Mark Beech

• PhD University of York
• Curatorial and Scientific Lead at Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi

Recent excavations on Marawah Island (Abu Dhabi Emirate, UAE) have revealed a unique stone-built architectural complex (site MR11), radiocarbon dated to the early sixth to mid-fifth millennium BC. A preliminary study of the faunal assemblage outlines an economy principally focused on the exploitation of marine life, including the food consumption o...

Recent excavations on Marawah Island (Abu Dhabi Emirate, UAE) have revealed a unique stone-built architectural complex (site MR11), radiocarbon dated to the early sixth to mid-fifth millennium BC. A preliminary study of the faunal assemblage outlines an economy principally focused on the exploitation of marine life, including the food consumption o...

The capacity for heritage professionals to effectively manage heritage resources is contingent on access to reliable, up-to-date information. Over the past four years, the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi has developed the Abu Dhabi Historic Environment Record (ADHER). This is bespoke, geospatial software for cultural heritage manageme...

To coincide with the opening of the new Sir Bani Yas Visitor Centre on the 10th November 2023, the Department of Culture published an updated version of the booklet about the Church and Monastery. This booklet was edited by Noura Hamad Al Hameli, Richard Cuttler and Mark Jonathan Beech. Details of the publication are as follows: Department of Cult...

Eight stomach samples were collected from stranded small cetaceans, opportunistically found on the shores of Abu Dhabi and Dubai Emirates as part of full necropsy investigations following standard guidelines outlined in Jefferson et al. (1994) and IJsseldijk et al. (2019). Details of the stranding events analyzed are presented. Sagittal otoliths fo...

As part of Jubail Island’s development process, an archaeological intervention was undertaken by Eveha International in 2021, monitored by the Historic Environment Department at the Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT), Abu Dhabi. The scientific goals were to identify and characterise the archaeological settlements on Jubail Island and to define...

Ghagha island is located at the westernmost extent of Abu Dhabi emirate, c.1 km from the UAE mainland. Survey and excavation by the Department of Culture and Tourism: Abu Dhabi has identified two previously unknown Neolithic sites on the island (GHG0014 and GHG0063). GHG0014 comprises a cluster of stone-built rooms, preserved to nearly 1 m in heigh...

This paper represents a study of archaeological fish remains retrieved from the excavations conducted by C. S. Phillips between 1993 and 2001 at Kalbāʾ 4 (Emirate of Sharjah, UAE). Kalbāʾ 4 is a major coastal site that was continuously occupied from the Umm an‐Nar period to the Iron Age (c. 2700–600 BCE). The site is of particular interest regardin...

Recent work has revealed that there are three major Neolithic settlements present on Marawah Island, Abu Dhabi, known as MR1, MR2.5, and MR11. Excavations at the settlement of MR11 are radically changing our ideas of Neolithic architecture, in particular the spatial organization of settlements. MR11 comprises a group of seven mounds (Areas A to G),...

The story of the discovery of late Miocene fossils within the Baynunah geological formation in Abu Dhabi’s western Al Dhafra region concerns a host of international paleontologists, many of whom have contributed to this volume, as well as the backing of their related scientific institutions.

We report 87 specimens of hipparionine horse from the Baynunah Formation, United Arab Emirates. The dominant species is referred to “Hipparion” abudhabiense. “Hipparion” abudhabiense is represented by mandibles, mandibular and maxillary cheek teeth and a variety of postcranial bones, some of which are complete. Baynunah Formation early wear cheek t...

This monograph presents the results of over 10 years of paleontological and geological survey in the Baynunah Formation of the United Arab Emirates. Exposed widely in western Abu Dhabi Emirate, the Baynunah Formation and its fossils provide the only record of terrestrial environments and evolution in the Arabian Peninsula during the late Miocene ep...

In addition to skeletal remains that record the presence of a diverse vertebrate fauna, the Baynunah Formation also preserves fossil trackways. These are found on deflated surfaces of carbonateCarbonate-rich beds, mainly at sites located inland from the coast. FootprintsFootprint (track), like other trace fossils, may be difficult to assign to part...

