Several new books recently enriched the editorial series “Archaeological Heritage of Oman" published by the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism. The books can be purchased worldwide in printed and digital formats through Archaeopress Publishing (Oxford, UK), and will be available also at bookshops in Oman.

Ancient Weapons of Oman: Edged weapons & Firearms

These two books present the traditional types of weapons — both edged weapons and firearms — used, produced, and traded in Oman during the Islamic period. They have been written by Vincenzo Clarizia, an Italian expert on pre-modern weapons used and produced in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. He is an important restorer and collector of ancient weapons and a skilled practitioner of traditional combat techniques. Clarizia has also been the consultant for the National Museum of Oman on these topics.

The first of these two volumes describes the traditional edged weapons used in Oman, like swords and shields, daggers, axes, and spears. The second volume is about traditional firearms, like pistols, rifles, and cannons.

For each such weapon type, the author describes in great detail its invention, technical features, production history, and major international trade routes. Moreover, he explains how they were used in terms of combat techniques and the role they eventually played in shaping the history of the whole humankind and Oman in particular. An important part of the books is occupied by the history of how such weapons became important symbols of social status in modern peaceful Oman, and how and why they are dressed in public events and used in traditional ceremonies and dances.

The readers can find detailed information about the different regional variants produced and used in Oman, with specific reference to khanjars. An attractive characteristic of these books is that they include numerous windows about specific weapons exhibited in museums and private collections in Oman. All these pieces of information will be of great interest to historians and collectors but also to Omani and foreign tourists willing to learn the history and regional types of Omani khanjars, axes, swords, and other weapons before visiting a local souq.

Prehistoric Fisherfolk of Oman: The Neolithic Village of Ras Al-Hamra RH-5

This book describes the excavations at the prehistoric site Ras Al-Hamra RH-5 in the Qurm area of Muscat.

The Neolithic necropolis of RH-5 (fourth millennium BC) was already explored by the late Professor Maurizio Tosi from 1977, becoming one of the first archaeological sites ever excavated in Oman. During the past decades, residential development in Qurm imposed the Ministry to resume excavation at Ras Al-Hamra to define the extension of the site and protect it from urban encroachment.

International experts in the meticulous excavation and dating techniques necessary to study Neolithic coastal encampments, known as “shell middens", worked for several seasons alongside a team from the Department of Excavations and Archaeological Studies of the Ministry. They brought to light the village related to the necropolis of the fourth millennium BC and an earlier settlement dated to the fifth millennium BC.

The book, entitled “Prehistoric Fisherfolk of Oman", was written by Lapo Gianni Marcucci (Paris University, France), Emilie Badel (Paris University, France), and Francesco Genchi (Rome University, Italy). It comprises twelve chapters for more than two-hundred pages and two-hundred colour images describing in detail the research activities and their important historical and methodological outcomes. It will be of extreme interest to researchers in the field but, at the same time, also intriguing for students and enthusiasts. 

The First Peoples of Oman: Palaeolithic Archaeology of the Nejd Plateau

This book, written by Jeffrey Rose and Yamandú Hilbert — foremost experts in prehistoric archaeology and stone tools making — describes the archaeological traces left by the very first peoples that inhabited Dhofar (and Oman more in general) when, almost one million years ago, a different global climate made Arabia very green. At that time, perennial rivers flowed in Dhofar, feeding wetlands and forests. This verdant environment attracted hunters and gatherers, who flourished along the Dhofar's waterways, drawn to the freshwater springs and abundant preys. The presence of many chert outcrops from which they fashioned their stone tools was also important. This book first describes how archaeologists define the use and antiquity of the stone tools they discover, which constitute the only archaeological remains for these archaic periods. It later narrates the characteristics of the different cultures that lived in the region for over a million years of successive human occupations. This book shows that, far from having been only a migratory way station for human groups moving out of Africa, Oman had a central role of in the origin and dispersal of our human species.

The Early Iron Age Metal Hoard from the Al Khawd Area

This book describes in detail the hoard of numerous metallic artefacts discovered during construction works in the Al Khawd Area near Sultan Qaboos University. Mostly fashioned from copper, these arrowheads, axes, bangles, daggers, knives, spearheads, metal vessels, razors, rings, swords, and tweezers were dated to the Early Iron Age (1200-300 BC). A general reassessment of metal production in this period led the authors to suggest that Qade (Oman's name in the first millennium BC) was even more important than Magan (Oman's name in the third millennium BC) in terms of copper production and international trade. The Early Iron Age is therefore not to be considered a “dark age", but an innovative, successful period characterised by evident population growth. The objects were studied by a team of experts headed by Prof. Nasser Al-Jahwari (Sultan Qaboos University) and Prof. Paul Yule (Heidelberg University in Germany), with the technical collaboration of Prof. Bernhard Pracejus (Sultan Qaboos University) for metals identification and provenance. Prof. Khaled Douglas, Prof. Mohammed Al-Belushi and Prof. Ali ElMahi were also involved in excavating and publishing the objects.

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