The unexpectedly short Holocene Humid Period in Northern Arabia

The early to middle Holocene Humid Period led to a greening of today’s arid Saharo-Arabian desert belt. While this phase is well defined in North Africa and the Southern Arabian Peninsula, robust evidence from Northern Arabia is lacking. Here we fill this gap with unprecedented annually to sub-decadally resolved proxy data from Tayma, the only known varved lake sediments in Northern Arabia. Based on stable isotopes, micro-facies analyses and varve and radiocarbon dating, we distinguish five phases of lake development and show that the wet phase in Northern Arabia from 8800–7900 years BP is considerably shorter than the commonly defined Holocene Humid Period (~11,000–5500 years BP). Moreover, we find a two century-long peak humidity at times when a centennial-scale dry anomaly around 8200 years BP interrupted the Holocene Humid Period in adjacent regions. The short humid phase possibly favoured Neolithic migrations into Northern Arabia representing a strong human response to environmental changes

Henchir Bourgou (Djerba, Tunesien): Stratigraphie und Fundvorlage einer Sondage im Zentrum der antiken Siedlung (8. Jh. v. Chr. – 2. Jh. n. Chr.)

Die antike Siedlung Henchir Bourgou auf Djerba (Tunesien) ist seit 2017 Gegenstand gemeinsamer Forschungen des tunesischen Institut National du Patrimoine (INP) und des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts (DAI). Der vorliegende Beitrag ist die Publikation der Ergebnisse einer ersten Sondage im Zentrum des Siedlungsareals. Die Schichtenabfolge und die Baubefunde von den ersten Siedlungsphasen im 8. Jh. v. Chr. bis zu den letzten Spuren einer intensiven Besiedlung an der höchsten Stelle des Siedlungsareals in der letzten Hälfte des 2. Jhs. n. Chr., geben gemeinsam mit der vorgelegten Fundkeramik und begleitenden naturwissenschaftlichen Untersuchungen einen ersten Überblick über die Siedlungs- und Wirtschaftsgeschichte von Henchir Bourgou.The ancient settlement of Henchir Bourgou/Djerba (Tunisia) has been the focus of joint research by the Tunisian Institut National du Patrimoine (INP) and the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) since 2017. The article summarizes the results of a first sondage in the centre of the settlement area. The sequence of layers and the building features from the first settlement phases in the 8th century B.C. to the last traces of intensive occupation at the highest point of the settlement area in the last half of the 2nd century A.D., together with the find pottery and accompanying scientific investigations, provide a first overview of the settlement and economic history of Henchir Bourgou

Ecosystem change and human-environment interactions of Arabia

International audienc

Ecosystem change and human-environment interactions of Arabia

International audienc

Ecosystem change and human-environment interactions of Arabia

International audienc

Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia. Archaeology and Environment from the Early Bronze Age (3rd mill. BCE) onwards. Season 2019

Die Oase von Al-Ula war in der Antike ein politisch, kulturell und wirtschaftlich bedeutendes Zentrum Nordwestarabiens und Sitz der im 1. Jahr­tausend v. Chr. bekannten regionalen Hauptstadt Dadan. Multidisziplinäre Untersuchungen im Rahmen eines internationalen Forschungsprojektes ­lieferten erste Informationen zur bislang wenig bekannten Siedlungs­geschichte während der Bronzezeit (3.–2. Jt. v. Chr.), die durch m­ehrere Standorte innerhalb der Oase gekennzeichnet ist, darunter der Fundort Tell Saq. Dort gefundene Getreidereste, die anhand von 14C-­Messungen in das 3. Jahrtausend v. Chr. datieren, weisen zusammen mit wenigen weiteren ­Kulturpflanzen auf lokalen Anbau. Daneben sind typische Vertreter der natürlichen Oasen- und (Halb-)Wüstenvegetation belegt

Tayma, Saudi-Arabien. Interdisziplinäre Untersuchungen von Räuchergefäßen zur Rekonstruktion antiker Gerüche. Die Arbeiten der Jahr 2016 bis 2018

Throughout the excavations at the oasis of Tayma, incense burners were discovered showing both traces of burning and residues of burnt aromatics. The multidisciplinary study of these objects aimed at reconstructing the scented world and olfactory landscape of the ancient oasis. By means of LC-ESI-MS/ MS techniques, the characteristic profile of secondary metabolites of resins of Boswellia, Commiphora and Pistacia spp. were detected. The results demonstrate the use different resins in either public, funerary or domestic contexts over more than two millennia (Late Bronze to Late Antiquity). The people of Tayma purchased goods for their own use, which implies that the oasis was not just a transit point on the “Incense Road”, but an active customer

Henchir Bourgou (Djerba), Tunesien. Die Arbeiten der Jahre 2017 bis 2019

The ancient site of Henchir Bourgou (Djerba), Tunisia, is the object of archaeological research conducted jointly by the Tunisian National Heritage Institute, the Ludwigs Maximilians University Munich and the German Archaeological Institute since 2017. The reports presents an overview on the activities in Henchir­ Bourgou done in 2017–2019 and gives an outlook on the potential of the site with its stratigraphy covering more than thousand years of settlement history

The African Holocene Humid Period in the Tibesti mountains (central Sahara, Chad): Climate reconstruction inferred from fossil diatoms and their oxygen isotope composition

International audienc