The Baynunah Formation in western Abu Dhabi Emirate was deposited by a major fluvial system and preserves the only known late Miocene terrestrial fossils in the Arabian Peninsula. We analyzed paleomagnetic samples from six sections (Jebel BarakahJebel Barakah (JBR), ShuwaihatShuwaihat (SHU)2, HamraHamra (HMR) Haplotilapiini 5, Mleisa 1, Mleisa 2, a...

Fossil localities of the Baynunah Formation are here described, including previously known localities and those discovered by fieldwork since 2002. Site descriptions and coordinates are given, including updated coordinates for previously known localities. Many localities have been damaged or entirely lost to development activities.

Maritime adaptation is a key component of the Neolithization process in Eastern Arabia. It is expressed by the development of diversified fishing techniques, the exploitation of hard marine animal materials (e.g., sea-shells, shark teeth, stingray's barbs, etc.) for both tools and personal adornments production, advanced seafaring, and colonization...

The story of the discovery of late Miocene fossils within the Baynunah geological formation in Abu Dhabi’s western Al Dhafra region concerns a host of international paleontologists, many of whom have contributed to this volume, as well as the backing of their related scientific institutions. In particular, the first study of the Baynunah owes a lot...

We report 87 specimens of hipparionine horse from the Baynunah Formation, United Arab Emirates. The dominate species is referred to “Hipparion” abudhabiense. “Hipparion” abudhabiense is represented by mandibles, mandibular and maxillary cheek teeth and a variety of postcranial bones, some of which are complete. Baynunah Formation early wear cheek t...

In addition to skeletal remains that record the presence of a diverse vertebrate fauna, the Baynunah Formation also preserves fossil trackways. These are found on deflated surfaces of carbonate-rich beds, mainly at sites located inland from the coast. Footprints, like other trace fossils, may be difficult to assign to particular species, but provid...

Fossil localities of the Baynunah Formation are here described, including previously known localities and those discovered by fieldwork since 2002. Site descriptions and coordinates are given, including updated coordinates for previously known localities. Many localities have been damaged or entirely lost to development activities.

Identification of fish bones from archaeological sites in southeast Arabia requires access to an extensive reference collection. This is often not possible and repeated use of these resources when they are available ultimately damages bones. This paper provides a platform from which high resolution images of 60 species of marine fishes from southea...

Maritime adaptation is a key component of the Neolithization process in Eastern Arabia. It is expressed by the development of diversified fishing techniques, the exploitation of hard marine animal materials (e.g., seashells, shark teeth, stingray's barbs, etc.) for both tools and personal adornments production, advanced seafaring, and colonization...

The Neolithic Ubaid-related settlement site on Dalma island was first discovered in 1992 by the Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey (ADIAS). Ubaid pottery sherds, lithics, marine shells, and fish bones were observed on the ground surface within the walled compound of the former Women’s Association, as well as external to the compound within the...

The Osprey Pandion haliaetus is one of the most widely distributed raptor species in the world, present on all continents except Antarctica. Since its diet is mainly based on fish, this raptor is typically encountered close both to marine and fresh waters. Ospreys are well represented in the Arabian Peninsula where remote islands are the location f...

Identification of fish bones from archaeological sites in southeast Arabia is challenging because of high taxonomic diversity, comparatively few reference collections with a wide range of species, as well as access to these resources. This paper provides illustrations of bones from many common taxonomic groups of fish from the southeast Arabia incl...

The Baynunah Formation in the Al Gharbia region of Abu Dhabi Emirate was deposited by a major fluvial system and preserves the only known late Miocene terrestrial fossils in the Arabian Peninsula. We analyzed paleomagnetic samples from six sections (Jebel Barakah, Shuwaihat 2, Hamra 5, Mleisa 1, Mleisa 2, and Kihal 2) to develop a polarity stratigr...

In 1992, an archaeological survey of Marawah Island conducted by the Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey identified two significant Neolithic settlements known as MR1 and MR11. Both sites are constructed on prominent rocky platforms located towards the western end of the island. In 2000 and 2003, small‐scale excavations took place at MR11, with...

This paper presents the results of a study of nearly 8000 fish bones from MR11 Area A, a Neolithic stone‐built house located on Marawah Island, United Arab Emirates. Radiocarbon dating indicates that the site was inhabited from the first half of the 6th to the mid‐5th millennium BC, making it one of the oldest Neolithic occupation sites in the whol...

