Books by Hélène David-Cuny
Papers by Hélène David-Cuny
British Archaeology , 2021
Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy, 2019
Archaeological Prospection, 2018
Soft-stone vessels (made of the rock chloritite, which is comprised of the mineral chlorite) are ... more Soft-stone vessels (made of the rock chloritite, which is comprised of the mineral chlorite) are an important component of the material culture record of ancient southeast Arabia. Given the prevalence of soft-stone vessels in domestic and funerary contexts , and the natural geological occurrence of chloritite in the region, archaeologists have long suspected that soft-stone vessels could have been produced in United Arab Emirates (UAE) or Oman. However, over many decades of research very few pieces of worked raw material or unfinished vessel fragments have been recovered in Arabia. This changed dramatically in 2015 with the discovery of the Iron Age village of Aqir al-Shamoos where thousands of raw, worked, and unfinished pieces attest to soft-stone vessel manufacture. Aqir al-Shamoos continues to yield new insights regarding soft-stone vessel production, but the source of raw material used to craft these objects initially remained unknown as no natural chloritite deposits had been found in the immediate vicinity of the site. We present results of hyperspectral satellite imagery target detection used to search for natural surface occurrences of chloritite near Aqir al-Shamoos. Despite limitations in carbonate and phyllosilicate mineral discrimination , field survey of the satellite detection results revealed chloritite outcrops in the ophiolite formation mountains 1.4 km northwest of Aqir al-Shamoos near the newly discovered archaeological site of 'Waby al-Zady. Reflectance spectroscopy (0.35-2.5 μm) of material from multiple chloritite sources indicates that chloritite from 'Waby al-Zady is spectrally very similar to material at Aqir al-Shamoos but quite different in comparison with material from other locations. These findings indicate that: (1) hyperspectral satellite imagery target detection can be useful for chloritite prospection, (2) 'Waby al-Zady (or somewhere very nearby) was probably the source of chloritite used at Aqir al-Shamoos, and (3) chloritite reflection spectra may be useful for distinguishing chloritite from different sources.
World Archaeology, 2018
In this paper, the authors use the site of Saruq al-Hadid – a 'persistent temporary place' locate... more In this paper, the authors use the site of Saruq al-Hadid – a 'persistent temporary place' located in the mobile dune fields of the north eastern edge of the Rub' al-Khali desert – as a lens to focus discussion on the variable nature of temporary sites and mobile adaptations within the archaeology of southeastern Arabia, the relationships between temporary sites and permanent settlements, and the evidence for collective events and gatherings from later prehistory into the Islamic period. They discuss evolving arguments regarding sedentary and mobile sites and groups in Arabia from the Neolithic period to the Iron Age, and summarize the material record of human activity at Saruq al-Hadid. This research emphasizes the site's changing significance as a temporary place and its emergence, in the early Iron Age, as a locus for periodic interaction between multiple community groups.
This contribution brings together information on several aspects of seal ownership and seal produ... more This contribution brings together information on several aspects of seal ownership and seal production during the City IIa-c period. It shows that seals were common objects and that ownership was not restricted to specific professions or socio-economic segments of society. Seals were made in small workshops, alongside other items of jewellery and personal ornaments. They were carved from exotic raw materials that had to be imported. Softstone was the most common and there is mounting evidence that suggests a specific type of steatite was preferred by the ancient seal-cutters. Surface treatments were applied in order to achieve the desired effect of a shiny white seal. This dictated the preference for dolomitic steatite and limited the scope of possible alternative materials. It is suggested that the pyrotechniques that were employed and the choices that were made by the ancient seal-cutters form a technological style highly reminiscent of that of the Indus civilisation, including some of the important ideological associations. This approach and its tentative outcomes bolster the commonly accepted theory of a westward transmission of Harappan sealing technology, which has so far been based primarily on iconographic analysis.
Keywords: Dilmun, Meluhha (Indus Civilization, Harappan Civilization), stamp seals, craft production.
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English translation and update of the paper published in French online on the blog of MAFKF in 2015
In the 21st Century, drawing archaeological objects may appear as an obsolete discipline. Why sti... more In the 21st Century, drawing archaeological objects may appear as an obsolete discipline. Why still draw by hand at a time when technology has evolved to the point that digital and 3D imagery are part of the daily life of archaeologists? The digital revolution has driven graphic designers to rethink their profession in both substance and form. Not so long ago, however, drawing was the best way to represent and to publish archaeological objects. Photography, originally a luxury in itself, became during the 20th century a common tool in the archaeological documentation process. Still, it remained a luxury for publication, considering that the price for printing a photo plate — especially in color — exceeds by far that of a plate of text or monochrome line drawing. CAD (computer-assisted drawing, consisting of vectorial and raster softwares) became accessible on personal computers at the beginning of the 1990s. But it is only in the past ten years that a technological boom has made the digital tools of graphic documentation really accessible to non specialists, even going beyond the simple production of images, and hence revolutionizing the profession. On a broader view than just artefact illustration, including maps and architectural plans, information which previously could only be transcribed and recorded through textual description and hand drawing, can now be collected graphically and numerically, in almost unlimited quantity, whether in 2D or 3D — possibly even more dimensions when considering the depth of data accessible via GIS and remote sensing. Publication have also adopted new formats and standards. Once computerized, mixes of text and graphics, photography and drawing, hand-rendering and digital processing, 3D and video are easily enabled. Freed from the print-on-paper constraint, the size of the pictures and the colours are no longer the economic threshold which used to be unafordable to many, not to mention the
Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy
In September 2014, the University of New England (UNE), Australia, began a three-year programme o... more In September 2014, the University of New England (UNE), Australia, began a three-year programme of archaeological fieldwork and post-excavation analyses focused on the site of Saruq al-Hadid. In this paper, we present the initial results of our current field and laboratory research particularly related to site stratigraphy and formation processes, relative and absolute chronology, and the preliminary results of various programmes of post-excavation analyses including archaeobotanical, zooarchaeologi-cal, ceramic and archaeometallurgical studies. These studies provide new data to build into the archaeological understanding of Saruq al-Hadid that has, to date, focused largely on intensive excavation.
