Estudio mineralógico, químico y textural de materiales y elementos arqueológicos en asentamientos de la Edad del Hierro del oasis de Al Madam: Emirato de Sharyah, EE.AA.UU

Abstract

Using standard mineralogical and petrographical techniques, mudbrick samples, grindstones, door socket stones, green vessel fragments, and slags from Iron Age settlements were analyzed. Natural samples from the nearby Wadi Yudayyah were also studied. The most abundant minerals found in mudbricks are carbonates, primarily calcite, which is also prevalent in the sediment of the wadi. Textural differences between Phase I and II mudbricks were identified. Analysis of grindstones and door socket stones indicates the presence of igneous rocks (peridotite, gabbro) and carbonates, respectively. The peridotite and carbonate likely originate from the nearby Jahel Buhais, while gabbro and olivine gabbro rocks are probably sourced from the Mountains of Oman ophiolitic complexes. Green vessels, composed mainly of chlorite, which is uncommon in the area, may have originated from this same unit or a more distant region. The thermal transformations observed in one vessel fragment and the copper melting slags suggest exposure to temperatures exceeding 800°C.