This paper presents the results of a study of nearly 55,000 fish bones from the Neolithic settlement of Delma Island, Abu Dhabi Emirate (UAE). The analysis has outlined the predominance of small coastal taxa such as seabreams and needlefish in the bone assemblage, indicating the use of non-selective fishing techniques such as small seines or coasta...

Cette contribution a pour objectif de présenter une nouvelle découverte archéologique et archéozoologique dans le grand désert de Rub al-Khali. Suite à quatre saisons de fouilles archéologiques au Baynunah camel site, qui consiste en unde grande dépression dunaire jonchée de plus d’une certaine de squelettes de dromadaires, nous avons pu identifier...

The discovery of new hippopotamid material from the late Miocene Baynunah Formation (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates) has prompted the revision of the existing material of this as yet unnamed fossil taxon. The Baynunah hippopotamid appears to be distinct from all other contemporary and later species in having a relatively more elongate symphysis, a...

The study of pottery of the Ubaid period recently discovered in the United Arab Emirates modifies our perceptions of the exchanges taking place between the communities of southern Iraq and those occupying the Arabian coastline of the Gulf, up to south of the Straits of Hormuz. Our study shows that these exchanges go back to the middle of the 6th mi...

Analysis of the fish bones from the 5th millennium BC settlement on Akab Island in Umm al-Qaiwain emirate in the United Arab Emirates provides evidence of open ocean fishing. The discovery of numerous bones of tuna, as well as the presence of shell fish hooks at the site, suggests that fishing was at least part of the time carried out from boats in...

The Coastal Heritage Initiative of the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) aims to investigate the rich maritime history of Abu Dhabi Emirate. Since the establishment of TCA Abu Dhabi in February 2012, a new phase of archaeological research has been carried out. Systematic mapping of sites, their integration into the Abu Dhabi g...

The subsistence strategies of coastal Neolithic groups in eastern Arabia, reliant upon the exploitation of marine and terrestrial animal resources, are not yet fully understood. A central question in relevant literature is the issue of mobility. This is the reason for excavations in Umm al-Quwain (UAQ2), UAE, from 2011 by the French Archaeological...

The subsistence strategies of coastal Neolithic groups in eastern Arabia, reliant upon the exploitation of marine and terrestrial animal resources, are not yet fully understood. A central question in relevant literature is the issue of mobility. This is the reason for excavations in Umm al-Quwain (UAQ2), UAE, from 2011 by the FrenchArchaeological M...

Significance The primate subfamily Cercopithecinae represents the most diverse and successful living Old World primate group, with a current distribution throughout Africa and Asia. However, how and when these monkeys dispersed out of Africa is not well understood. This paper is significant in its description of a ∼6.5–8.0 million-y-old fossil guen...

This chapter summarizes the latest findings on late Miocene fossils from the Baynunah Formation in the United Arab Emirates. Since 1999, fossil discoveries have continued to be made in the late Miocene Baynunah Formation in Al Gharbia, Abu Dhabi Emirates. By way of biochronology, the Baynunah fossil fauna is estimated to be between 8 Ma and 6 Ma. N...

Strict consensus trees that a exclude Lavocatomys, b exclude Gaudeamus and c include both Gaudeamus and Lavocatomys

Cane rats (Thryonomyidae) are represented today by two species inhabiting sub-Saharan Africa. Their fossil record is predominately African, but includes several Miocene species from Arabia and continental Asia that represent dispersal events from Africa. For example, Paraulacodus indicus, known from the Miocene of Pakistan, is closely related to li...

Fossil trackways in the United Arab Emirates have been locally long known and related to dinosaurs and mythical giant men. BIBI et al. (2012) studying some of these trackways through kite aerial orthophotomosaic documented several fossil trackways. They were related to both a proboscidean herd and a solitary individual and led to the identification...

Recently, we described ~12.5 million year old fossil colobine teeth from the Tugen Hills, Kenya. These specimens represent the earliest colobine and the earliest cercopithecid specimens in the fossil record by ~3 million years. In addition, recent expeditions to the Baynunah Formation, Emirate of Abu Dhabi, UAE, have resulted in the recovery of a f...

