(in Polish) Społeczności Arabii Południowo-wschodniej w epoce brązu i żelaza w świetle źródeł archeologicznych 4001-APW-OG

The area of Southeastern Arabia in pre-historic times, was the place where a culturally, technologically and economically developed society functioned. The region was located at the crossroads between the civilizations of Mesopotamia, Iran and the Indus Valley, mediating contacts between these centers and being subjected to their influence.
In this area in the Bronze Age were lands known from Mesopotamian texts - Dilmun (modern Bahrain) and Magan (Oman Peninsula). Magan became famous in antiquity as a region from which copper was extracted, while Dilmun served as an intermediate trading point between Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley.
The Iron Age saw the domestication of the camel, which boosted trade, especially in the frankincense found in the southern part of the region. At the same time, an innovative irrigation system now known as falaj (Arabic: falāj) was developed, which enabled the development of agriculture in regions with limited water resources. In later periods, the area came under the influence of successively the Assyrian and subsequently the Achaemenid Empires.
Thus, the chronological range of the classes covers the Bronze Age (including a discussion of its origins) up to the end of the Early Iron Age, i.e. up to the 4th century BC, while the geographic span covers the southeastern part of the Arabian Peninsula including modern countries such as Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. The archaeology of the area is relatively young (beginning in the 1950s), allowing for a wide range of discussion and interpretation. The class will discuss the history of research, geography and the impact of the natural environment on the area in question, as well as the process of transformation to a sedentary lifestyle, the characteristics and development of the societies of the area in question during the Bronze and Iron Ages, the characteristics of the material culture of the societies in question, or the influence of neighboring civilizations on the development of cultures.
The class is designed to introduce students to the cultural characteristics of the societies of Southeast Arabia during the Bronze and Iron Ages. Participants will learn and understand the processes that led to the development of
advanced cultures in the area and their significance for the functioning of the world at their time. The process of their decline will also be discussed. Students will learn about cultural features for the area such as: settlement including architecture, social structure, beliefs and funerary rites, raw material base, trade, technology and material culture production.
The topics covered in the course will include:
-The geography of the region and the impact of the natural environment on the development of cultures.
-The history of archaeological research in the region.
-The transformation of cultures from Neolithic pastoral communities to complex, sedentary societies in the Early Bronze Age.
-The significance of agriculture and animal husbandry for the communities of Southeastern Arabia.
-Interregional contacts and the cultural influences of India, Iran, and Mesopotamia on Southeastern Arabia.
-Magan – the land of copper: characteristics of the Umm an-Nar culture, including society, settlement patterns and architecture, its role in interregional networks, copper extraction, technology, and transportation.
-Climate change and the gradual decline in the region’s importance; the emergence of pastoral societies – the Wadi Suq culture.
-Dilmun – an overview of its society, material culture, and trading activities.
-Trade during the Bronze Age – objects related to commerce, systems of measurement and writing, and seals.
-Society in Southeastern Arabia during the Early Iron Age – the development of settlements, the falaj irrigation system and intensification of agriculture, camel domestication, the incense trade, religious beliefs, and key aspects of material culture and craftsmanship.
-Evidence of Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian rule, and their influence on the society and material culture of Dilmun and the Omani Peninsula.