Wadi Suq culture

Last updated August 04, 2024

The Wadi Suq culture defines human settlement in the United Arab Emirates and Oman in the period from 2,000 to 1,300 BCE. It takes its name from a wadi, or seasonal watercourse, west of Sohar in Oman and follows on from the Umm Al Nar culture. Although archaeologists have traditionally tended to view the differences in human settlements and burials between the Umm Al Nar and Wadi Suq periods as the result of major external disruption (climate change, the collapse of trade or threat of war), contemporary opinion has moved towards a gradual change in human society which is centred around more sophisticated approaches to animal husbandry^[1] as well as changes in the surrounding trade and social environments.

History

Wadi Suq burial at Shimal, near Ras Al Khaimah Shimal2.jpg — Wadi Suq burial at Shimal, near Ras Al Khaimah

The transition between Umm Al Nar and Wadi Suq is thought to have taken some 200 years and more, with finds at the important Wadi Suq site of Tell Abraq in modern Umm Al Quwain showing evidence of the continuity of Umm Al Nar burials.^[1] Evidence of increased mobility among the population points to a gradual change in human habits rather than sudden change^[2] and important Wadi Suq era sites such as Tell Abraq, Ed Dur, Seih Al Harf, Shimal and Kalba show an increasing sophistication in copper and bronze ware as well as trade links both east to the Indus Valley and west to Mesopotamia.^[3] Wadi Suq era pottery is also seen as more refined and distinctive, with finds of painted ware common,^[4] as well as soft-stone vessels.

Studies of human remains from the period do point to a process of aridification taking place over the centuries contiguous between the Umm Al Nar and Wadi Suq periods, but do not support a sudden or cataclysmic movement or societal change rather a gradual shift in culture.^[5]

The Wadi Suq people not only domesticated camels, but there is evidence they also planted crops of wheat, barley and dates.^[3] A gradual shift away from coastal to inland settlements took place through the period.^[6]

Burials

Some of the most obvious evidence of the change in human habits and society following the Umm Al Nar period can be found in the distinctive burials of the Wadi Suq people, notably in Shimal in Ras Al Khaimah where over 250 burial sites are located. In some cases, cut stone from Umm Al Nar burials has been used to build Wadi Suq graves. Wadi Suq burials are long chambers entered from the side and many have been found to have been used for subsequent burials. Although Shimal has the most extensive Wadi Suq burials, grave sites are to be found throughout the UAE and Oman and vary from simple barrows to sophisticated structures.^[7]

The notable Jebel Buhais burial ground, the oldest radiometrically dated burial site in the UAE,^[8] is an extensive necropolis, consisting of burial sites spanning the Stone, Bronze, Iron and Hellenistic ages of human settlement in the UAE. The widespread area of burials exhibits a number of important Wadi Suq tombs, including a unique clover-leaf shaped burial chamber, but has no evidence of Umm Al Nar era burials, although there are burials representing later eras. The clover-shaped Wadi Suq period tomb at Jebel Buhais, BHS 66 stands as a unique piece of funerary architecture in the UAE.^[9]

Artefacts

Wadi Suq era weaponry shows a marked increase in sophistication, with an explosion in metallurgy taking place in the region. A number of tombs have been found with hundreds of weapons and other metal artefacts and long swords, bows and arrows became the predominant weapons. Long swords found at Qattara, Qidfa, Qusais and Bidaa bint Saud are double-edged and hilted. Light throwing spears also marked the weaponry of the time. Many of these weapons were cast in bronze.^[10] One grave excavated in Shimal had no fewer than 18 fine bronze arrowheads.

Another explosive growth industry in the Wadi Suq era was the production of soft-stone vessels. While in the preceding Umm Al Nar era these were distinctively decorated with dotted circles, they now gained incised patterns of lines and are found in profusion.^[10]

The relative wealth and growing metallurgical sophistication of the Wadi Suq people is displayed by finds of jewellery, including gold and electrum plaques depicting back to back animals. Ongoing links with both Dilmun and the Indus Valley have been demonstrated.^[11]

Related Research Articles

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Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) is the northernmost of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The city of Ras Al Khaimah, abbreviated to RAK or RAK City, is the capital of the emirate and home to most of the emirate's residents. It is linked to the Islamic trading port of Julfar. Its name in English means "headland of the tent". The emirate borders Oman's exclave of Musandam, and occupies part of the same peninsula. It covers an area of 2,486 km² (960 sq mi) and has 64 km (40 mi) of beach coastline. As of 2015, the emirate had a population of about 345,000.

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Khatt is a mountainous village south-east of the city of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. Famous for its hot springs, and latterly home to a spa hotel, there is evidence that Khatt has been a site of constant human settlement since the stone age – a record of over 5,000 years of occupation.

Umm Al Nar is a Bronze Age culture that existed around 2600-2000 BCE in the area of the modern-day United Arab Emirates and Northern Oman. The etymology derives from the island of the same name which lies adjacent to the city of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, which provided early evidence and finds that came to define the period.

Shimal is the name of a settlement in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. It is associated with the Shihuh tribe of the Northern UAE and Oman and with the foundation of the Islamic era port of Julfar, and was once the seat of the Ruler of Julfar. It is also the location of an important archaeological site dating back to the Umm Al Nar culture.

Tell Abraq was an ancient Near Eastern city. Located on the border between Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain in the United Arab Emirates about 50 kilometers north-east of Dubai, the city was originally on the coastline of the Persian Gulf but changing sea levels have placed the remains of the city inland. It is located on the main road from Umm Al Quwain to Falaj Al Mualla.

