H3 (Kuwait)
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H3 (also H3, as-Sabiyah) is an
archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or recorded history, historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline ...
in the Subiya Region (
Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...
) that was occupied during the second half of the sixth millennium BC. It was a cultural borderland between the
Mesopotamian Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary o ...
and the Arabian Neolithic. Finds at the site include small pieces of bitumen believed to have been used to waterproof boats, providing some of the earliest direct evidence for sea faring. A boat model similar to those in Mesopotamia was also discovered at the site.Carter, Robert. (2002). The Neolithic origins of seafaring in the Arabian Gulf. Archaeology International. 6. 44. 10.5334/ai.0613.


The site and its environment

H3 is located on Jazirat Dubaji, a low peninsula on the north side of Kuwait Bay. Originally, the site may have been located on the edge of a shallow lagoon, but today it is surrounded by mud flats. The site consists of a low mound with
pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a ''potter'' is al ...
and
flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Historically, flint was widely used to make stone tools and start ...
scattered over the surface. Some architectural remains are visible on the surface as well. Its size has been estimated at 90 by 80 m.


History of research

The site was initially identified by Fahad al-Wohaibi. A preliminary
archaeological survey In archaeology, survey or field survey is a type of field research by which archaeologists (often Landscape archaeology, landscape archaeologists) search for archaeological sites and collect information about the location, distribution and organi ...
and small-scale excavation were subsequently carried out. Full-scale excavation started in 1998 by a joint team of the British Archaeological Expedition to Kuwait and Kuwait National Museum. Further excavation seasons were carried out between 1999 and 2004. The excavations were directed by Harriet Crawford.


Occupation history

Based on the pottery, H3 has been dated to the Ubaid 2-3 period, or second half of the sixth millennium BC. A single radiocarbon date from the oldest part of the site provided a date of 5511-5324 cal BC. The oldest part of the site is thought to be a fire pit that was exposed in the western part of the site. The excavators interpret it as an installation where fish was processed. The main occupation at H3 consists of several separate stone-built structures, of which two were excavated and several more are visible on the surface. One was an open-air enclosure with a storage room. This area was probably used for the production of stone and flint tools.The second structure consisted of four rooms with
corbel In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal keyed into and projecting from a wall to carry a wikt:superincumbent, bearing weight, a type of bracket (architecture), bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in t ...
led walls, possibly to support a roof. The function of the rooms could not be determined with certainty, but based on the presence of certain artefacts and fish and mammal bones, one of the larger rooms was probably used as living area. Based on these substantial architectural remains, it has been suggested that the inhabitants may have lived for extended periods at the site - if not permanently. The majority of the pottery at H3 consisted of plain and painted Ubaid ware. This pottery has been dated to Ubaid 2-3, with parallels found at sites like Choga Mami in
Mesopotamia Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary of ...
and Dosariyah along the
Gulf A gulf is a large inlet from an ocean or their seas into a landmass, larger and typically (though not always) with a narrower opening than a bay (geography), bay. The term was used traditionally for large, highly indented navigable bodies of s ...
coast. Based on the abundant presence of fish bones and fishing equipments,
fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...
must have been of considerable importance at the site. Fishing was practiced in shallow water, but there is evidence for deep-water fishing as well. Some of the species identified at H3, such as tuna, are no longer present in Kuway Bay today.
Gazelle A gazelle is one of many antelope species in the genus ''Gazella'' . There are also seven species included in two further genera; '' Eudorcas'' and '' Nanger'', which were formerly considered subgenera of ''Gazella''. A third former subgenus, ' ...
and sheep/goat bones were also present, indicating that the occupants of H3 also practiced
hunting Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...
as well as
pastoralism Pastoralism is a form of animal husbandry where domesticated animals (known as "livestock") are released onto large vegetated outdoor lands (pastures) for grazing, historically by nomadic people who moved around with their herds. The anim ...
. Date stones found at the site are among the earliest evidence in the world for date consumption, together with stones from Dalma Island (UAE). The inhabitants of H3 also manufactured shell jewelry, possibly to be traded with other communities. According to Robert Carter, H3 has been interpreted as a cultural borderland between
Mesopotamian Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary o ...
and Arabian Neolithic. The settlement has been interpreted as belonging to a local Arabian Neolithic tradition that practiced extensive contacts with the Ubaid settlements of Mesopotamia. It is likely that people of Mesopotamian origin lived in H3 and practiced Mesopotamian agriculture and cereal farming techniques. These contacts also likely involved trade, where Ubaid pottery, shells and pearls were commodities.


Seafaring

H3 has provided intriguing evidence for seafaring. The first piece of evidence is a ceramic model depicting a reed-bundle boat. Similar models have been found at
Mesopotamia Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary of ...
n sites including
Eridu Eridu (; Sumerian: eridugki; Akkadian: ''irîtu'') was a Sumerian city located at Tell Abu Shahrain (), also Abu Shahrein or Tell Abu Shahrayn, an archaeological site in Lower Mesopotamia. It is located in Dhi Qar Governorate, Iraq, near the ...
, 'Oueili and 'Ubaid, but the model from H3 is more detailed, for example with incisions that mimic the reed bundles from which the real boat would have been constructed. The second consists of a ceramic disc made from a sherd that appears to depict a reed bundle boat with two masts. This is the oldest evidence for the use of masts and sails. Finally, many pieces of
bitumen Bitumen ( , ) is an immensely viscosity, viscous constituent of petroleum. Depending on its exact composition, it can be a sticky, black liquid or an apparently solid mass that behaves as a liquid over very large time scales. In American Engl ...
with
barnacle Barnacles are arthropods of the subclass (taxonomy), subclass Cirripedia in the subphylum Crustacean, Crustacea. They are related to crabs and lobsters, with similar Nauplius (larva), nauplius larvae. Barnacles are exclusively marine invertebra ...
s attached on one side and reed impressions on the other side were found at H3. The bitumen is interpreted as a waterproof coating that was applied to a reed-bundle boat. These pieces are the earliest evidence for actual boats in
Western Asia West Asia (also called Western Asia or Southwest Asia) is the westernmost region of Asia. As defined by most academics, UN bodies and other institutions, the subregion consists of Anatolia, the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Mesopotamia, the Armenian ...
, and the earliest evidence for seagoing vessels in the world. Geochemical analysis of the bitumen showed that it originated from a source in Burgan, to the south of H3.


See also

* Bahra 1


References

{{Ancient seafaring Archaeological sites in Kuwait Ubaid period