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Oman Photos
So, originally I was supposed to be back home by now. However, there's been a little change of plans. A few weeks ago, we heard that a construction company was planning on building a resort on a beach near Muscat; unfortunately, this beach had multiple archaeological sites on it. In Oman, as in many countries, major construction projects are required by law to investigate and document archaeological sites before they are destroyed in the process of building. There was a slight scandal around this project, as the company may or may not have attempted to get out of this requirement; whether or not they are actually guilty of doing so, the onus was on them to prove their good faith by doing an unusually good job of it. These types of projects are usually done by contract firm archaeologists, but because of the circumstances, the company hired us, an academic team. And now I'll be in Oman for another couple of weeks, until early April. The benefit is that we're being paid to do this- and quite a lot of money, especially compared to my regular grad student stipend. They're also putting us up in a hotel, which is pretty neat, but the really cool part is that we're working literally right on an absolutely gorgeous beach. You can see why someone would want to build a resort there.
Click the photos for bigger images.
The beach is shaped a bit like a U, with the white sand part being the bottom of the U, and the sides being ridges that run out into the water north and south of the beach itself. Both ridges are scattered with shell middens- basically big trash pits that mostly consist of shell and ash, with occasional artifacts or pieces of copper in them- from between 5000 and 4000 bce. I and another woman are working on these sites; there are several other things going on in the area, including a medieval mudbrick (aka adobe) village, which you can see to the right of this photo. This is taken from the north ridge, looking south.
From the south ridge, looking north. That's me digging. This shell midden was extremely shallow; I'm kneeling on bedrock here, and you can see that I'm only about 20 centimeters below the surface.
From the south ridge, looking south. One of the most interesting things about having to work in the hot sun (and it is extremely hot, hovering over 105F/40C for the last few days) is the way the water changes through the day. Early in the morning, like this photo, it's dark and reflective; later in the day, it becomes clear as glass, and turns the brilliant blues and greens of sapphires. I'm determined to swim out to this island one day, although a bit more uncertain about it since someone told me there are apparently sharks in the area.
From the north ridge, looking east. I love the little hole in this island, especially since you can only see it from certain angles.
Click the photos for bigger images.
The beach is shaped a bit like a U, with the white sand part being the bottom of the U, and the sides being ridges that run out into the water north and south of the beach itself. Both ridges are scattered with shell middens- basically big trash pits that mostly consist of shell and ash, with occasional artifacts or pieces of copper in them- from between 5000 and 4000 bce. I and another woman are working on these sites; there are several other things going on in the area, including a medieval mudbrick (aka adobe) village, which you can see to the right of this photo. This is taken from the north ridge, looking south.
From the south ridge, looking north. That's me digging. This shell midden was extremely shallow; I'm kneeling on bedrock here, and you can see that I'm only about 20 centimeters below the surface.
From the south ridge, looking south. One of the most interesting things about having to work in the hot sun (and it is extremely hot, hovering over 105F/40C for the last few days) is the way the water changes through the day. Early in the morning, like this photo, it's dark and reflective; later in the day, it becomes clear as glass, and turns the brilliant blues and greens of sapphires. I'm determined to swim out to this island one day, although a bit more uncertain about it since someone told me there are apparently sharks in the area.
From the north ridge, looking east. I love the little hole in this island, especially since you can only see it from certain angles.
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But let the straight girls feed the sharks.
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Maybe real archaeologists shouldn't watch Stargate.:-)
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Do 15 sites, and what do you get?
Re: Do 15 sites, and what do you get?
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Also, gorgeous!
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Thanks!
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And shell middens! Are those fun to dig, or is it a really annoying texture? I've only dug mud or clay, although I bet sand must be a nuisance.
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It was actually pretty nice; mostly very soft and loose, but not so much that the sides of your trench fell in. And the midden itself was really obvious- it went straight from yellow sand to literally black ash. Makes stratigraphy simple!
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Enjoy the comforts of home now that you're back!
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And thanks! I am so taking advantage of all creature comforts.
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1) a T-shirt which said, on the back, "No I haven't found anything yet"
2) a cardboard sign saying "Homeless and hungry, please help pay for grad school".
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