Dosariyah

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Dosariyah, also Dawsariyyah or Dosarije, is an archaeological site in the Saudi Arabian province of al- Sharqiyah, which dated to the late 6th and early 5th millennium BC, the Neolithic Arabic. From Dosariyah the first finds of Obed- ceramic in Saudi Arabia come.

Location

The site is located about 12 km south of Al Jubail in a dune area, about 800 meters from the coast of the Persian Gulf. Today Dosariyah appears as a roughly north-south oriented, 2 m high hill. A hill in the east blocks the direct view of the Persian Gulf. South of reference extends the level of Sabcha as- Summ. The surrounding landscape is dominated by sand dunes and sparse vegetation.

History of Research

Dosariyah was discovered by Grace Burkholder in 1968. Scattered over a wide area they found on the surface of the reference large amounts of painted and unpainted pottery shards, stone tools of flint and obsidian, shells, bones of mammals and fish as well as gypsum. In the same year Geoffrey Bibby classified the ceramics as Obed- time and recommended further investigation of the site due to this discovery. As part of the first excavations in 1972, Abdullah H. Masry was able to demonstrate in Dosariyah a sequence of at least seven settlement horizons to a depth of 2.50 m, which were stratigraphically separated by fund poor layers. For the protection of the site, a solid fence has been erected in connection to the investigation. Since 2010, new excavations are held by a Saudi- German team of Dammam Regional Museum and the University of Tübingen.

Research position

The spectrum of finds and stratigraphic observations made during the excavations date the main phase of settlement in Dosariyah in the Arabian Neolithic or the Obed- time south Mesopotamia. This dating is confirmed by the direct dating of shells which date the reference to the late 6th and early 5th millennium BC. In addition to a temporal islam Shard from the surface there is little evidence to subsequent colonization. With the exception of some of modern legacies on the surface of the reference is undisturbed. In addition, the preservation conditions for organic material are very good. Because of these favorable conditions Dosariyah for the study of Neolithic in the Arabian Peninsula is particularly suitable.

Ceramics and function of the settlement

The finds range in Dosariyah has both elements of the local Arab Neolithic as well as influences from southern Mesopotamia. In particular, large amounts of Obed- ceramic, which was imported from southern Mesopotamia, indicate long-range cultural contacts. Approximately 25 % of the pottery from Dosariyah is characterized by a very rough temper. This " coarse goods" ( Coarse Ware) is considered as locally produced. Obed- ceramics can be found in a variety of Neolithic sites on the southern coast of the Persian Gulf. However, while many of these references, only a few fragments of pottery were found, refer large amounts of imported Ubaid pottery, but also finds of obsidian, the importance of Dosariyah within an extensive social and economic network. Individuals, to more than 50 cm thick archaeological horizons that consist largely of shells of pearl oyster Pinctada radiata shells of species can give an indication of pearl fishing. Whether it is in a permanently inhabited settlement Dosariyah or periodically used by pastoral nomads station for trade, fisheries, etc. is, is the subject of current investigations at the site.