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Research Interests: Archaeology and MADAM
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International audienc
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International audienc
International audienc
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International audienc
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International audienc
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International audienc
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International audienceIn northern Ethiopia, the villages of Sewne and Wolwalo form the centre of two areas surveyed by the French archaeological mission in the Eastern Tigray which revealed pre-Aksumite, Aksumite and post-Aksumite... more
International audienceIn northern Ethiopia, the villages of Sewne and Wolwalo form the centre of two areas surveyed by the French archaeological mission in the Eastern Tigray which revealed pre-Aksumite, Aksumite and post-Aksumite settlements. Around Wolwalo, the study zone is on the Tigray plateau, at an altitude of 2700 m. Around Sewne, the site of Wakarida and the surveyed area extend on a topographic spur at the altitude of 2400 m, forming a transition zone between the plateau and the valleys plunging towards the Danakil Depression. The relations maintained by the sites of the two regions with the central powers during pre-Aksumite, Aksumite and post-Aksmuite periods are still unclear, as well as the relationship between the two spaces (spur/plateau), and ancient agricultural practices.Geographically, it is a margin area with a shifting relationship to political centrality, which can be apprehended on various spatio-temporal scales, thanks to an interdisciplinary approach, combining archaeology, geoarchaeology, geohistory and ethnogeomorphology. Our geographical analysis relies on the concepts of centrality, marginalization and mobility and is part of a diachronic reflection, essentially based on the modern and contemporary periods.During the modern period, this space is subject to erosion caused by anthropogenic activities from the 14th century onwards but is nevertheless absent from travellers' accounts and early cartographies. Marginalised at the regional scale and away from the main itineraries, the studied space remains locally active and continues developing. Today, the Sewne spur constitutes a central margin: its marginal location makes it a contact zone, an interface area, where the distance from the centre leads to the creation of a new centre. This area becomes a porous and dynamic borderland between sedentary agricultural practices and nomadic or semi-nomadic agro-pastoral practices of the neighbouring Afar populations. These contemporary data provide analogues allowing to question past periods through a regressive approach
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International audienceExcavations of two Iron Age cultic sites at Bithnah andMasāfī (Fujairah, United Arab Emirates) have provideddata documenting cultic rituals dedicated to a divinityrepresented as a snake practised by south-eastern... more
International audienceExcavations of two Iron Age cultic sites at Bithnah andMasāfī (Fujairah, United Arab Emirates) have provideddata documenting cultic rituals dedicated to a divinityrepresented as a snake practised by south-eastern Arabianpopulations during the Iron Age (1200-300 BC). On thebasis of archaeological data as well as of fi rst resultsobtained by chemical studies, a possible connectionbetween the attributions of the deity represented by thesnake and the regional economic background, in whichcopper and water might have played a major rule isdiscussed by the authors
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This article presents the results of recent research carried out by the French Archaeological Mission in Wakarida, eastern Tigray, Ethiopia. Excavations revealed a small city dating from the middle and late Aksumite period (AD... more
This article presents the results of recent research carried out by the French Archaeological Mission in Wakarida, eastern Tigray, Ethiopia. Excavations revealed a small city dating from the middle and late Aksumite period (AD 350/400–800/850). Despite a relative scarcity of imported items in Wakarida, the local architecture and pottery allowed the team to highlight several parallels with the architecture and pottery collected in the capital, Aksum, suggesting strong elements of cultural unity throughout the Aksumite kingdom.
Research Interests: Geography, Archaeology, Architecture, Ethiopian Studies, Ethiopia, and 15 moreAksumite Archaeology, Pottery, History of architecture, Ethiopian archaeology, Pottery technology and function, Excavation, Ethiopian Art, Ethiopian History, Aksum, Axoum, History of Architecture, Pottery Archaeology, Parallels, Kingdom, and Tigray
Fig. 1 : Localisation de Masafi et des principaux sites de l’Âge du Fer des Emirats Arabes Unis. L’operation Masafi conduite dans l’Emirat de Fujairah depuis 2007 sous ma direction fait partie du programme de recherches mene par la... more
Fig. 1 : Localisation de Masafi et des principaux sites de l’Âge du Fer des Emirats Arabes Unis. L’operation Masafi conduite dans l’Emirat de Fujairah depuis 2007 sous ma direction fait partie du programme de recherches mene par la mission archeologique francaise aux Emirats Arabes Unis (Dir : Sophie Mery, ArScan, Nanterre), grâce a un financement du Ministere des Affaires Etrangeres. L’objectif global est une etude diachronique des populations protohistoriques d’Arabie sud-orientale pour met...