Meliha Archaeological Centre is a visitor centre and exhibition based around the history and archaeology of the areas surrounding the village of Mleiha in Sharjah, the United Arab Emirates. Built around a preserved Umm Al Nar era tomb, the centre details the excavations and discoveries made over the past 40 years at Mleiha and surrounding areas, particularly the important Faya North East find, which provides evidence that 'anatomically modern humans' were in the Mleiha area between 130,000 and 120,000 years ago. These finds point to the spread of humanity from Africa across the Red Sea to the Persian Gulf region, and onward to populate the world through Iran, India, Europe and Asia.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Thuqeibah</span> Archaeological site in the UAE

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Jebel Buhais or Jebel Al-Buhais is a geological feature, an extensive rocky outcrop, as well as an archaeological site located near Madam in the central region of the Emirate of Sharjah, the UAE, about 48 kilometres southeast of the city of Sharjah. The area contains an extensive necropolis, consisting of burial sites spanning the Stone, Bronze, Iron and Hellenistic ages of human settlement in the UAE. Burials at Jebel Buhais date back to the 5th Millennium BCE. The site is located to the side of a limestone outcrop rising to some 340 metres above sea level and which runs almost contiguously from the town of Madam north to the town of Mleiha, itself an important archaeological site.

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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a relatively new country – it was formed in 1971. However, the history of the land that the UAE occupies dates back to the Neolithic Age, which is evidenced by inscriptions, drawings and archaeological finds uncovered in the seven emirates during the period from the early 1950s to the present day.

References

1 2 "Societal changes in Bronze Age Arabia... here's the tooth in the matter". The National. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
↑ Carter, R. (1997). "The Wadi Suq period in south-east Arabia: a reappraisal in the light of excavations at Kalba, UAE". Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies. 27: 87–98. JSTOR 41223590.
1 2 Magee, Peter (2014-05-19). The archaeology of prehistoric Arabia : adaptation and social formation from the neolithic to the iron age. New York. ISBN 9780521862318. OCLC 852824778.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
↑ Potts, Daniel T.; Nābūdah, Ḥasan Muḥammad; Hellyer, Peter (2003). Archaeology of the United Arab Emirates. London: Trident Press. pp. 174–177. ISBN 978-1-9007-2488-3. OCLC 54405078.
↑ Gregoricka, L. A. (2016-03-01). "Human Response to Climate Change during the Umm an-Nar/Wadi Suq Transition in the United Arab Emirates". International Journal of Osteoarchaeology. 26 (2): 211–220. doi:10.1002/oa.2409. ISSN 1099-1212.
↑ Hawker, Ronald William (2008). Traditional architecture of the Arabian Gulf : building on desert tides. Southampton, UK: WIT. ISBN 9781845641351. OCLC 191244229.
↑ Heritage, Sharjah Directorate of Antiquities &. "Jebel Al Buhais – Sharjah Directorate of Antiquities & Heritage". sharjaharchaeology.com. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
↑ Kiesewetter, Henrike (1999). "Neolithic jewellery from Jebel al-Buhais 18". Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies. 30: 137–146. JSTOR 41223703.
↑ "Jebel al-Buhais. Art Destination Sharjah". universes.art. Retrieved 2018-04-18.
1 2 United Arab Emirates : a new perspective. Abed, Ibrahim., Hellyer, Peter. London: Trident Press. 2001. p. 46. ISBN 978-1900724470. OCLC 47140175.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
↑ United Arab Emirates : a new perspective. Abed, Ibrahim., Hellyer, Peter. London: Trident Press. 2001. p. 48. ISBN 978-1900724470. OCLC 47140175.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)

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[:0-1] 1 2 "Societal changes in Bronze Age Arabia... here's the tooth in the matter". The National. Retrieved 2017-12-05.

[2] Carter, R. (1997). "The Wadi Suq period in south-east Arabia: a reappraisal in the light of excavations at Kalba, UAE". Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies. 27: 87–98. JSTOR 41223590.

[:1-3] 1 2 Magee, Peter (2014-05-19). The archaeology of prehistoric Arabia : adaptation and social formation from the neolithic to the iron age. New York. ISBN 9780521862318. OCLC 852824778.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

[Potts_al2003-4] Potts, Daniel T.; Nābūdah, Ḥasan Muḥammad; Hellyer, Peter (2003). Archaeology of the United Arab Emirates. London: Trident Press. pp. 174–177. ISBN 978-1-9007-2488-3. OCLC 54405078.

[5] Gregoricka, L. A. (2016-03-01). "Human Response to Climate Change during the Umm an-Nar/Wadi Suq Transition in the United Arab Emirates". International Journal of Osteoarchaeology. 26 (2): 211–220. doi:10.1002/oa.2409. ISSN 1099-1212.

[:2-6] Hawker, Ronald William (2008). Traditional architecture of the Arabian Gulf : building on desert tides. Southampton, UK: WIT. ISBN 9781845641351. OCLC 191244229.

[7] Heritage, Sharjah Directorate of Antiquities &. "Jebel Al Buhais – Sharjah Directorate of Antiquities & Heritage". sharjaharchaeology.com. Retrieved 2017-12-05.

[8] Kiesewetter, Henrike (1999). "Neolithic jewellery from Jebel al-Buhais 18". Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies. 30: 137–146. JSTOR 41223703.

[:02-9] "Jebel al-Buhais. Art Destination Sharjah". universes.art. Retrieved 2018-04-18.

[Trident_Press-10] 1 2 United Arab Emirates : a new perspective. Abed, Ibrahim., Hellyer, Peter. London: Trident Press. 2001. p. 46. ISBN 978-1900724470. OCLC 47140175.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)

[11] United Arab Emirates : a new perspective. Abed, Ibrahim., Hellyer, Peter. London: Trident Press. 2001. p. 48. ISBN 978-1900724470. OCLC 47140175.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)

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