Umm Al Nar Culture

Index

Index

1. Introduction

2. Lifestyle

3. Occupation

4. Tombs and Buildings

5. Conclusion

6. Bibliography

Introduction

Umm al-Nar is the name given to a Bronze age culture that existed around 2600-2000 BCE in the area of modern-day United Arab Emirates and Northern Oman. The small island of Umm an-Nar features an archaeological site that has yielded significant finds that have helped to illuminate the culture and lifestyle of Bronze Age inhabitants of the United Arab Emirates. This small island was home to a relatively large settlement that played an active role in regional commerce, with artefacts showing that people on the island traded with civilizations as far away as ancient Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) and the Indus Valley Civilization (modern-day Pakistan and India). The etymology derives from the island of the same name which lies adjacent to Abu Dhabi city and which provided early evidence and finds attributed to the period. Umm an-Nar shows important development of the funeral architecture and its construction technology. The development of the Haft single chamber graves of the Early Bronze Age to sophisticated multi-chamber burials illustrates significant stage in the human history in the region.

Lifestyle

1. Archaeologists found many objects from the island.

2. The artifacts included many things like jewelry, and copper weapons.

3. It also included bronze objects. Fishing hooks were also found.

4. Dugong was the main thing of the diet.

5. Umm Al Nar island which features the archaeological site is not accessible to public.

Occupation

1. Magan was famed for its shipbuilding and its maritime capabilities. Trade between the Indus Valley and Sumer took place through Magan.

2. Domestication of Camel led to Nomadism.

3. More inland settlement took place during this period.

4. Increasingly sophisticated Metals were used.

Architecture

1. The structures of Umm an-Nar Island settlement were built of unshaped stones mined from the limestone plateau and the near-by areas.

2. The majority of the stones used in the buildings are marine rocks which must have been mined from the surrounding beaches.

3. Walls usually consisted of two parallel rows of stones with a core, filled with smaller stones.

4. The houses excavated on the island yielded a large collection of animal bones including marine and terrestrials.

5. Dugong and camel bones as well as different species of fish and cormorants were common.

6. The excavations at the cemetery revealed multi-room circular monuments with exterior walls built of well shaped stones. Fifty stone cairns of different size have been identified on the Umm an-Nar island.

7. These cairns contained burials of the local inhabitants of the island, the largest known community that had lived during the Bronze Age on the southern coast of the Arabian Gulf so far.

Conclusion

1. Umm al Nar Culture’ is the academic term used for the civilization in southeast Arabia that flourished between approximately 2500 BCE and 2000 BCE.

2. Located off the coast of Abu Dhabi emirate, the small island of Umm an-Nar features an archaeological site that has yielded significant finds that have helped to illuminate the culture and lifestyle of Bronze Age inhabitants of the United Arab Emirates.

Bibliography

1. https://brewminate.com/the-bronze-age-culture-of-umm-an-nar/

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umm_Al_Nar_culture

3. https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5660/

4. https://abudhabiculture.ae/en/discover/pre-historic-and-palaeontology/umm-an-nar

Map

Map