Research Interests: Humanities and Art
Evolution de exploitation des sols de l’oasis de Masafi (E.A.U.) depuis l’Age du Fer : premieres cles de lecture des sols
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Located in the northern part of the Hajar mountains (UAE), the oasis of Masāfī benefits from abundant copper and water resources and a strategic location at the crossroad between the western piedmont and the shore of the Gulf of Oman. Our... more
Located in the northern part of the Hajar mountains (UAE), the oasis of Masāfī benefits from abundant copper and water resources and a strategic location at the crossroad between the western piedmont and the shore of the Gulf of Oman. Our project aims at reconstructing the dynamics and evolution of this oasis. An interdisciplinary approach was adopted for this purpose, based on a combination of archaeological, geoarchaeological, geomorphic, spatial, and botanical study. This article presents the methodology and the first results of our investigation in the southern part of the palm grove (Emirate of Fujairah) and more specifically: the mapping of the palm grove and the surrounding valley; the excavation of Iron Age hydraulic structures near the site of Masāfī-1; and the study of a test pit dug inside the palm grove. Thus, we will put forward first hypothesis on landscape use and evolution in the valley of Masāfī.
Research Interests: Geography, Archaeology, Soil Science, Soil, Geoarchaeology, and 15 moreHydraulics, Irrigation, Archaeological Soil Micromorphology, Arabian Gulf, Remote sensing and GIS applications in Landscape Research, Hydraulic systems and structures, Protohistory, Iron Age, United Arab Emirates, Oasis, Palm, Runoff, Hyrdrology, GIS, and Arabian Peninsula In Antiquity
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HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or... more
HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés. What was the South Arabian Impact on the Development of Ethiopian Margins in Antiquity? Evolution of Settlement Patterns in the Wakarida Region from pre-Aksumite to Late Aksumite Periods Anne Benoist, Iwona Gajda, Jérémie Schiettecatte, Ninon Blond, Sabina Antonini
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This paper presents the results of survey and excavations carried out in the Wakarida region by the French Archaeological Mission in eastern Tigray, Ethiopia. Here we discuss a series of late first-millennium BC occupation sites. The... more
This paper presents the results of survey and excavations carried out in the Wakarida region by the French Archaeological Mission in eastern Tigray, Ethiopia. Here we discuss a series of late first-millennium BC occupation sites. The sites, material culture, and landscape evolution are reviewed in relation to current arguments concerning Sabaean influence on highland cultural development in Ethiopia during the pre-Aksumite period. This contribution underlines the strong cultural continuity of pottery traditions throughout the period until the development of the Aksumite polity at the end of the first millennium BC, highlighting the lack of a ‘proto-Aksumite’ equivalent in eastern Tigray. The absence of any clear traces of South Arabian influence on local cultures in this region, despite its relative proximity to sites such as Meqaber Gaʿewa and Ziban Adi which demonstrate links to the Daʿmat polity, are discussed.
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Water and soil resource management in southeastern Arabia: the case of the mountainous oasis of Masāfī in the United Arab Emirates, from the Iron Age to the present day
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A travers une etude menee dans l’oasis de Masafi (Emirats arabes unis), cet article vise a determiner quelles informations peuvent etre tirees des sols cultives anciens en milieu semi-aride. Pour cela, un referentiel a ete cree sur les... more
A travers une etude menee dans l’oasis de Masafi (Emirats arabes unis), cet article vise a determiner quelles informations peuvent etre tirees des sols cultives anciens en milieu semi-aride. Pour cela, un referentiel a ete cree sur les sols actuels de la palmeraie afin d’identifier les signaux pedo-sedimentaires et geochimiques propres a trois pratiques : irrigation, fertilisation et abandon. Appliquee a une sequence sedimentaire agricole ancienne, la reconnaissance de ces facies permet de discuter de l’evolution de la gestion des sols et de l’impact des pratiques sur le temps long. L’approche et les methodes proposees apportent de nouvelles cles de lecture sur l’histoire des agrosystemes.
