Ancient UAE, Oman, and Saudi Arabia Tombs Reveal Millennia of Life and Trade

Tens of thousands of burial tombs across the UAE, Oman, and Saudi Arabia have been meticulously mapped as part of the Arabiancairns initiative, a project launched in 2022 that is illuminating life in past millennia. Spanning thousands of square kilometers, the project has documented tombs situated on hilltops, terraces, and plains. Funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR), this extensive work has uncovered evidence of agriculture and identified significant trading links, offering unprecedented insights into the region's history. Initially planned for four years, the initiative has secured renewed funding until 2027, with further fieldwork on the horizon. Arabiancairns focuses on protohistoric Arabia, a period stretching from approximately 5500 BCE to 300 CE, encompassing the Bronze Age (c. 3200 BCE - 1300 BCE) and the subsequent Iron Age (until c. 300 BCE).

Researchers are currently analyzing the distribution of these tombs in relation to the surrounding landscape, as well as the architectural evolution of specific sites over time. Chemical analysis is playing a crucial role in determining the age of these sites, understanding ancient diets, and tracing patterns of movement. Upon completion, the project will yield a publicly accessible database of funerary monuments, complete with their precise geographical locations.

A key area of focus is the Bisya region in central Oman. Here, across approximately 4,700 square kilometers, around 5,500 tombs have been mapped and verified through both foot surveys and satellite data. Dr. Olivia Munoz from the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) Trajectories Lab and Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University noted, "These monuments were built at different times, many contained several burials, and some were reused long after their original construction." Similar patterns have been observed at Dhabtiyah in eastern Saudi Arabia, where burial episodes within the same tomb are separated by roughly a millennium. "Our research also highlights similarities in funerary architecture and practices across large parts of Arabia, alongside regional differences," Dr. Munoz stated. "However, we cannot be certain what particular architectural features meant to their builders, or whether the same features carried the same meaning for different communities."

In the Bisya area, Dr. Munoz suggests that a significant portion of the population, not exclusively elites, may have been interred in these tombs, given the absence of known alternative burial practices from the same period. "Excavated tombs have yielded the remains of people of different ages, including children," she added. "Some contain a single person, while others were used for collective burial, with further individuals placed in the chamber as deaths occurred. The presence of children alongside adults suggests that some of these groups may have shared family ties, although this alone cannot establish kinship." The lack of substantially larger homes, typically associated with elites, further supports the idea of less pronounced social stratification, although Dr. Munoz acknowledges that subtle differences in social status might not have left archaeological traces.

The abundance of tombs, rather than indicating population size, suggests prolonged habitation or regular visitation of the region over extended periods. The French Archaeological Mission to Central Oman, working at Bisya, is directed by Mathilde Jean of the Université Paris Nanterre and Martin Sauvage of the CNRS Arscan Lab.

Dr. Munoz highlighted cultural connections, noting parallels between finds at Bisya and discoveries in the UAE, such as at Hili, Jebel Hafit, and Umm an-Nar. "The beads discovered at Bisya, for example, have parallels at Hili, Jebel Hafit and Umm an-Nar, in what is now the UAE," she explained. "The tomb architecture, likewise, belongs to traditions found across the Oman peninsula and, more broadly, elsewhere in the Arabian Peninsula. These similarities point to a shared culture, reflected in common knowledge, practices and tastes, as well as exchanges of goods between communities." While these similarities suggest shared cultural elements, they do not necessarily imply direct political connections or a single political identity, but rather communities with commonalities alongside distinct local ways of life and exchange networks.

Objects found within the tombs provide clues about craftsmanship, personal adornment, and trade. For instance, a shark tooth and hundreds of marine-shell beads discovered in one tomb indicate contact with coastal areas. Imported pottery further suggests extensive trading links reaching Mesopotamia, Iran, and Balochistan. "These finds show that inland communities participated in wider networks through which objects, materials and potentially ideas circulated, alongside foodstuffs or other products that may have been transported in pottery vessels," Dr. Munoz stated.

Copper was likely a significant export, given the Oman peninsula's importance as a copper producer during the Bronze Age. Other potential exports include dried or salted fish, animal hides, dates, palm products, worked shell ornaments, and stone for vessels or sculpture. Imports may have included textiles, grain, oils, and foodstuffs from Mesopotamia, and timber, textiles, and ornaments from the Indus region. Dr. Munoz noted that while pottery is well-preserved, its presence might indicate the transport of its contents rather than the vessel itself. The arrival of imported vessels at Bisya does not confirm direct travel from the place of origin, as goods could have been traded through coastal settlements and inland networks. "Merchants and markets may have played a part, with goods moving between major settlements and then being distributed more locally," she observed. During this period, before the domestication of dromedary camels, goods were likely transported by people, donkeys, or cattle.

Despite the wealth of information gleaned from these tombs, certain aspects of ancient life, such as symbolic beliefs and political organization, remain challenging to reconstruct due to the absence of written records.