outils de peche produits localemmt, outils en pierre, parure en pierre ott coquille, coquilles ..... tionary settlement model of the area in question can be proposed. ... towards a better comprehension of the material culture, classified here within a ...
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THE HOLOCENE SETTLEMENT OF KH 8-1
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(RA'S AL KHABBAH, SULTANATE OF OMAN): AN OVERVIEW
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m 'eTaphic and spatial context of KHB-1 underline me importance of this site for a greater understanding of coastal human adaptation along the Holocene Arabian coast and me transition towards more complex societies in the following millennia. It is interesting to consider the whole assemblage from an internal development perspective and in comparison wim contemporary sites to evaluate the cultmal similarities and markers of possible affiliation to me same cultural group, or simply of social and commercial interaction and/or similar settlement fimctions. The specialised assemblage of KHB-1 fits into the characteristic material culture assemblages of me fourth millennium as shown by the coastal sites ofJa'lan and the Normern area in Oman; 38 the shape of net sinkers with notches along the main axis arc subsequent to the earlier typology with notches on the minor axis, typical of the fifi:h millennium BC (Ra's al-Hamra, RH-6 39 ) and which are not present in KHB1. Similar consideration may also be made for the production of fish-hooks, although the fabrication of these implements is attested since the fifi:h millennium BC at Ra's al-Hamra4tl and it continued until me third millennium BC with me progressive substitution of the earlier types of metal hooks {e. g. HD-6 or RJ-1 41 ). It is clear that similar technological traits are spread all along coastal communities wim sin1ilar economies suggesting mat material e11lture affinities have to be considered more as similarities among technological features due to adaptation to matching environments, rather man cultural aspects which however depend on the former. 37. UERPMANN and UERPMANN 2003, pp. 123-125. 38. SW-2, SW-I , llli-5,1lli·6, Khor MiJkh I; CHARI'ENTIEReta/. 1998, 2003; BIAGI 1987, 1999; BIAGI and NISBET 1989,1999; UERPMANN and UERPMANN 2003. 39. BIAGI 1999. 40. IU·l-6; 13IAGI 1999. 41. CATIANI and TOSI 1997; CLEUZIOU and TOSI 2000.
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The Ho/ocene Settlement of KHB-l
On the other hand, jewellery production is much more closely linked to cultural aspects. General evaluation of the beads collection highlighted the fact that the majority are made ofshell, including all the shells types mentioned above. Despite the fact that shell heads might have been collected and produced in KHB-1. as demonstrated by the presence of both worked and unworked shells, almost all of the stone beads found appear to be finished products and no related waste material or uncompleted pieces were found. It is possible to hypothesize that their production took place in another location or maybe that these beads represent an exchanged good. Considering the beads distribution on the stratigraphic sequence, the main concentration of artefacts belongs to the IV/V Phase, hut a considerable quantity also comes from the other phases (I, Ill and V). In Phases IV and U beads are less represented while a few examples come from the intermediate Phases (I!II and II/III). However no particular trends in shape or size variations have been noted. Stone earrings arc a peculiarity of the fourth millennium groups and arc attested in contemporary sites along the eastern coast of Oman, from the Ja'lan area at Suway 2, Suway 4 (SWY-2 and SWY-4) 42 and at Tiwi, GAS-1 4\ from the Northern area at Khor Milkh 1 (KM-I )44 and from the settlement and necropolis ofRa's al Hamra. 45 Despite similaritic_~ in shapes and materials between earrings found at KHB-1 and collections from other sites, earrings from the latter arc more abundant and present various steps of the manufacturing process, demonstrating an in loco production, and at the same time more elaborated shapes and decorations. Thus the jewellery collection can suggest the presence of relations and interactions with other human groups, as is demonstrated by earrings and stone beads found at KHB-], possibly produced elsewhere. It would seem more realistic to consider these goods as the result of exchanges between different communitics (culturally affiliated!) or, alternatively, as being produced by the same group but in another location (a summer settlement further inland?). The uniformity of ornament rypologics attested all along the Omani coast by findings from RH-Sand other contemporary sites that constitutes an elaborate parure, made up ofshell bracelets, decorated earrings, tubular stone beads, leaf-shaped and drop-shaped Pinctada pendants, it is not represented in KHB-]. However, this relevant aspect can be attributed to the specific specialization of this settlement in fishing activities. The preliminary analyses of the lithic assemblage has not yet permitted an exhaustive comparison with other sites, however the impression is that the absence of distinctive tools in the main sand deposit, such as bifacials or arrowhcads46 which arc markers for detection of early chrono-culturalfacies,47 is related more to the functionality of the settlement than to cultural affiliation or chronological time span. As a consequence, lithic tool prodlll:tion was focused on tool functionality and was based on the practical needs of the fishermen. Regarding non chipped