Unveiling Oman’s pre-Islamic Past: New Landmark Book Explores the Late Iron Age in the Sultanate
A major new contribution to the study of Oman's ancient past has just been released under the auspices of the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism. At the Dawn of History: The Late Pre-Islamic Age in South-Eastern Arabia, authored by renowned archaeologists Paul A. Yule and Fausto Mauro, is the latest volume in the editorial series The Archaeological Heritage of Oman, published by the Ministry in collaboration with Archaeopress Publishing, Oxford UK.
The book provides the first comprehensive English overview of the enigmatic Samad Late Iron Age, a pivotal phase of Oman's history that spans the centuries leading up to the beginning of the Common Era. Drawing on decades of fieldwork and recent discoveries, Yule and Mauro reconstruct a richly detailed picture of settlement patterns, burial traditions, pottery styles, and cross-cultural interactions in south-eastern Arabia during this pivotal era just before the rise of Islam.
“This work fills a 500-year gap in the archaeology of Oman," says Yule, a veteran archaeologist with some 40 years of experience in Arabia. “The Late Pre-Islamic period is often overlooked, overshadowed by the Bronze Age and the Islamic Golden Age. But it deserves far greater attention for it illuminates ancient Arabian economy and regional networks during an imperfectly understood time of profound transformation."
The volume is notable for its accessible language, profuse illustrations, and comprehensive coverage of both known and recently excavated sites. It critically examines the relationship between the Samad assemblage and that of the so-called Recent Pre-Islamic Period (PIR) of today's UAE, offering a fresh perspective on south-eastern Arabia's archaeological diversity.
Co-author Fausto Mauro, a geospatial analysis expert and PhD candidate at Würzburg University, highlights the book's broader relevance: “We aim not only to offer a scholarly synthesis, but also to encourage a reassessment of how Omani and regional heritage is understood. The resilience and adaptability of these ancient communities offer lessons for our current times."
Published and printed both in Oman and in the United Kingdom, At the Dawn of History is expected to become an essential reference for researchers, students, and heritage professionals, while also appealing to general readers interested in the deep past of the Arabian Peninsula.