Umm an-Nar settlement pottery from Dahwa 7 (DH7), northern al-Batinah, Oman

Abstract

This research focuses on studying the pottery sherds collected in the period 2018–19 from settlement DH7 in the northern al-Batinah region in north-eastern Oman. The material mainly comes from stratified contexts from the largest building at the settlement, building S42, whose function is interpreted as a warehouse. Three main classes of pottery are recognised: The Indus red micaceous ware, the Umm an-Nar fine red ware and the Dahwa sandy buff ware. Compared with most of the other known Umm an-Nar settlements, the black-slipped jars (Indus red micaceous ware) are clearly over-represented at DH7. Intriguingly, local pottery Dahwa sandy buff ware shows a typical Indus rim form. This is presumably a result of existing Indus potters in the al-Batinah region who adapted to the local market. Radiocarbon dating places the beginning of the occupation of settlement DH7 to c.2500 cal. BCE. Such a date accords well with the results of stylistic comparisons of DH7 pottery with other sites of the Umm an-Nar period.