HSS 382: Archaeology of the UAE (original) (raw)

The UAE is one of the world’s youngest countries. Yet people have been living in the lands of the Emirates for at least seventeen thousand years. Before that, some two hundred thousand years ago, the first humans walked out of Africa and across the lands of the Emirates to populate our planet. The UAE has a depth that most Emiratis and visitors to Abu Dhabi and Dubai are only slowly becoming aware of, with new museums planned in Saadiyat to communicate and celebrate the Nation’s story. And by any standards it is a fascinating story. The lands of the Emirates lie at a crossroads between the Arabian Gulf and Indian Ocean, between the Arabian Peninsula and greater Eurasian landmass, which makes the UAE a superb grandstand for the human journey. It was here, already five thousand years ago, that the merchants of Dilmun came to procure resources for the cities of Sumer. The lands of the Emirates contributed to the rise of the world’s first complex urban civilisation. Fast forward four thousand years, and we see the wonders of India and China passing through the Gulf bound for the Baghdad of Harun al-Rashid. For the first time in history, trade spanned the full length of the Old World, pioneered and controlled by merchants from the Gulf region. Today in the forgotten ports and hidden oases of the UAE, archaeologists are carefully peeling back the sands of time to reveal the homes of ancient Emiratis, entering their abandoned majālis and discovering their lost finājīn. In so doing they are piecing together the story of the Nation which young Emirati archaeologists will tell the world. The course is divided into four modules of three week’s teaching followed by a week of assessment. Module 1: Distant Ancestors examines early human interactions with the natural world and the beginnings of settled life in the lands of the Emirates, including the Ubaid and Hafit cultures. It is assessed by a 1,500 word essay worth 15% of your final grade. Module 2: Early Civilisations explores the rise and demise of complex societies, including the Umm al-Nar, Wadi Suq and Iron Age cultures of the UAE and Oman. It is assessed by an essay in the midterm exam worth 20% of your course grade. Module 3: Threshold Centuries takes in the Pre-Islamic and Early Islamic period, from the ancient queens of Mleiha to the Abbasid invasion, discussing the origin of the Arab tribes and considering the place of the UAE in the Dar al-Islam. It is assessed by another 1,500 word essay worth 20% of your final grade. Module 4: Towards Modernity focuses on the later Islamic centuries, examining the emergence of the shaikhdoms and emirates which make up the present UAE, and exploring the forts of the rulers and homes of the people. It is assessed by an essay in the final exam worth 20% of your course grade. There will be a reading homework each week and your graded notes together account for 25% of your final mark.