Neolithic material cultures of Oman and the Gulf seashores from 5500-4500 BCE

Abstract

The coastal sites of the UAE and the Sultanate of Oman in the sixth-fifth millennia BCE share a number of features in their material culture. In addition to lithic techniques, the populations shared particular technologies, such as architecture using load-bearing pots or the production of specific fishing material and ornaments in shell and mother-of-pearl. This corresponds to populations that were already Neolithic, with domestic animals and practising intensive fishing, which was sometimes specialised. Is it possible at this stage in our understanding, to assert that this assemblage is both well differentiated from those of Qatar and the northern Arabian Gulf and culturally homogeneous? Some answers are provided in this note. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S.