The Archaeology of Prehistoric Arabia
Adaptation and Social Formation from the Neolithic to the Iron Age

This book provides the first extensive coverage of the archaeology of the Arabian peninsula from c.9000 to 800 BC.

Peter Magee (Author)

9780521862318, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 19 May 2014

309 pages, 97 b/w illus. 21 maps
26 x 18.2 x 1.9 cm, 0.85 kg

'Part of the Cambridge World Archaeology series, this useful book aims to provide a definitive overview of the social formation of Arabia from the Neolithic to the Iron Age (7000 BC to 800 BC) for professional archaeologists and students.' David Millar, World Archaeology Magazine

Encompassing a landmass greater than the rest of the Near East and Eastern Mediterranean combined, the Arabian peninsula remains one of the last great unexplored regions of the ancient world. This book provides the first extensive coverage of the archaeology of this region from c.9000 to 800 BC. Peter Magee argues that a unique social system, which relied on social cohesion and actively resisted the hierarchical structures of adjacent states, emerged during the Neolithic and continued to contour society for millennia later. The book also focuses on how the historical context in which Near Eastern archaeology was codified has led to a skewed understanding of the multiplicity of lifeways pursued by ancient peoples living throughout the Middle East.

1. Arabia and the study of the ancient Near East
2. Ecological and environmental diversity in Arabia
3. The formation of Arabian society: 7000 to 3000 BC
4. Eastern Arabia from 3000 to 2000 BC
5. The Bronze Age in western Arabia
6. Eastern Arabia from 2000 to 1300 BC
7. Humans, dromedaries, and the transformation of ancient Arabia
8. Intensification and consolidation: Arabia from 1300 to 800 BC
9. Expansion and engagement: Arabia and the ancient Near East
10. Adaptation and social formation in ancient Arabia.

Subject Areas: Prehistoric archaeology [HDDA], Archaeology by period / region [HDD], Ancient history: to c 500 CE [HBLA]