This paper explores a vision to build capacity and establish an integrated policy for the maritime and coastal heritage of the UAE through the case study of a collaborative coastal survey project. It is recognized that currently none of the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries has maritime heritage legislation, and there is limited specific mar...

This paper provides a regional review of the prehistoric occupation of the coast and islands of the southern Arabian Gulf. The earliest archaeological evidence for settlement in this region dates to the Middle Palaeolithic, between around 200,000 to 150,000 years ago. The site of Jebel Barakah, whilst located on the present day coastline of Abu Dha...

Since the publication of a monographic treatment of the Baynunah fossils (Whybrow and Hill 1999), renewed fieldwork activities have brought new light to elements of the Baynunah fossil fauna. This chapter summarizes the latest knowledge on the fossil biota of the late Miocene Baynunah Formation.

Many living vertebrates exhibit complex social structures, evidence for the antiquity of which is limited to rare and exceptional fossil finds. Living elephants possess a characteristic social structure that is sex-segregated and multi-tiered, centred around a matriarchal family and solitary or loosely associated groups of adult males. Although the...

Evidence of mammals that lived in the past is, in general, very rare. Most animals, when they die, succumb to decomposition and dissolution. Although Arabia is a large place, comparable in size to the Indian subcontinent, there are very few sites of any age that document fossil mammals. Reports of ancient fossil vertebrates from Abu Dhabi were reco...

Evidence for social behavior, group size and structure in the fossil record is generally limited to rare and exceptional fossil finds. Living elephants are an example of a group that exhibits complex and well-studied social behavior. Despite a rich proboscidean fossil record going back to the early Eocene, evidence on the antiquity of characteristi...

Whale remains (a left and right mandible, scapula, humerus and fragmentary radius and ulna as well as parts of the cranium and rostrum) belonging to a probable humpback whale (Megaptera cf. novaeangliae) were found in the well-described sabkha sequence exposed in the Musaffah Industrial Channel, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. More precisely, the...

Catfish otoliths excavated from two archaeological sites in Kuwait, Sabiyah (ca. 7000Years Before Present) and Al-Khidr, ca. 4000 YBP, were compared with those of Kuwait’s modern catfish. Otoliths from Kuwait’s four species of catfish, Netuma bilineata, N. thalassina, Plicofollis dussumieri, and P. tenuispinis were collected after recording total l...

Until recently, our knowledge of the Paleolithic period in Arabia has been limited. Occasional Paleolithic tools were collected and reported early in the last century, such as the discovery of a Lower Paleolithic handaxe from central Arabia (Cornwall, 1946). Geological teams exploring Arabia for its mineral wealth reported on the identification of...

After Northern Australia the Arabian Gulf contains the second largest population in the world of sea cows or dugongs (Dugong dugon). These shy large marine mammals have been exploited for more than 7,000 years within this region. This paper highlights the economic and ritual use of dugongs by both prehistoric and historic coastal populations. Dugon...

A remarkable new site consisting of a concentration of as many as forty or more camel skeletons has been discovered in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region in the United Arab Emirates. Eight camel bone samples (from six individuals) from the site have been AMS radiocarbon dated by the Leibniz Laboratory for Radiometric Dating and Stable Isotope Research, Kie...

This is Part III of the Norwich Castle report (EAA 132). Although Parts I and II both contain summary accounts of the faunal remains, setting them into their wider context and including additional information on craft activities, the scale of the data required the production of a separate and more specialised report on the faunal remains which perm...

The technology of shell fish-hooks and line fishing is well attested in the coastal areas of the Indian Ocean during the Neolithic period (fifth–fourth millennium BC). Their presence in the coastal area of the Arabian Gulf is now confirmed by new findings from Akab (Umm al-Qaiwain) and Shimal (Ra’s al-Khaimah) in the United Arab Emirates.

Recently collected lithic artefacts from Jebel Barakah, the well-known Late Miocene fossil locality situated in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi Emirate, provide clear evidence for a Middle Palaeolithic presence in the region. The artefacts come from three localities around Barakah: one lies to the west of the jebel, the other to the south and south...

