Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies 50 (2020) Les fouilles françaises de Abu Saiba (Mont 1). Données nouvelles sur la phase Tylos de Bahreïn (c.200 BC-AD 300)

Abstract

International audienceSince 2017, the French Archaeological Mission in Bahrain has been engaged in a research project at Abu Saiba, a major necropolis from the Tylos archaeological period of the island (c.200 BC-AD 300). The site appears as the typical, roughly circular, low mound generally constituting a Tylos cemetery, with a diameter of c.70 m and a height of c.4-5 m. Fifty built graves have already been identified and eighteen were excavated by a team including a bio-archaeologist. The presence, above several of them, of a sandy mound covered with flat stones-a traditional marker of high status-shows the importance of the community buried there. The organization of the cemetery as well as the architecture of the tombs are discussed here, and special attention is paid to the burial rituals. Looting in antiquity was extensive but not systematic, and the few grave-goods recovered (glazed vessels, daily life items, jewellery, and adornments) indicate a main occupation covering the end of the first century BC and the first century AD. The identification of recurring Bronze Age pottery between the graves is puzzling and could indicate the existence, at a lower level, of an earlier cemetery from the early Dilmun phase.Since 2017, the French Archaeological Mission in Bahrain has been engaged in a research project at Abu Saiba, a major necropolis from the Tylos archaeological period of the island (c. 200 BC–300 AD). The site appears as the typical, roughly circular, low mound generally constituted by a Tylos cemetery, with a diameter of c. 70m and a height of c. 4 to 5m.50 built graves have already been identified and 18 were excavated by a team including a bio-archaeologist. The presence, above several of them, of a sandy mound covered with flat stones –a traditional marker of high status– shows the importance of the community buried there. The organization of the cemetery, as well as the architecture of the tombs, are discussed here, and special attention is paid to the burial rituals. Antique looting is important, but not systematic, and the few burial offerings recovered (glazed vessels, daily life items, jewelry and adornments) indicate a main occupation covering the end of the 1st century BC and the 1st century AD. The identification of recurring Bronze Age pottery between the graves is puzzling and could indicate the existence, at a lower level, of an earlier cemetery from the Early Dilmun phase