also known as the Ceramic Neolithic or Pottery Neolithic, is the final part of the Neolithic period, following on from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic and preceding the Chalcolithic. It is sometimes further divided into Pottery Neolithic A (PNA) and Pottery Neolithic B (PNB) phases.

Jōn al Kuwayt, also known as Kuwait Bay, is a bay in Kuwait. It is the head of the Persian Gulf. Kuwait City lies on a tip of the bay.

Domuztepe was a large, Late Neolithic settlement in south east Turkey, occupied at least as early as c.6,200BC and abandoned c.5,450BC. The site is located to the south of Kahramanmaraş. Covering 20 hectares, it is primarily a Halaf site of the 6th millennium BC and is the largest known settlement of that date.

Tell Mashnaqa is an archaeological site located on the Khabur River, a tributary to the Euphrates, about 30 kilometres (19 mi) south of Al-Hasakah in northeastern Syria. The earliest occupation of the site dates to the Ubaid period, and was excavated by a Danish team from 1990–1995 in four seasons.

The art of Mesopotamia has survived in the record from early hunter-gatherer societies on to the Bronze Age cultures of the Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian and Assyrian empires. These empires were later replaced in the Iron Age by the Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian empires. Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Mesopotamia brought significant cultural developments, including the oldest examples of writing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dosariyah</span>

Dosariyah is an archeological site in the Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia, dating to the late 6th and early 5th millennium BCE. The spectrum of archaeological remains relate the site to the Arabian Neolithic. The earliest samples of Ubaid style pottery in Saudi Arabia were found at Dosariyah.

The Halaf-Ubaid Transitional period or HUT is a prehistoric period of Mesopotamia. It lies chronologically between the Halaf period and the Ubaid period. It is still a complex and rather poorly understood period. At the same time, recent efforts were made to study the gradual change from Halaf style pottery to Ubaid style pottery in various parts of North Mesopotamia.

Asa Koma is an archaeological site in Djibouti.

Archaeology of Qatar as a field study began in 1956. Three major expeditions were carried out in Qatar throughout the mid-20th century, with the first being launched by a Danish team who began work in the 1950s. This was followed by British and French expeditions in 1970s and 1980s, respectively. Approximately 200 archaeological sites were discovered during these expeditions, with the most extensive being the coastal areas of Al Da'asa, Ras Abrouq and Al Khor Island. Artifacts such as flint tools, Ubaid and Barbar pottery and encampments were found in situ.

The ʿAin Ghazal statues are a number of large-scale lime plaster and reed statues discovered at the archeological site of ʿAin Ghazal in Amman, Jordan, dating back to approximately 9000 years ago, from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic C period. A total of 15 statues and 15 busts were discovered in 1983 and 1985 in two underground caches, created about 200 years apart.

Yarim Tepe is an archaeological site of an early farming settlement that goes back to about 6000 BC. It is located in the Sinjar valley some 7km southwest from the town of Tal Afar in northern Iraq. The site consists of several hills reflecting the development of the Hassuna culture, and then of the Halaf and Ubaid cultures.

The UAE's Iron Age I spanned 1,200–1,000 BCE; Iron Age II, 1,000–600 BCE and Iron Age III from 600–300 BCE. This was followed by the Hellenistic Mleiha era, from 300 BCE onwards through to the Islamic era which commenced with the culmination of the 7th century Ridda Wars.

Bahra 1 is an archaeological site in the Subiya region on the coast of Kuwait Bay (Kuwait) associated with the Ubaid culture. It is one of the earliest Ubaid culture settlements in the Persian Gulf region, about 5500–4900 BC.

Subiya (Al-Subiyah) is a region in northern Kuwait on the north coast of Kuwait Bay (Kuwait), consisting of several micro-regions: Bahra, H3, Nahdain, Radha, Muhaita, Mughaira, Dubaij, and Ras al-Subiyah. The area features archaeological sites with tumuli graves, settlements, campsites, wells, and shell middens. Most of the tumuli date to the Early and Middle Bronze Age. Subiya is the location of the Silk City project, the project's first phase was launched in May 2019.

Ginnig is a tell in Upper Mesopotamia that was occupied at the transition from the PPNB to the Pottery Neolithic.