stone tools, hammers arc the most represented type independently of phase division. Moving towards a distinction on the chronological sequence, the more recent phases are the richest ones and here again hammers arc the most frequent tools found (c_~pccially in Phases IV/V and V). If on the one hand the absence of stone implements from the abandonment Phase Ill! IV is reasonable, on the other hand it is remarkable that no tools were collected in Phase II levels. It is also interesting to note that Phase I is characterized by a greater variability in stone tool typolob'Y and it seems that the tools here were used more intensively or for longer, as demonstrated by the extent of the functional, and thus worn, part of the tools concerned. Studies of the entire assemblage have revealed interesting trends that seem to be recurrent for different classes of material. Generally speaking, it seems that more recent phases are the most rich in findings and, more precisely, Phase Ill and the intermediate Phase IVN contain the highest concentration of artefacts. In the latter phase, which is formed by one thick loose sandy layer, almost all categories of artefacts are highly represented: net sinkers, stone tools, beads and bone tools arc all abundant. The only class of objects that is fOund abundantly elsewhere is represented by artefacts made from Pinctacla shells (fish-hooks, drop-shaped preforms, lures, worked and un-worked fragments) which arc predominant in Phase HI. Both Phase I and Phase V boast quite a large number of implements, although for the more recent phase corn-
42. CHARPENTIER et al. 1998. 43. GAULTIER et al 2005; TosJ and USA! 2003. 44. UERI'MANN and UERPMANN 2003. 45. RH-5;lS~TTiandBIAGI1989. 46. 'l11c presence of a Fasad poinr in KHB-1 (CHARPENTIER 2008) does nor result from our available dara. 47. CHARPENTIER 2008.
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promising modern events have to be taken into account {sec above). What emerges is the scarcity of material from some intermediate Phases (1/Il, II/III and 11/IV Phases), which is not surprising considering the probable abandonment phases represented by these loose layers. However some unexpected results did emerge: on the one hand the almost complete absence of artefacts from Phases 11 and IV is worthy of note even though, for both phases, limited occupancy wa.~ already hypothesized from stratigraphic and features interpretation. On the other hand the abundance of finds from Pha.~e IV/V was quite unforeseen: predictions would have suggested that this intermediate pha.~e follow the trend of the other similar abandonment phases, which can be described as gaps made up of semi-sterile layers. Under this new light we need to reconsider the meaning of these thick loose sandy inorganic layers. In fact, they could represent a relatively long abandonment event, as testified by the thin well sorted inner lens, although we are unaware of the time span they actually covered. As a matter of fact, these sediments might have been accumulated over just few days due to the strong wind common in the area, able to transport and deposit considerable quantities of sand in short periods of time. It seems possible that there was a spatial organisation within the settlement with an area where the huts were constructed and free marginal zones (possibly used as dumps in Phase IVN) where sand (and artefacts) could accumulate over time. Thus the two zones followed different rates and processes of sedimentation: one characterized by structures and organic layers and the other by loose thick layers. One central and obvious question is to which function is this settlement related to? Without any doubt the presence of workshops for the production of hooks and net sinkers, and the considerable amount of fish remains and fishing related implements (including files, stone tools in general. vessels, bone tools, etc.) testify to the main activity carried out in that area. The construction of huts and the female burial also invites us to address a domestic sphere. A 'dwelling' is defined as the central part of a settlement allocated to domestic activities and sleeping, characterised by covered interiors that distinguish them from the surrounding area, and protect from sun, wind and, possibly, rain. The few contemporary structures found in the same region in Suway SWY-1.48 Ra's al-Jinz R]-39,49 RJ-2, 50 a little further away in Wadi Shah GAS] ,51 and in Ra's al-Hamra RH-5, in the capital region, 52 show comparable aspects, such a.~ dimensions and building techniques. Concerning the reduced diameter of some huts, the mobility of the communities and the different functions of the structures have to be considered. It is also worth reflecting on the fact that our concept of'home' is imbued with meaning that may be different from that held by nomadic prehistoric groups living in sub-tropical territories. The KHB- J settlement was occupied stably by nomadic b'Tmtps in winter, when fish were closer to the coast and temperatures were milder, and the community was dedicated to fishing activities and probably to the preparation of fish products, as testified by the large hearths. It was a specialised site but we arc not able to a.~sert if it served a larger settlement further inland. It is most probable that KHB-1 was part of a larger circular nomadic system of resource exploitation which involved salt, fishes and molluscs from the sea and the lagoon, animal breeding and hunting (as shown by the few bones found at KHB-1), and finally wood and stone resources from inland areas.
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