Dhuweila
Dhuweila is an
Early Neolithic and reoccupied, after a hiatus, in the Late Neolithic.[1] The Early Neolithic occupation dates to between 7360 and 7080 BCE.[2]
The site was sporadically revisited in later periods. One of these episodes, dating to the
Early Bronze Age (c. 4450–3000 BCE), is notable for leaving some of the earliest known traces of cotton fabric in the world.[3]
The site was first recorded by Alison Betts in 1981, and excavated in 1983 and 1986.[4][5]
Later occupations and early cotton
In the millennia following the abandonment of the Late Neolithic settlement, Dhuweila was occasionally revisited by nomadic
Indus Valley. Betts and colleagues conclude that it was probably brought to the site as scraps of waste fabric acquired from villages elsewhere, indicating the long-distance connections North Arabian nomads had with other cultures at the time.[3] The remains from Dhuweila were the earliest known evidence of cotton fabric until 2002, when earlier examples were discovered at Mehrgarh in Pakistan.[6]
Nomads also left many Safaitic inscriptions in the vicinity of Dhuweila, dating to the 1st century BCE to the 4th century CE. One alludes to a conflict between local tribes and the Nabataeans:[7]
l-ḥls bn mlk w-rcy f-tẓr h-mẓr f-hrḍy ġnmt m-nbṭ [w]cqbt |
By ḥls son of mlk and he grazed [the animals], and waited [on] the watching tower. Ô Radhy, (grant) booty and vengeance from the Nabataeans. |
| —Dhuweila Inscription No. 8 | —translation (Alzoubi and Almaani 2018) |
References
- ISBN 1850756147.
- ^ Benz, Marion. "Dhuweila". PPND: the platform for Neolithic radiocarbon dates. ex oriente. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
- ^ ISSN 0305-4403.
- ISSN 0075-8914.
- ISSN 0075-8914.
- ^ Sample, Ian (2002-09-07). "Cotton thread runs unbroken through prehistory". New Scientist. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
- ^ Alzoubi, Mahdi; Almaani, Sultan (2018). "Some New Safaitic Inscriptions from Dhuweila – Jordan". Adamatu. 37: 7–16.
Further reading
- Zarins, Juris (2002). "Dhuweila (Early Arabian Pastoral)". In Peregrine, Peter N.; Ember, Melvin (eds.). Encyclopedia of Prehistory, Volume 8: South and Southwest Asia. Springer. p. 81. ISBN 978-1-4615-0023-0.
External links
- Decorated stone from Dhuweila, British Museum