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The Central Oman Paleolithic Survey: Recent Research in Southern Arabia and Reflection on the Prehistoric Evidence

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Book cover The Evolution of Human Populations in Arabia

Part of the book series: Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology ((VERT))

Abstract

The principal objective of the Central Oman Paleolithic Survey (COPS) program is the exploration of the earliest human occupation in the southern part of the Arabian peninsula. The COPS, organized by the Institute for Prehistory and Archaeological Science (IPAS) of the University of Basel (Switzerland), was carried out in 2007, in the Huqf area of the Sultanate of Oman. This project is complementary to the ongoing research of the IPAS in Syria which has been operating for more than 20 years (Le Tensorer and Hours, 1989; Le Tensorer, 1996, 2004; Le Tensorer et al., 1997, 2001; Le Tensorer et al., 2007). During 5 weeks of field work, a tremendous amount of information was collected shedding new light on Omani prehistory. A total of 623 sites were surveyed for information on prehistory and geology. In total, 369 archaeological sites were recorded. Even though the main goal of the survey was to discover Early Paleolithic sites, the preliminary results of the COPS survey are astonishing in the array of archaeological sites that were identified. The 2007 discoveries revealed a significant and diverse prehistoric legacy in Central Oman reflecting a proliferate population unexpected in an arid area.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to express our gratitude to H.E. Sultan Bin Hamdoon Al-Harty, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Heritage and Culture, Ms. Biuwba Ali Al Sabri Director of Excavations and Archaeological Studies. We are also indebted to Salim Al Maskeri of Shuram L.L.C in Muscat, H.E. Youcef Fartas, Honorary Consul of Switzerland to the Sultanate of Oman and to Dr. Barbara Stäuble (Muscat), last but not least the participants of the COPS 2007 survey. Christine Pümpin, Fabio Wegmüller and Ines Winet (all from the University of Basel). Furthermore our gratitude goes to the main sponsors of the COPS project; Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) L.L.C. and Bank Muscat S.A.O.G.

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  1. Institute of Prehistory and Science in Archaeology, University of Basel, Spalenring 145, CH-4055, Basel, Switzerland

    Reto Jagher

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  1. Reto Jagher
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  1. Leverhulme Centre for Human, University of Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Street 13A, Cambridge, CB2 1QH, United Kingdom

    Michael D. Petraglia

  2. Dept. Anthropology & Geography, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, OX3 0BP, United Kingdom

    Jeffrey I. Rose

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Jagher, R. (2010). The Central Oman Paleolithic Survey: Recent Research in Southern Arabia and Reflection on the Prehistoric Evidence. In: Petraglia, M., Rose, J. (eds) The Evolution of Human Populations in Arabia. Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2719-1_11

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