Research Interests: Geography, Geochemistry, Pedology, Geoarchaeology, Archaeological Soil Micromorphology, and 15 morePhytolith Analysis, Phytoliths, Soil Studies, Information, Arab, Landscapes, Case, Geoarchaeology and Paleoenvironmental Reconstructions, Oasis, Soils, Emirates, Oasis agriculture, Extract, Soil Water, and Masafi
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Oases are subject to decreasing resources and changing human activities. Fully aware of their rich heritage, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have undertaken work to preserve and revitalize these oases. However, there is a clear lack of... more
Oases are subject to decreasing resources and changing human activities. Fully aware of their rich heritage, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have undertaken work to preserve and revitalize these oases. However, there is a clear lack of understanding of the dynamic links between climate change, hydraulic and agricultural management, and socioeconomic activities. To clarify these links, our team conducted a systematic geoarchaeological, geophysical, spatial, and chronological study of the Masafi oasis, UAE. Results indicate the existence of a natural humid area as early as the late Pleistocene (~18 cal ka BP). These conditions persist during the early-mid Holocene with drainage activation and soil development (~12–6.3 ka). During the late Holocene, after the emergence of the “artificial” oasis around ~3250 cal yr BP, cycles of intense management suggesting water availability (~3250–2380 cal yr BP; 550 cal yr BP) alternate with episodes of fluvial detritism (~2380–1870 cal yr BP; >55...
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Research Interests: Archaeology, Geology, Remote Sensing, Geoarchaeology, Landscape Archaeology, and 13 moreIrrigation, Remote sensing and GIS applications in Landscape Research, Spatial analysis (Archaeology), Iron Age, Field Archaeology, Chronology, Arabia, Geoarchaeology and Paleoenvironmental Reconstructions, Arid, Runoff, Archaeology of UAE, Southeast Arabia, and Surface Runoff
Abstract: Depuis 2000 la mission archéologique française aux Emirats Arabes Unis tente de reconstituer les stratégies d'adaptation et l'organisation territoriale des communautés de l'Âge du fer des régions montagneuses de... more
Abstract: Depuis 2000 la mission archéologique française aux Emirats Arabes Unis tente de reconstituer les stratégies d'adaptation et l'organisation territoriale des communautés de l'Âge du fer des régions montagneuses de l'Emirat de Fujeirah, en effectuant des fouilles ...
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ABSTRACT This article presents the results of the excavation of a residence dated between the second and fourth centuries AD, constructed over the ruins of the South Arabian town of Makaynūn, in central Hadramawt (Yemen). The building... more
ABSTRACT This article presents the results of the excavation of a residence dated between the second and fourth centuries AD, constructed over the ruins of the South Arabian town of Makaynūn, in central Hadramawt (Yemen). The building yielded a large quantity of material including objects proving contacts between the central Hadramawt and regions located to the north-east, such as central Oman, the Gulf area and India.
Research Interests: Ancient History, Geography, Archaeology, Late Antique Archaeology, Yemen, and 15 moreIslam, Indian Ocean Trade, Ancient Trade & Commerce (Archaeology), Indian Ocean Archaeology, Settlement, South Arabian Culture, Excavation, South Arabian Archaeology, Yemen archaeology, Trade in the Gulf Region, Hadramawt, Hadrami Studies, Residence, Ancient South Arabian Art, and Arabian Peninsula In Antiquity
... halshs-00580652, version 1. http://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-00580652/fr/. oai:halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr:halshs-00580652. Contributeur : Jérémie Schiettecatte <>. Soumis le : Lundi 28 Mars 2011, 19:15:57.... more
... halshs-00580652, version 1. http://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-00580652/fr/. oai:halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr:halshs-00580652. Contributeur : Jérémie Schiettecatte <>. Soumis le : Lundi 28 Mars 2011, 19:15:57. Dernière modification le : Lundi 28 Mars 2011, 19:30:10.