References

1 2 Carter, Robert (2019). "The Mesopotamian frontier of the Arabian Neolithic: A cultural borderland of the sixth–fifth millennia BC". Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy. 31 (1): 69–85. doi: 10.1111/aae.12145 .
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Carter, Robert (2008). "Excavations and Ubaid-Period Boat Remains at H3, As-Sabiyah (Kuwait)". Intercultural relations between south and southwest Asia : studies in commemoration of E.C.L. During Caspers (1934-1996). Eric Olijdam, Richard H. Spoor, Elisabeth C. L. During Caspers. Oxford: Archeaopress. pp. 92–102. ISBN 978-1-4073-0312-3. OCLC 263293234.
1 2 Beech, Mark (2002). "Fishing in the 'Ubaid: a review of fish bone assemblages from early prehistoric coastal settlements in the Arabian Gulf" (PDF). Journal of Oman Studies. 12: 25–40.
1 2 Connan, Jacques; Carter, Robert; Crawford, Harriet; Tobey, Mark; Charrié-Duhaut, Armelle; Jarvie, Dan; Albrecht, Pierre; Norman, Kirsty (2005). "A comparative geochemical study of bituminous boat remains from H3, As-Sabiyah (Kuwait), and RJ-2, Ra's al-Jinz (Oman)" (PDF). Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy. 16 (1): 21–66. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0471.2005.00041.x. ISSN 1600-0471.
1 2 3 Boivin, Nicole; Fuller, Dorian Q. (2009). "Shell Middens, Ships and Seeds: Exploring Coastal Subsistence, Maritime Trade and the Dispersal of Domesticates in and Around the Ancient Arabian Peninsula". Journal of World Prehistory. 22 (2): 113–180. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.629.8506 . doi:10.1007/s10963-009-9018-2. ISSN 0892-7537. S2CID 59480916.
1 2 3 Carter, Robert (2018), Frachetti, Michael D.; Boivin, Nicole (eds.), "Globalising Interactions in the Arabian Neolithic and the 'Ubaid" (PDF), Globalization in Prehistory: Contact, Exchange, and the 'People Without History', Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 43–79, doi:10.1017/9781108573276.004, ISBN 978-1-108-42980-1 , retrieved 2021-08-13
1 2 Carter, Robert (2006). "Boat remains and maritime trade in the Persian Gulf during the sixth and fifth millennia BC" (PDF). Antiquity. 80 (307): 52–63. doi:10.1017/S0003598X0009325X. ISSN 0003-598X. S2CID 162674282.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[meso-1] 1 2 Carter, Robert (2019). "The Mesopotamian frontier of the Arabian Neolithic: A cultural borderland of the sixth–fifth millennia BC". Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy. 31 (1): 69–85. doi: 10.1111/aae.12145 .

[Carter-2008-2] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Carter, Robert (2008). "Excavations and Ubaid-Period Boat Remains at H3, As-Sabiyah (Kuwait)". Intercultural relations between south and southwest Asia : studies in commemoration of E.C.L. During Caspers (1934-1996). Eric Olijdam, Richard H. Spoor, Elisabeth C. L. During Caspers. Oxford: Archeaopress. pp. 92–102. ISBN 978-1-4073-0312-3. OCLC 263293234.

[Beech-2002-3] 1 2 Beech, Mark (2002). "Fishing in the 'Ubaid: a review of fish bone assemblages from early prehistoric coastal settlements in the Arabian Gulf" (PDF). Journal of Oman Studies. 12: 25–40.

[Connan-2005-4] 1 2 Connan, Jacques; Carter, Robert; Crawford, Harriet; Tobey, Mark; Charrié-Duhaut, Armelle; Jarvie, Dan; Albrecht, Pierre; Norman, Kirsty (2005). "A comparative geochemical study of bituminous boat remains from H3, As-Sabiyah (Kuwait), and RJ-2, Ra's al-Jinz (Oman)" (PDF). Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy. 16 (1): 21–66. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0471.2005.00041.x. ISSN 1600-0471.

[Boivin-2009-5] 1 2 3 Boivin, Nicole; Fuller, Dorian Q. (2009). "Shell Middens, Ships and Seeds: Exploring Coastal Subsistence, Maritime Trade and the Dispersal of Domesticates in and Around the Ancient Arabian Peninsula". Journal of World Prehistory. 22 (2): 113–180. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.629.8506 . doi:10.1007/s10963-009-9018-2. ISSN 0892-7537. S2CID 59480916.

[carter-218-6] 1 2 3 Carter, Robert (2018), Frachetti, Michael D.; Boivin, Nicole (eds.), "Globalising Interactions in the Arabian Neolithic and the 'Ubaid" (PDF), Globalization in Prehistory: Contact, Exchange, and the 'People Without History', Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 43–79, doi:10.1017/9781108573276.004, ISBN 978-1-108-42980-1 , retrieved 2021-08-13

[Carter-2006-7] 1 2 Carter, Robert (2006). "Boat remains and maritime trade in the Persian Gulf during the sixth and fifth millennia BC" (PDF). Antiquity. 80 (307): 52–63. doi:10.1017/S0003598X0009325X. ISSN 0003-598X. S2CID 162674282.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]