Bat Oasis Historical Archaeology Project: Interim Report on 2014 Field Season

Abstract

This paper presents the results of the first field season carried out in the abandoned mud brick structures of the Bat Oasis in Oman. Drawing on planning, building analysis, excavation and ethnographic interviews, this project is exploring the recent and contemporary past of the mud brick village which was occupied up until the 1970s. The vast majority of the rural population of Oman lived in mud brick villages and the Bat Oasis provides an excellent opportunity to understand more about the ways in which vernacular architecture shaped social structures, and the reverse. Excavation and oral histories provide historical context for this understanding, and can also help inform heritage plans for the site.