Exchange networks in southeast Arabia in the
Early Bronze Age (c.3200-2000 B.C.):An Analysis of Changing Patterns of Exchange in the Hafit and Umm an-Nar Periods

Abstract

The Bronze Age is a time of dramatic change for the societies of SE Arabia, with local cultures and styles developing against a backdrop of state formation in Mesopotamia and the Indus region. For the first time the archaeological evidence is supplemented by Mesopotamian texts that describe trade relations with neighbouring regions that included Dilmun (Bahrain), Magan (SE Arabia) and Meluhha (the Indus region). This thesis explores the nature of Early Bronze Age (c.3200-2000 B.C.) trade networks in SE Arabia, how these changed over time and the impact these changes may have had on local socio-economic and political structures. I provide a comprehensive investigation of published archaeological sites, supplemented by an analysis of an unpublished ceramic assemblage from the site of Kalba 4. I draw from economic theory in anthropology and archaeology to query existing models of social organisation in the region.