3.2. Persian Gulf: Harbours and Coastal Settlements

[Full title: Oman Peninsula / Persian Gulf Region; 2. Harbours and Coastal Settlements]

A number of Early Historic coastal settlements have been excavated in the Gulf region since the fifties. The numerous excavations have uncovered evidence of trade contact with India and the Mediterranean World during the Seleucid, Parthian and Sassanian periods (4 th century B.C. to 7 th century A.D.). The prospects of historical archaeology in this region commenced with the excavations of the Danish mission at Failaka (from 1953 to 1963) and Bahrain (between 1955-65). Subsequently excavations at both the islands were extended by the French mission which dug Parthian remains at Bahrain between 1979-81 and Hellenistic ruins at Failaka between 1983-89 (for complete review of Failaka/Bahrain excavations see Potts 1990: 103-196; for recent documentation of excavated pottery from these sites see Lombard and Salles 1984; Salles 1990:303-334; Bernard, Gachet and Salles 1990:241-284; Herling and Salles 1993:161-182; Gachet and Salles 1993:59-85). In eastern Arabia, the important site of Thaj (ancient Gerrha) was excavated by a Danish team in 1982-83 (Potts 1990:23-51). Further south, at the mouth of the Gulf, the port-site of Ed-Dur (Omana of the Periplus) was excavated by an Iraqi expedition in 1973. Thereafter a surface survey of the site resulted in publication of a comprehensive catalogue of collected pottery (Salles 1984: 241-270) and coins (Potts 1990.288-291). Since 1988-89 a multinational European mission has excavating at this site (bibliography in Haerinck et al. 1993:193). Another important Early Historic port to be excavated is Suhar. Soundings were first taken at Suhar by an American team in 1958 (information from Yule and Kervran 1993:69). In 1980 a French Mission started excavations at the site (Kervran 1996:37-58). Other excavated sites yielding evidence of Mediterranean and/or Indian contact are Mleiha, Bidya, Dhahran, and Ayn Jawan (Figs. 3, 24).