Early Arabian pastoralism at Manayzah in Wadi Sana, Hadramawt
Year: 2009
Type: article
Abstract: Excavations at the site of Manayzah have yielded a small but important sample of animal bones in stratigraphic contexts dated tothe sixth millennium BC. The site itself is significant for its excellent preservation of occupation surfaces and features at a rockshelter beside a spring in the upper drainage of the main Wādī Сanā channel. As yet, there are no contemporary sites with comparablestratigraphic and organic remains in the archaeological record of southern Arabia, and thus the data from the small-scale excavationsat Manayzah play a major role in the interpretation of cultural historical and economic strategies in the first quarter of the Holoceneperiod. Preliminary analysis of the faunal assemblage from Manayzah suggests that the cattle, sheep, and goats were present, mostlikely as herded domesticates, and their remains exist alongside those of hunted gazelle. In a broader chronological perspective, thispicture may provide evidence for early pastoral economies, but it also provides a baseline for the long history of cattle and caprinepastoralism in southern Arabia.
Source: HAL
Language: English
Subfield: Archeology
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2619077930