Research Interests: Geography, Archaeology, Antiquity, Iron Age, Chronology, and 15 moreEpigraphy, Arabian Peninsula, Arabia, Semitic Philology, South Arabian Culture, Excavation, Chronologie, Ancient South Arabia, South Arabian Archaeology, Âge Du Fer, Antiquité, Hadramawt, Arabian Peninsula In Antiquity, Wadi, and Arabie
ABSTRACT
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ABSTRACT This article presents the results of the excavation of a residence dated between the second and fourth centuries AD, constructed over the ruins of the South Arabian town of Makaynūn, in central Hadramawt (Yemen). The building... more
ABSTRACT This article presents the results of the excavation of a residence dated between the second and fourth centuries AD, constructed over the ruins of the South Arabian town of Makaynūn, in central Hadramawt (Yemen). The building yielded a large quantity of material including objects proving contacts between the central Hadramawt and regions located to the north-east, such as central Oman, the Gulf area and India.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Late Antique Archaeology, Yemen, Indian Ocean Trade, Ancient Trade & Commerce (Archaeology), and 12 moreIndian Ocean Archaeology, Settlement, Arabian/Persian Gulf Archaeology, History of Pre-Islamic Arabia, South Arabian Culture, South Arabian Archaeology, Yemen archaeology, Trade in the Gulf Region, Hadramawt, Hadrami Studies, Ancient South Arabian Art, and Arabian Peninsula In Antiquity
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While the comprehensive work of the French Archaeological Mission in the UAE is revealing an extensive Iron Age occupation in the oasis of Masai comprising several sites with different structures and functions, preliminary investigation... more
While the comprehensive work of the French Archaeological Mission in the UAE is revealing an extensive Iron Age occupation
in the oasis of Masai comprising several sites with different structures and functions, preliminary investigation of the site labelled
Masai-5 in 2011 indicated a possible different date. To test this hypothesis, part of the 2014 campaign focused on the excavation of
the site, located on a small hillock at the southern limit of the modern palm grove.
At Masai-5 part of a terraced settlement was unearthed, bearing evidence of several internal rearrangements. An abundant
ceramic assemblage was also collected, which conirmed the irst impression that the site dates to a different period from the
nearby ones (Masai-1, -2, and -3). Pottery of possible local production differs signiicantly from the Iron Age assemblage known
from Masai and other south-east Arabian sites. Moreover, potsherds of Shimal type pottery were also well represented within the
material, pointing to a Late Bronze Age date for the irst occupation of Masai-5, which can thus be discussed in the frame of the
wider context.
in the oasis of Masai comprising several sites with different structures and functions, preliminary investigation of the site labelled
Masai-5 in 2011 indicated a possible different date. To test this hypothesis, part of the 2014 campaign focused on the excavation of
the site, located on a small hillock at the southern limit of the modern palm grove.
At Masai-5 part of a terraced settlement was unearthed, bearing evidence of several internal rearrangements. An abundant
ceramic assemblage was also collected, which conirmed the irst impression that the site dates to a different period from the
nearby ones (Masai-1, -2, and -3). Pottery of possible local production differs signiicantly from the Iron Age assemblage known
from Masai and other south-east Arabian sites. Moreover, potsherds of Shimal type pottery were also well represented within the
material, pointing to a Late Bronze Age date for the irst occupation of Masai-5, which can thus be discussed in the frame of the
wider context.
