Magan – The Land of Copper

Prehistoric Metallurgy of Oman

By (author) Claudio Giardino

Extent: 200 pages

Publisher: Archaeopress Publishing

Subjects: Ancient Near East

Series: The Archaeological Heritage of Oman

Language: English

Paperback (Published)

(April 2019)

ISBN: 9781789691788

8.31 x 11.69 inches

Price: $64.00

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Synopsis
Contents
Contributing Authors

This volume describes the geography and environments of Oman, its rich copper ore deposits and the ancient mining and smelting techniques, and it also includes an overview of the physical properties of the different metals exploited in antiquity and of the analytical techniques used in archaeometallurgy.

The development of a prehistoric civilization in the Sultanate of Oman was strongly connected with the exploitation and the use of copper. The Oman Peninsula has several rich copper ore deposits that have been exploited since prehistoric times. The earliest evidence of metallurgical activities in Oman dates back to the end of the Neolithic period in the 4th millennium BC. Thanks to the availability of this precious raw material, Oman became one of the main copper sources for the entire Middle East during the Bronze Age. The cuneiform texts of Mesopotamia referred to Oman as the Land of Magan, a region where the precious copper was found in fabulous abundance. This volume describes the geography and environments of Oman, its rich copper ore deposits and the ancient mining and smelting techniques, and it also includes an overview of the physical properties of the different metals exploited in antiquity and of the analytical techniques used in archaeometallurgy. Moreover, the author presents for the first time a comprehensive and detailed typology of the metal objects discovered at sites in Oman dating to the millennia from the Neolithic up to the Early Iron Age, emphasizing the development of advanced alloying techniques in order to obtain artefacts with specific proprieties and appearance.

List of illustrations and tables

Acknowledgments

List of illustrations and tables

Acknowledgments

Foreword

1 – A country of environmental diversities

2 – A geological and mineralogical overview

3 – Basic elements of metallurgy

4 – Copper for Sumer

5 – The earliest appearance of metalworking

6 – Early Bronze Age: the Hafit period, ca. 3200-2800 BC

7 – Early Bronze Age: the Umm an-Nar period, ca. 2800-2000 BC

8 – The prehistoric copper mines

9 – Copper smelting in prehistoric Oman

10 – Middle and Late Bronze Age: the Wadi Suq period. ca. 2000-1300 BC

11 – Early Iron Age, ca. 1300-300 BC

12 – Chemical-Physical Analyses by Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) – by Claudio Giardino and Giovanni Paternoster

Bibliographical references

Index

By (author) Claudio Giardino

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Ancient Weapons of Oman. Volume 2: Firearms

By (author) Vincenzo Clarizia

Persistent Pastoralism: Monuments and Settlements in the Archaeology of Dhofar

By (author) Joy McCorriston

Qalhat, a Medieval Port City of Oman

From a Field of Ruins to UNESCO

By (author) Axelle Rougeulle

Prehistoric Fisherfolk of Oman: The Neolithic Village of Ras Al-Hamra RH-5

By (author) Lapo Gianni Marcucci By (author) Emilie Badel By (author) Francesco Genchi

The Early Iron Age Metal Hoard from the Al Khawd Area (Sultan Qaboos University), Sultanate of Oman

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Dhofar Through the Ages

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Landscapes of Death: Early Bronze Age Tombs and Mortuary Rituals on the Oman Peninsula

By (author) Kimberly D. Williams

Taming the Great Desert: Adam in the Prehistory of Oman

By (author) Guillaume Gernez By (author) Jessica Giraud

Landmarks of Identity: Bronze Age Towers of the Oman Peninsula

By (author) Stephanie Döpper

Messages from the Past: Rock Art of Al-Hajar Mountains

By (author) Angelo E. Fossati

At the Dawn of History: The Late Pre-Islamic Age in South-Eastern Arabia

By (author) Paul A. Yule By (author) Fausto Mauro

The First Peoples of Oman: Palaeolithic Archaeology of the Nejd Plateau

By (author) Jeffrey I. Rose By (author) Yamandú H. Hilbert By (author) Anthony E. Marks…

Hinterland Monuments of Ancient Nomads

Trilith Stone Structures of Southeastern Arabia

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Ancient Weapons of Oman. Volume 1: Edged Weapons

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