"The marine heritage of the United Arab Emirates"--Cover.

Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey Monograph 1 Fishing forms an important activity in many societies throughout the world today and played a significant role in the life and subsistence of many prehistoric societies. Past archaeological research on fishing has often tended to concentrate on particular sites or chronological periods. This study aims to adopt an inter-disciplinary approach to model regional interactions between coastal communities and their environment. The geographical framework for this study is the Arabian Gulf/Gulf of Oman, with aparticular focus on the southern Gulf region and present day coastline of the United Arab Emirates. The environmental and archaeological background to the region is considered first and modern fisheries data, as well as ethnographic data relating to traditional fisheries is presented. An evaluation is carried out of all the archaeological evidence for the adoption of particular fisheries technology. The principal data forming the basis for this study are 23 archaeological fish bone assemblages from sites located throughout the Arabian Gulf/Gulf of Oman. The chronological focus is from the 5th millennium BC to the Late Islamic period. In order to comprehend the regional variation in fisheries, sites were selected on the basis that they represented a variety of site types in different environments scattered throughout the region. This research provides for the first time a detailed insight into the status of past fisheries resources in the region as well as an insight into the fishing strategies utilised by the early coastal inhabitants of the Gulf during the course of the past 7000 years. The work's special focus is on the use of biometrical techniques to enable size reconstruction of economically important fish groups. The overall aim of this research (the first in a planned series of Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey Monographs) is to consider the interactions between the goals of the coastal societies, their fishing strategies and environment; the work overall goes some way towards addressingsome of the key questions of relevance to the archaeology of south-east Arabia.

Encompassing a landmass greater than the rest of the Near East and Eastern Mediterranean combined, the Arabian peninsula remains one of the last great unexplored regions of the ancient world. This book provides the first extensive coverage of the archaeology of this region from c.9000 to 800 BC. Peter Magee argues that a unique social system, which relied on social cohesion and actively resisted the hierarchical structures of adjacent states, emerged during the Neolithic and continued to contour society for millennia later. The book also focuses on how the historical context in which Near Eastern archaeology was codified has led to a skewed understanding of the multiplicity of lifeways pursued by ancient peoples living throughout the Middle East.

This volume explores the political, cultural, and economic history of the United Arab Emirates, from early antiquity to the present. The United Arab Emirates is a relatively young country in the Middle East, made up of seven emirates: Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm Al Quwain. How did these seven separate emirates come together to form the United Arab Emirates? This volume explores the long, rich history of these seven emirates, focusing on political history but also highlighting culture, society, economy, and religion. Chronologically arranged chapters examine major eras and turning points in history, such as antiquity, the rise of Islam, British trade, and the discovery of black gold: oil. Readers will learn how today, most of the UAE's citizens are foreigners from other countries, as well as how much of the country's economy and livelihood depend on oil. An appendix of Notable People in the History of the United Arab Emirates serves to identify key players in the region's history, and an annotated bibliographic essay provides readers with sources for further research. Ideal for students, this volume is an important addition to the Greenwood Histories of the Modern Nations series.

An authoritative and wide-ranging book uncovering the rich heritage of the United Arab Emirates, its political renaissance and its modern transformation into one of the most developed nations in the world.