The technology of shell fish-hooks and line fishing is well attested in the coastal areas of the Indian Ocean during the Neolithic period (fifth–fourth millennium BC). Their presence in the coastal area of the Arabian Gulf is now confirmed by new findings from Akab (Umm al-Qaiwain) and Shimal (Ra’s al-Khaimah) in the United Arab Emirates.

This paper presents some of the main results provided by bioarchaeological research at Nicopolis. It summarizes the work of a number of authors (see acknowledgments for a full list of the specialists involved). The environmental work at Nicopolis was co-ordinated by the author who was involved in fieldwork in Bulgaria for a total of fourteen months...

A total of 1,997 bird bones were recovered from the excavations, of which 1,675 were identifiable to the level of species (Table 13. 1). The majority belonged to domestic species, in particular, domestic fowl (Gallus gallus domestica) and goose (Anser anser domestica) and only 16% belonged to wild birds (Fig 13.1). A peacock (Pavo cristatus) was al...

Survey work in 2004 identified two extensive lithics scatters in the south-eastern desert of Abu Dhabi at Umm az-Zumūl. Both scatters were within small interdunal areas to the south-east of large barchan dunes. At the first site (Khor al-Manāhil) a controlled pick-up of lithics recorded almost 3000 fragments of flint and stone artefacts. The typolo...

Beech, M., P. Hellyer, A. Gardner, B. Holmes and W.Y. Al-Tikriti. 2007. Palaeontological and Archaeological Resources in Abu Dhabi Emirate. Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative (AGEDI) & Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD). 57 pages.

A new fossil vertebrate site dating to the late Miocene yielding bird remains was recently discovered at Ruwais in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The fossils from the new locality come from the Baynunah Formation which is largely composed of fluvial deposits. The bird remains from Ruwais and other late Miocene localities with Baynunah Formation d...

BOOK REVIEW: Robert Killick & Jane Moon (ed.). The Early Dilmun settlement at Saar (London-Bahrain Archaeological Expedition Saar Excavation Report 3). xii+367 pages, 536 colour illustrations, tables. 2005. Ludlow: Archaeology International; 0-9539561-1-3 hardback. This volume, the third in the series of monographs published by the London-Bahrain...

A new fossil vertebrate site dating to the late Miocene yielding bird remains was recently discovered at Ruwais in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The fossils from the new locality come from the Baynunah Formation which is largely composed of fluvial deposits. The bird remains from Ruwais and other late Miocene localities with Baynunah Formation d...

The small fossil accumulations from localities 73 and 362 in the Pabbi Hills, Pakistan, are ca. 1.2 - 1.9 Ma-old respectively, and are primarily interesting because of their carnivore remains. Those from locality 73 included P. brevirostris, Crocuta crocuta, Panthera cf P. uncial, a small canid, an ursid and a herpestid. Locality 362 produced the f...

Locality 642 in the Pabbi Hills, Pakistan, is a large fossil accumulation dated to ca. 1.2-1.4 Mi-old. Investigations showed that it lay in an abandoned channel, and contained numerous bovids, followed by equids, rhinoceros and gazelle, Pachycrocuta brevirostris, and a small felid were the only carnivores in evidence. Although there had been some f...

The environmental and economic evidence from three seasons of excavation (1992-1994) at site DA11, an Ubaid-related set- tlement on Dalma island, United Arab Emirates is discussed. Radiocarbon dating indicates that the site was occupied during the second half of the 6th and first half of the 5th millennium BC. The discovery of carbonized date stone...

This paper discusses the results and wider significance of recent archaeological excavations carried out on site MR11, a Neolithic settlement located on the island of Marawah in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

This paper presents important new evidence for human occupation recently discovered in the Umm al-Zumul region, an area located in the south-eastern desert of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. It is near this point that the UAE meets the borders of both the Sultanate of Oman and Saudi Arabia. Historically this has always been a focal point bec...

This paper summarises the preliminary results of an analysis of the mammalian, bird and fish vertebrate fauna from site H3 at Sabiyah in Kuwait. The site is a settlement located on the northern shore of Kuwait Bay. Radiocarbon dating, as well as distinctive pottery found at the site, confirms that the settlement dates to the late 6th/early 5th mill...