University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 4-7-2014 Interregional Interaction and Dilmun Power in the Bronze Age: A Characterization Study of Ceramics from Bronze Age Sites in Kuwait Hasan Ashkanani University of South Florida, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons Scholar Commons Citation Ashkanani, Hasan, "Interregional Interaction and Dilmun Power in the Bronze Age: A Characterization Study of Ceramics from Bronze Age Sites in Kuwait" (2014). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/4980 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Interregional Interaction and Dilmun Power in the Bronze Age: A Characterization Study of Ceramics from Bronze Age Sites in Kuwait by Hasan J. Ashkanani A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Anthropology College of Arts and Sciences University of South Florida Major Professor: Robert H. Tykot, Ph.D. Thomas J. Pluckhahn, Ph.D. E. Christian Wells, Ph.D. Jonathan M. Kenoyer, Ph.D. Jeffrey Ryan, Ph.D. Date of Approval April 7, 2014 Keywords: Failaka Island, chemical analysis, pXRF, petrographic thin section, Arabian Gulf Copyright © 2014, Hasan J. Ashkanani DEDICATION I dedicate my dissertation work to the awaited savior, Imam Mohammad Ibn Al-Hasan, who appreciates knowledge and rejects all forms of ignorance. A special appreciation goes to my parents and my beloved wife who supported me throughout this process. They have been my best motivators to be a successful person. I also dedicate this dissertation to my siblings, Ashkanani family, and friends who have never left my side and their words of encouragement were what helped me persevere during the hard times of this journey. They have also supported me through obtaining book sources from the Arabian Gulf countries and Europe. I will always appreciate all my American friends for helping me develop my skills, especially Prof. Frank Poirier, Dr. Allison Muhammad, Sean Norman and David Rafael, for their time and infinite support. Finally, I dedicate this work to my elder brother, Mohammad, whose death led me to pursue an academic career and have a significant position and footprint in developing Kuwait history and archaeology. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The project was made possible through the assistance, guidance and support of numerous individuals and groups. First, I would like to thank my committee chair Prof. Robert H. Tykot for all his help, guidance and patience throughout the dissertation process. Your beneficial discussion and substantial time were invaluable for initiating the research design and developing the project through the analysis and editing. I would also like to thank my committee members for their participation and guidance: Dr. Thomas J. Pluckhahn, Dr. E. Christian Wells, Prof. Jeffrey Ryan, and Prof. Jonathan M. Kenoyer. Special thanks to Kuwait University for sponsoring my scholarship and providing me with financial support for this research through grants from the College of Social Sciences and the Department of Sociology and Social Works. I am grateful to Prof. Yagoub Al-Kandari, the former dean of the College of Social Sciences, Kuwait University, and the current dean, Prof. Abdulreda Aseeri for their efforts in supporting my research. I am also grateful to Dr. Ali Alshamlan, former director of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences for the financial support to use pXRF and petrographic analysis. My deepest appreciation goes to Mr. Ali Alyoha, director of the National Council of Culture, Art and Letters in Kuwait, Mr. Shehab A. Shebab, former director of the National Museum of Kuwait and current director of the Department of Antiquities and Museums, and Dr. Sultan Al-Duwaish, current director of the museum, for sharing pottery and interpretations. Mr. Shehab’s support extended to involving me in archaeological excavations and studying Bronze Age ceramic collections as well as visiting other archaeologists who have been working on Kuwait archaeological projects. I am so grateful to Dr. Flemming Højlund, head of the Oriental Department at the Moesgård Museum and head of the Danish team in the Kuwaiti-Danish Archaeological Mission, for his permission to study the collections from Moesgård Museum and providing me with accommodations and an office at the museum in Denmark. His valuable academic discussion and assistance have helped frame my research. Special thanks to Moesgård Museum staff for their assistance and hospitality. I also want to thank Dr. Lucia Benediková (Slovak Academy of Sciences, Institute of Archaeology and field director of the Kuwaiti-Slovak Archaeological Mission) for sharing pottery from Al-Khidr site on Failaka. Special thanks go to the staff of the National Museum of Kuwait for their assistance at the museum in Kuwait City, and the archaeological sites on Failaka Island, in particular Mrs. Nawal Al-Failakawi and Mr. Talal Al-Saei. I would like to express my heart-felt gratitude to Prof. Henry Wright (University of Michigan) and Prof. Jonathan M. Kenoyer (University of Wisconsin- Madison) for sharing pottery samples from Iran and Pakistan. They have generously showed their willingness to support this research by providing me with an opportunity to examine their collections and provided me with numerous resources and ideas that stemmed from their previous projects. Many thanks to Dr. Ciprian Stremtan, Montana Puscas, Dr. Mary Ownby (Desert Archaeology, Inc.) for their assistance in the application of ICP-MS, XRD and petrographic analysis. Also, special thanks to Dr. David Hill (Metropolitan State University of Denver), Prof. Ali Al-Juboury (Mosul University, Iraq), and Mr. Mohammad Alnaqi for their valuable time with discussions and resources on the geological background of southwest Asia. I am grateful to Mr. Khaled Al- Sindi (National Bahrain Museum), Dr Christopher P. Thornton (University of Pennsylvania), and London-Bahrain Archaeological Expedition for providing important resources and permission to use their photos. Many people and friends have showed their love and support for this research. There are numerous names to mention but I have to thank my wife, Anfal, who gave me the motivation to work harder and achieve my goal. TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. iv List of Figures ..................................................................................................................................v Abstract ............................................................................................................................................x Chapter One: Introduction ...............................................................................................................1 1.1 Thesis Overview ............................................................................................................1 1.2 The Study of Ceramic Production..................................................................................5 1.3 Craft Specialization and Ceramic Production ................................................................6 1.3.1 Using Lines of Evidence ..............................................................................6 1.3.2 Characterization Studies of Ceramics ..........................................................8 1.4 Political Economy Theory and Craft Specialization ....................................................11 1.4.1 Toward Political Economy Theory for the Emergence of Dilmun ............17 1.5 Aims of this Study .......................................................................................................19 1.6 Significance of this Study ............................................................................................21 Chapter Two: The Dilmun Colony – Failaka Island Site ..............................................................23 2.1 Dilmun: The Sumerian Eden and Paradise ..................................................................23 2.2 Failaka Island, a Dilmun Colony .................................................................................24 2.2.1 Geographical Location and Land Use History ...........................................27 2.2.2 Archaeology of Failaka ..............................................................................30 2.3 Dilmun Political Economy in The Arabian Gulf .........................................................33 2.4 Dilmun Barbar Pottery and Craft Specialization .........................................................40 Chapter Three: Research Background ...........................................................................................47 3.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................47 3.1.1 Key of Power and Social Complexity ........................................................47 3.1.2 Craft Specialization and Social Complexity ..............................................53 3.1.3 Trade, Exchange and Interaction ...............................................................57