Early ed-Dur (50 BC - 150 AD)
Basic information
Sample name: Early ed-Dur (50 BC - 150 AD)

Reference: W. Van Neer, A. Gautier, E. Haerinck, W. Wouters, and E. Kaptijn. 2017. Animal exploitation at ed-Dur (Umm al-Qaiwain, United Arab Emirates). Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy 28(1):11-30 [ER 3654]
Geography
Country: United Arab Emirates

State: Umm Al Quwain

Coordinate: 26° 31' 20" N, 56° 38' 34" E
Time interval: Holocene

Max Ma: 0.002

Min Ma: 0.0018

Age basis: other

Geography comments: "The site of ed-Dur is located on the shore of the lagoon of Umm al-Qaiwain (UAE)"
"The terrain consists of several low sand dunes and the site sprawls over an area of some 5 km2 overlooking Al Beidha Lake"
"The excavations show that the site was inhabited mainly during the first and second centuries of the first millennium AD"
"The early ed-Dur occupation phase spans the late first century BC–first half of the second century AD"

Environment
Lithology: not described

Taphonomic context: human accumulation, settlement

Archaeology: buildings, burials, ceramics, metal tools, other artifacts, other structures

Habitat comments: "Throughout the site of ed-Dur remains of burials have been found and a relatively small number of buildings remain"
"Some 500 stone-built tombs have been excavated, with grave goods discovered including drinking sets, Roman glass, weaponry, pottery, jewellery and ivory objects"
Other settlement remains, bronze statues, a large temple, jewellery and pottery, have been unearthed at the site, dating back to the 1st century CE.

Methods
Life forms: carnivores, rodents, ungulates, marine mammals, other small mammals, birds, turtles, fishes

Sampling methods: quarry, screenwash

Sample size: 4136 specimens

Years: 1987 - 1994

Net or trap nights: 0

Basal area status: not applicable

Sampling comments: "Between 1987 and 1994 excavations took place in an area measuring 1.5 km north-west to south-east and 1 km south-west to north-east"
"These excavations were conducted by an international consortium of teams from four countries: Belgium, Denmark, France, UK"
"Identification of the faunal remains was partly carried out in the field during the 1990 and 1991 seasons and the 1995 study season when the 1992–1994 material was processed"
"From those seasons, all fish remains, and some pieces of the other vertebrate groups difficult to identify in the field, were brought to Belgium for comparison with the reference collections"
Most of the material from the earlier seasons (1987–1989) was identified at Ghent University"
"All of the material has been hand-collected except for two small assemblages from closed contexts excavated in 1991, and sieved on a 2 mm mesh"
"The high percentage of unidentifiable bone reflects the poor state of preservation of the material, a result of marked surface weathering in the arid climate of ed-Dur"
"Calcareous concretions coat most of the bones, obscuring any traces of butchering that might be present on some bone surfaces"

Metadata
Sample no: 3839

Contributor no: Benjamin Carter

Enterer: Benjamin Carter

Created: 2021-08-28 13:11:07

Modified: 2021-08-28 03:17:06

Abundance distribution
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts. Values are logged.
Statistics
67 species
17 singletons
total count 4136
geometric series index: 107.3
Fisher's α: 11.355
geometric series k: 0.8999
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.8925
Shannon's H: 2.7709
Good's u: 0.9959
Register
Dipodidae indet.1
Rattus rattus 22121.0 g
also 64 Rodentia indet.
Delphinidae indet.1
also 2 Cetacea indet.
Dugong dugon 44
Lepus capensis 13
Ichneumia albicauda 13.4 kg
Vulpes rueppellii (Rüppell's fox)3
Vulpes vulpes (red fox)6
also 1 Vulpes sp.
Capra sp. 7
wild caprid
Gazella sp. 132
Oryx leucoryx (Arabian oryx)9
also 8 Bovidae indet. "Gazella sp./Oryx leucoryx"
Dama dama mesopotamica (European fallow deer)1
"Dama mesopotamica"
Equus africanus asinus (African wild ass)5
Equus ferus caballus (wild horse)4
also 6 Equidae indet.
Bos taurus (cow)253
"Bos primigenius f. taurus"
Camelus dromedarius (dromedary)502448.0 kg
"Camelus thomasi f. dromedarius"
Ovis aries (sheep)306
"Ovis ammon f. aries"
Capra aegagrus hircus (wild goat)75
also 12375 Caprinae indet. "Ovis/Capra"
Sus scrofa domesticus (pig)3
Canis lupus familiaris (gray wolf)12943.0 kg
Felis catus (domestic cat)6
"Felis silvestris f. catus"; also 1 Felis sp.
Chelonia mydas 7
also 21 Cheloniidae indet.
Gallus gallus domesticus108
also 1 Phasianidae indet.
Struthio camelus 2111.0 kg
Phalacrocorax nigrogularis 116
Ardea goliath 24.5 kg
Laridae indet.1
possibly Chroicocephalus ridibundus
Carcharhinidae indet.46
Sphyrnidae indet.8
Dasyatidae indet.24
Myliobatidae indet.1
also 5 Elasmobranchii indet.
Clupeidae indet.2
Chanos chanos 5
Ariidae indet.59
Tylosurus sp. 3
also 1 Belonidae indet.
Mugilidae indet.110
Platycephalus sp. 1
Epinephelus sp. 84
also 108 Serranidae indet.
Caranx sp. 9
Carangoides sp. 174
Alectis sp. 1
Gnathanodon speciosus 42
Megalaspis cordyla 1
Seriola sp. 4
Elagatis bipinnulata 1
Scomberoides sp. 3
also 213 Carangidae indet.
Lutjanidae indet.2
Gerres sp. 2
Pomadasys sp. 1
Plectorhinchus sp. 2
also 3 Haemulidae indet.
Lethrinus sp. 375
Argyrops spinifer 4
Acanthopagrus sp. 21
Rhabdosargus sp. 146
also 106 Sparidae indet.
Labridae indet.1
Scaridae indet.1
Ephippidae indet.6
Siganus sp. 14
Sphyraena sp. 11
Trichiuridae indet.1
Rastrelliger kanagurta 1
Scomberomorus commerson 1
Sarda orientalis 2
Euthynnus affinis 1058
Thunnus sp. 147
also 654 Scombridae indet.
Tetraodontidae indet.1
Barbus sp. 2
also 2 Cyprinidae indet.