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Note on the pottery finds from the Nabataean harbour of al-Qusayr (al-Wajh, Saudi Arabia) on the Red Sea

2020, 29, No. 1

CNRS-HiSoMA Maison de l'Orient et de la Méditerranée, Lyon, France


Publication date

31.12.2020

Publishing model

open access

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Field

Humanities

Discipline

archeology

Language of publication

English

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Abstract

Al-Qusayr is located 40 km south of modern al-Wajh, roughly 5 km from the eastern Red Sea shore. The site has been known since the late 19th century, when the explorer Richard Francis Burton described it for the first time, in particular the remains of a monumental building so-called al-Qasr. In March 2016, a new survey of the site was undertaken by the al-‘Ula– al-Wajh Survey Project. This survey focused not only on al-Qasr but also on the surrounding site corresponding to the ancient settlement. A surface collection of pottery sherds revealed a striking combination of Mediterranean and Egyptian imports on one hand, and of Nabataean products on the other hand. This material is particularly homogeneous on the chronological point of view, suggesting a rather limited occupation period for the site. Attesting contacts between Mediterranean merchants, Roman Egypt and the Nabataean kingdom, these new data allow a complete reassessment of the importance of this locality in the Red Sea trade routes during antiquity.

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