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In collaboration with the Service of Antiquities of the Ḥaḍramawt Valley (Say'ūn), the French Archaeological Mission in Jawf-Ḥaḍramawt has been studying the organization of the territory of an ancient South Arabian city in Ḥaḍramawt... more
In collaboration with the Service of Antiquities of the Ḥaḍramawt Valley (Say'ūn), the French Archaeological Mission in Jawf-Ḥaḍramawt has been studying the organization of the territory of an ancient South Arabian city in Ḥaḍramawt through excavations and survey, and presents here a first view of its results. Located in a meander of the Wadi Masīla at the confluence of six secondary valleys, the site of Makaynūn includes a central fortified area and was probably part of a regional defensive network. Three sanctuaries located inside the city highlight its function as a religious centre. Seven other sanctuaries were found in the associated agricultural territory. The latter also included villages scattered at the outlets of the secondary valleys and several hydraulic structures forming an irrigation network, which took advantage of the runoff of the six secondary wadis. It was organized in a way that allowed the irrigation both of the fields located in the central plain, and of those located at the outlets of the secondary valleys. The inscriptions found at the site and in its vicinity, as well as material collected in the different excavated levels in the central part of the site suggest that the town, probably occupied during the first half of the first millennium BC, had reached its maximum development between the fourth and the second centuries BC.
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... vu le jour sans le soutien de l'ensemble des équipes archéologiques qui travaillent dans cette région : R. Boucharlat et P. Lombard (CNRS, Lyon) à ... qui m'ont accueillie durant les séjours nécessaires à mes études : Dr. W.... more
... vu le jour sans le soutien de l'ensemble des équipes archéologiques qui travaillent dans cette région : R. Boucharlat et P. Lombard (CNRS, Lyon) à ... qui m'ont accueillie durant les séjours nécessaires à mes études : Dr. W. Yasin al Tikriti (Musée d'al Aïn), J. Laxman, D. fCenneth ...
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... The Artefacts from the Fort at Mleiha: Distribution, Origins, Trade and Dating. Anne Benoist 1 , Michel Mouton 2 , Jérémie Schiettecatte 3. (2003). ... oai:halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr:halshs-00580649. Contributeur : Jérémie... more
... The Artefacts from the Fort at Mleiha: Distribution, Origins, Trade and Dating. Anne Benoist 1 , Michel Mouton 2 , Jérémie Schiettecatte 3. (2003). ... oai:halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr:halshs-00580649. Contributeur : Jérémie Schiettecatte <>. Soumis le : Lundi 28 Mars 2011, 18:58:20. ...
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Recent geoarchaeological investigations have been carried out in the thick silty alluvial formations of the northern Hadramawt basin (Yemen). Field data was combined with a compilation of palaeoenvironmental records published from Arabia... more
Recent geoarchaeological investigations have been carried out in the thick silty alluvial formations of the northern Hadramawt basin (Yemen). Field data was combined with a compilation of palaeoenvironmental records published from Arabia and its margins. Research performed on palaeolakes and other geoarchives indicates that the wet early-mid Holocene has little in common with the continuously arid period after 5.2 ka BP. The data sets allowed the authors to propose new perspectives for the Holocene palaeohydrological evolution of Southern Arabia, which was more variable and contrasting than previously thought. Furthermore, these data provide the opportunity to go deeper into the Holocene and to present a new precise palaeohydrological framework for the Late Holocene (7.0–2.0 ka BP). River functioning, fluvial aquifer dynamics and types of sedimentation are closely related to the rainfall regime, length and intensity (monsoonal or Mediterranean), and to the landscape conditions in the upper watersheds. The development of fluvial palaeosols in the Hadramawt valleys, often associated with high levels of the aquifers, is clearly in phase with humid periods until the beginning of the first millennium BC (5.9–5.3, 4.8–4.5 and 4.0–2.7 ka). River behaviour also impacted Neolithic and early Bronze Age settlement systems in this lowland area, as phases of floodplain stability favour site location. The hyperarid 4.2 ka event is associated with an unprecedented fluvial detrital phase with high energy discharges in the entire Hadramawt basin.
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Excavations carried out by the French Archaeological Mission at Bithnah-44/50 (Emirate of Fujairah) have provided new data about Iron Age II cultic practices in the Arabian Peninsula centred on the symbol of the snake. The site includes a... more
Excavations carried out by the French Archaeological Mission at Bithnah-44/50 (Emirate of Fujairah) have provided new data about Iron Age II cultic practices in the Arabian Peninsula centred on the symbol of the snake. The site includes a public building, various types of shrines, and a central area of offerings where the remains of animal sacrifices were buried in pits. These remains are presented and a preliminary account of the evolution of the site is given on the base of the site's stratigraphy.