A modern coastal village on the Ghagha Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: building and sedimentary archaeology applied to architecture and heritage conservation

This report concerns archaeological excavations that were undertaken as a pilot study in an abandoned, coastal village of the Ghagha Island, Al Gweifat, in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Are presented hereby the goals and methods that were used in order to support the heritage conservation and restoration processes. The excavation process made it possible to uncover the chronological phasing of the several occupations and construction levels that occurred during the 20th century. If the connection with pearl-diving or fishing activities remains unclear, this work can be a first support to further research regarding the material evidence for such activities

Short-term Coastal Occupation on Jubail Island : Modern Lime Kilns and Marine Resource Exploitation for Artisanal Activities (Abu Dhabi, UAE)

As part of Jubail Island’s development process, an archaeological intervention was undertaken by Eveha International in 2021, monitored by the Historic Environment Department at the Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT), Abu Dhabi. The scientific goals were to identify and characterise the archaeological settlements on Jubail Island and to define the site’s environmental context. Both Iron Age and late Islamic lime production were discovered through heap-burning kilns and constructed kilns, using coral and shells as raw material. The island was used for lime production over a long time period. No permanent settlements have been identified to date and artefacts are few. The production seems to be opportunistic and intermittent in scale. Further research is needed to relate the late Islamic period production to the lifestyle shift of the nomadic population as they shed light on an unsuspected and underrated kind of lime production. That is part of a much larger occupation of the island and of the intricate socio-cultural history of Abu Dhabi’s development. Considering the surrounding surveys and Abu Dhabi historical development, it merits further investigation and promotion to the general public

Archéologie collaborative sur le site néandertalien du Rozel, Manche : enjeux, mécanismes, perspectives

The 2020 Le Rozel archeological season brought special challenges because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which prompted us to take a new scientific approach. The purpose of this project is to document and understand how volunteers participate and how their participation impacts heritage preservation in general. To that end, we conducted 22 semi-structured interviews with a variety of participants: volunteers, students, researchers and local community leaders. These interviews brought to light questions the volunteers had about archeological record-keeping. In response to these discussions, we decided to put forward a new, more participatory protocol that, we hope, will better include non-scientists in the process. This initial approach demonstrates how many aspects – both social and scientific – are involved when laymen participate. The impact of their questions was ultimately a positive one, improving the scientific standards for documenting and preserving as much data as possible on site. Building out this process over time should help us better understand how, from a scientific perspective, we can develop a dynamic system in which the volunteers’ motivation leads them to better preserve the heritage they care about from urgent natural and man-made hazards

La fouille d'Auxon (10) Rue des carrées : des structures funéraires du Néolithique moyen inédites

International audienceL’opération archéologique d’Auxon (10) « Rue des Carrés » a été réalisée en 2019. Cette communication affichée s'accompagne d'un article dans le Bulletin de la Société archéologique champenoise (n 144, 2019) et présente les principaux résultats du rapport d'opération final. Le diagnostic avait mis en évidence une fosse contenant des ossements humains brûlés, en dépôt secondaire. Leur datation situe la crémation au Néolithique Moyen (entre 4707 et 4550 cal BC), proposant un rattachement à la culture de Cerny ou à la fin du VSG. Cette pratique et son contexte ne sont que peu documentés pour cette période et dans la région. C'est autour de cette structure et des quelques fosses voisines que se développe la prescription de fouille archéologique. Lambert et al., 2020, Auxon (10), rue des carrés, Rapport final d'opération archéologique (fouille préventive), Éveha – Études et valorisations archéologiques (Limoges, F), 1 vol., SRA Grand Es

La fouille d'Auxon (10) Rue des carrées : des structures funéraires du Néolithique moyen inédites

L’opération archéologique d’Auxon (10) « Rue des Carrés » a été réalisée en 2019. Cette communication affichée s'accompagne d'un article dans le Bulletin de la Société archéologique champenoise (n 144, 2019) et présente les principaux résultats du rapport d'opération final. Le diagnostic avait mis en évidence une fosse contenant des ossements humains brûlés, en dépôt secondaire. Leur datation situe la crémation au Néolithique Moyen (entre 4707 et 4550 cal BC), proposant un rattachement à la culture de Cerny ou à la fin du VSG. Cette pratique et son contexte ne sont que peu documentés pour cette période et dans la région. C'est autour de cette structure et des quelques fosses voisines que se développe la prescription de fouille archéologique. Lambert et al., 2020, Auxon (10), rue des carrés, Rapport final d'opération archéologique (fouille préventive), Éveha – Études et valorisations archéologiques (Limoges, F), 1 vol., SRA Grand Es

La fouille d'Auxon (10) Rue des carrées : des structures funéraires du Néolithique moyen inédites