The Early Iron Age pottery from Sarūq al-Hadīd has a high frequency of vessels decorated with sna... more The Early Iron Age pottery from Sarūq al-Hadīd has a high frequency of vessels decorated with snake appliqué. These vessels
compare favourably with material from al-Qusays, Masāfī, Bitnah, and Salūt, all of which have been interpreted as ritual centres,
and these ceramic parallels suggest that ritual practices were conducted at Sarūq al-Hadīd as well. Visual analysis and portable
X-ray fluorescence conducted on the Snake Ware from Sarūq al-Hadīd determined that the same fabric was used to create the jars,
lids, and deep bowls. The pedestalled bowls, however, are the product of at least three different fabrics. We suggest that several
different groups, which episodically converged at Sarūq al-Hadīd, brought the pedestalled bowls with them and used these vessels
in a shared ritual. We further argue that such inter-group meetings, when contextualized within the broader developments of the Iron
Age, played a key role in the economy and society of south-eastern Arabia.
Soft-stone vessels are a prominent feature of ancient culture throughout south-east Arabia and th... more Soft-stone vessels are a prominent feature of ancient culture throughout south-east Arabia and the Gulf. Chlorite and steatite occur naturally in the al-Hajar Mountains of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman; but until now, apart from the discovery of a few unfinished pieces, ancient production of soft-stone vessels had yet to be documented in Arabia. This paper reports the discovery and preliminary analysis of softstone vessel production at the site of Aqir al-Shamoos. At this small and secluded mountain village, a range of soft-stone vessels that are well known in the south-east Arabian Iron Age were produced on a scale far beyond what was needed for local consumption.
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Books by Hélène David-Cuny
Papers by Hélène David-Cuny
Keywords: Dilmun, Meluhha (Indus Civilization, Harappan Civilization), stamp seals, craft production.
THIS IS A TYPESCRIPT. WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO UPLOAD THE PUBLISHED VERSION OF OUR PAPER ONTO ACADEMIA. IF YOU WANT AN OFFPRINT OF THE PUBLISHED VERSION YOU CAN CONTACT EITHER OF US.
compare favourably with material from al-Qusays, Masāfī, Bitnah, and Salūt, all of which have been interpreted as ritual centres,
and these ceramic parallels suggest that ritual practices were conducted at Sarūq al-Hadīd as well. Visual analysis and portable
X-ray fluorescence conducted on the Snake Ware from Sarūq al-Hadīd determined that the same fabric was used to create the jars,
lids, and deep bowls. The pedestalled bowls, however, are the product of at least three different fabrics. We suggest that several
different groups, which episodically converged at Sarūq al-Hadīd, brought the pedestalled bowls with them and used these vessels
in a shared ritual. We further argue that such inter-group meetings, when contextualized within the broader developments of the Iron
Age, played a key role in the economy and society of south-eastern Arabia.
Keywords: Dilmun, Meluhha (Indus Civilization, Harappan Civilization), stamp seals, craft production.
THIS IS A TYPESCRIPT. WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO UPLOAD THE PUBLISHED VERSION OF OUR PAPER ONTO ACADEMIA. IF YOU WANT AN OFFPRINT OF THE PUBLISHED VERSION YOU CAN CONTACT EITHER OF US.
compare favourably with material from al-Qusays, Masāfī, Bitnah, and Salūt, all of which have been interpreted as ritual centres,
and these ceramic parallels suggest that ritual practices were conducted at Sarūq al-Hadīd as well. Visual analysis and portable
X-ray fluorescence conducted on the Snake Ware from Sarūq al-Hadīd determined that the same fabric was used to create the jars,
lids, and deep bowls. The pedestalled bowls, however, are the product of at least three different fabrics. We suggest that several
different groups, which episodically converged at Sarūq al-Hadīd, brought the pedestalled bowls with them and used these vessels
in a shared ritual. We further argue that such inter-group meetings, when contextualized within the broader developments of the Iron
Age, played a key role in the economy and society of south-eastern Arabia.