Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/28856
Title: Preliminary insights into late prehistoric fish procurement strategies in the desert interior of southeastern Arabia: The results of LA-ICP-MS analysis of a fish otolith assemblage from Saruq al-Hadid, UAE
Contributor(s): Roberts, James  (author); Weeks, Lloyd  (author)orcid ; Fillios, Melanie  (author)orcid ; Cable, Charlotte  (author)orcid ; al-Ali, Yaaqoub Youssef (author); Boraik, Mansour (author); Zein, Hassan (author)
Publication Date: 2019-08
Early Online Version: 2019-05-30
DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2019.05.021
Handle Link: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/28856
Abstract: Fishing is known to have been an integral component of life in prehistoric coastal communities in southeastern Arabia and the recovery of fish bones from sites away from the coast indicates that fish were also an important resource at inland sites in this area. Recent excavations undertaken at the late prehistoric (c.2000–c.800 BCE) site of Saruq al-Hadid, UAE, a desert site located c.40 km away from Emirate of Dubai's coastline, have recovered a large assemblage of fish remains including a substantial number of sagittal otoliths from a variety of marine species. In this paper, we present the results of Laser Ablation ICP-MS analysis of the chemical composition of 143 sagittal otoliths recovered from Saruq al-Hadid and use the data to make preliminary inferences regarding the provenance, season of capture and method of preservation of these fish. We tentatively suggest that the otolith chemistries observed in this study indicate that fish from both the Persian Gulf and Omani coast are present at Saruq al-Hadid. Additionally, we are also able to rule out salting as a preservation method for the fish represented by these otoliths. However, we also highlight the extensive array of variables that may influence these data and acknowledge that the nature of the dataset prevents any firm conclusions being drawn regarding these topics at this stage in the study. Despite the limitations of this preliminary study, we argue that the otoliths from Saruq al-Hadid have significant research potential and conclude by outlining methods that might be employed to take this study further in the future.
Publication Type: Journal Article
Source of Publication: Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, v.26, p. 1-11
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Place of Publication: Netherlands
ISSN: 2352-4103
2352-409X
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: 210105 Archaeology of Europe, the Mediterranean and the Levant
210102 Archaeological Science
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020: 430101 Archaeological science
430102 Archaeology of Asia, Africa and the Americas
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: 970121 Expanding Knowledge in History and Archaeology
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020: 280113 Expanding knowledge in history, heritage and archaeology
130702 Understanding Asia’s past
Peer Reviewed: Yes
HERDC Category Description: C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal
Appears in Collections:Journal Article
School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences

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