L’opération archéologique d’Auxon (10) « Rue des Carrés » a été réalisée en 2019. Cette communication affichée s'accompagne d'un article dans le Bulletin de la Société archéologique champenoise (n 144, 2019) et présente les principaux résultats du rapport d'opération final. Le diagnostic avait mis en évidence une fosse contenant des ossements humains brûlés, en dépôt secondaire. Leur datation situe la crémation au Néolithique Moyen (entre 4707 et 4550 cal BC), proposant un rattachement à la culture de Cerny ou à la fin du VSG. Cette pratique et son contexte ne sont que peu documentés pour cette période et dans la région. C'est autour de cette structure et des quelques fosses voisines que se développe la prescription de fouille archéologique. Lambert et al., 2020, Auxon (10), rue des carrés, Rapport final d'opération archéologique (fouille préventive), Éveha – Études et valorisations archéologiques (Limoges, F), 1 vol., SRA Grand Es

Jubail Island protected areas 3 and 7 archaeological mission, late Islamic period and Iron Age lime production areas, 2021 Archaeological Report

As part of Jubail Island’s urban development process, the Jubail Island Investment Company appointed LEAD Development and Management Real Estate Consultants to investigate and develop the island’s archeological heritage. Following the advice of the Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT Abu Dhabi), which will supervise the project, the French company Eveha International was put in charge of the archeology work. Field work took place from September 26 to November 4, 2021. A team of 6 specialists and 19 part-time workers took part. Post-excavation work began immediately afterwards in order to submit the report by February 2022. The goals of the project were to: • identify and characterize the different anthropogenic settlements in Areas 3 and 7; • investigate the natural taphonomy and formation of a dune and multiple geophysical survey anomalies in Area 3. Area 3 is a 350 × 150 m area, southwest of the island and south of the Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Highway. It is made up of a north sector (JUB0010) and a south sector (JUB0022). Eleven archeological structures were fully excavated along the western edge and in the central part of JUB0010. These structures were heap-burning pits and constructed lime kilns, using coral and shells as raw materials, respectively. A new pedestrian survey to locate additional kilns identified ten more. Radiocarbon dating on two kilns determined that they date from the late Islamic period, and ceramic findings also indicate that this sector was generally occupied during that era. Preliminary studies were done on the burnt coral and shells. The geophysical anomalies and geomorphological context of Area 3 were studied using five trenches and multiple test trenches above the anomalies. We were able to create two main transects, mostly covering the JUB0022 dune area. Though not all the layers could be correlated, a global relative chronology of the deposits has already been provided. The geomorphological context of JUB0010 is distinct: a relatively flat surface on a rocky plateau. The rocky plateau is a mass of concretionized limestone formed above a 1- to 2-meter-thick sandstone layer. The JUB0022 sector, however, seems to be affected by the two main desert sand deposit processes: erosion and accumulation. In general, accumulation affects the southern part of the area explored, where a large dune has formed and the rocky plateau is nearly absent. Notably, several of the trenches in Area 3 are thought to include paleosols which could date back to the early Holocene, between 8.5 and 5 ky BP, a period when Neolithic populations were thriving in the Mesopotamian region. Seventeen of the 34 geophysical anomalies investigated consist of indurated sands; there are no anthropogenic settlements under the dune. Area 7 (sector JUB0027) features an area of rocky plateau measuring 1060 m², with three coral lime kilns. At least one of them was dated to the Iron Age I using radiocarbon dating. These archeological areas seem to consist of individual areas for cooperative lime production that took place on a small, artisanal—not industrial—scale, and for specific needs. Production seems to have been more developed during the late Islamic period than during the Iron Age. For now, evidence suggests that activity may have been intermittent given the lack of indicators of permanent settlement (dwellings, wells, etc.). Also, human groups have known and used this site as an efficient lime production area over a large period of time, given the time gap between Areas 7 and 3. Further investigations are needed to refine this hypothesis, especially in Protected Areas 1 and 2, thought to be late Islamic settlements. Possible dwellings and other mound structures with late Islamic period artifacts were observed during the DCT survey of these areas. The proximity of Areas 1 and 2 to Areas 3 and 7 is an interesting starting point. This is the first time that an artisanal area like this has been discovered and investigated in the Abu Dhabi island area. As we have seen with other sites over the Abu Dhabi islands, these structures can span a long period of time with similar architecture. To glean a better understanding of the time span and characteristics of occupation, every structure should be investigated and radiocarbon dated. This is why, to complete the investigation, per DCT request, we have suggested a reduced protective fence around Area 3. It encircles an area of 0.01 km², reducing it to 12.5% of the original Protected Area 3. The Jubail excavation included an extensive OSL sampling campaign, targeting layers surrounding suspected pedogenized levels, which should be further supported with evidence. We decided to do micromorphology column sampling as part of this campaign to better identify the type of deposits involved. The results will be analyzed in a later report due to delays in analysis. If the soil chronology and determination are confirmed, this data could very well expand on the data for the southwestern Arabian Peninsula regarding the green desert events. These investigations have painted a picture of previously unknown occupation of Jubail Island during the Iron Age and the late Islamic period. They shed light on a form of artisanal production not yet studied which, in view of the surrounding surveys, is part of a much larger occupation of the island that merits further investigation and promotion to the general public

Preliminary Anthracological studies in the Ziway region (11,600-9200 cal BC, central Ethiopia)

International audienc