The Late Islamic Pottery and Settlements of Central Oman

The interior of Central Oman was a region full of activity during the Late Islamic period. The new economic investments during this time caused many societal changes, including transformations of the agricultural landscapes and the settlement patterns. Recent archaeological studies are starting to provide an understanding of the material culture and settlements of this region and this poster will contribute to this by presenting the first evidence of two sites in Central Oman. With a focus on the collected ceramics, the results of the 2018 and 2020 survey campaigns at the campsite Tawi Said and the abandoned farmstead Safrat al-Khashbah will be presented. Additionally, the spatial distribution of these sherds will be visualized in order to analyse how the sites were organized. We see that, not unsurprisingly, the Late Islamic period (c. 1650-1970 CE) provides the most archaeological evidence, which is thus the main focus of the poster. Additionally, most wares appear to be of local manufacture, bringing us closer to recognize the relationships between the different sites in the region. The evidence of imported and regional wares is also taken into account, in order to study the connections between Central Oman, the Gulf, and the wider Islamic world.