Description
Book SynopsisQatar: Evidence of the Palaeolithic Earliest People Revealed, with full text in both English and Arabic, tells the story of the long and difficult search to discover the identity of the first people to inhabit the sovereign State of Qatar, which is situated on a peninsula, that extends into the Arabian Gulf. The book synthesises the results of extensive fieldwork by the PADMAC Unit with the many diverse historical records and reports of investigations, beginning with Holgar Kapel’s, in the early 1950s. The archaeology of the State of Qatar is an important part of the cultural heritage of the world. The loss of archaeological sites to urban and industrial development since the 1950s has been inevitable but the loss of over 30 years of Palaeolithic research in Qatar, an area of prehistoric significance, as a result of academic dissension, is certainly regrettable. The work of the PADMAC Unit in Qatar now marks the end of this Palaeolithic research hiatus.
Trade Review‘The book, bilingual in format and lavishly illustrated, will be an invaluable introduction to scholars and interested readers alike. I will go as far as to say that this book will be an ideal introduction to any university course dealing with world prehistory and the movement of modern humans.’ – George Nash (2022): Current World Archaeology
Table of ContentsTable of Contents: Preface ;
Acknowledgements ;
Map ;
Chronology ;
Introduction: An interview with H.E. Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim Al Thani ;
Investigations: Why look for evidence of Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers in Qatar? ;
The Pre-History of Qatar (Part 1): Traces of prehistoric occupation and the importance of Palaeolithic surface-scatters of stone-tools. ;
The Hiatus in Palaeolithic Research in Qatar: Identifying the problem. ;
Answers to the Question: What curtailed Palaeolithic research in Qatar for over 30 years? ;
The Pre-History of Qatar (Part 2): In search of the Palaeolithic of Qatar; new investigation; new discoveries ;
Found: The Palaeolithic of Qatar ;
All Things Considered: Summary results of the 2009-2017 investigations in Qatar by the PADMAC Unit ;
Reflections ;
Further Reading: Section 1: A brief overview of Palaeolithic material cultures ;
Further Reading: Section 2: The Geospatial analyses, research techniques and methodologies employed by the PADMAC Unit ;
Table of Figures ;
References ;
Index
