Papers by Michel Mouton
Year: 2014
Publisher: L'ERMA di BRETSCHNEIDER
Series: Arabia Antica, 09
ISBN: 978-88-913-0680-7
... more Year: 2014
Publisher: L'ERMA di BRETSCHNEIDER
Series: Arabia Antica, 09
ISBN: 978-88-913-0680-7
Binding: Hardcover
Pages: 336
Size: 24 x 28 cm
Ancient Arabia has promptly been pictured as a vast empty desert. Yet, for the last 40 years, by digging
out of the sand buried cities, archaeological researches deeply renewed this image. From the second half of
the 1st millennium BC to the eve of Islam in East Arabia, and as early as the 8th century BC in South Arabia,
the settlement process evolved into urban societies. This study aims at reviewing this process in South and
East Arabia, highlighting the environmental constraints, the geographical disparities and the responses of
the human communities to ensure their subsistence and to provide for their needs.
Evolution was endogenous, far from the main corridors of migrations and invasions. Influences from
the periphery did not cause any prominent change in the remarkably stable communities of inner Arabia in
antiquity. The settlement process and the way of life was primarily dictated by access to water sources and
to the elaboration of ever-spreading irrigation systems.
Beyond common traits, two models characterise the ancient settlement pattern on the arid margins of
eastern and southern Arabia. In South Arabia, the settlement model for the lowland valleys and highland
plateaus results from a long-term evolution of communities whose territorial roots go back to the Bronze
Age. It grew out of major communal works to harness water. Into a territory of irrigated farmland, the south-
Arabian town appeared as a central place. Settlements constituted networks spread across the valleys and
the plateaus. Each network was dominated by a main town, the centre of a sedentary tribe, the capital of a
kingdom.
In East Arabia, the settlement pattern followed a different model which emerged in the last centuries BC
along the routes crossing the empty spaces of the steppe, in a nomadic environment. Each community spread
over no more than one, two or three settlements. These settlements never grew very large and the region was
not urbanised to the same degree as in the southwest of the Arabian Peninsula. Permanent settlements were
places for exchanges and meetings, for craft productions, for worship, where the political elites resided,
where the wealth from long-distance trading was gathered, and where surplus from the regional economy
was held. Each town was isolated, like an island in an empty space.
Dr Hdr Michel Mouton
Archaeologist at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNR S), Michel
Mouton has been director of the French archaeological expedition in Sharjah
from 1991 to 1997 (excavations at Mleiha and al-Madam); director of the French
archaeological expedition in the Jawf-Hadramawt from 1995 to 2006 (excavations
at Qan' , Makaynn, and surveys of the Yemen territory) and head of the
project Early Petra from the National Agency for Research (2008-2012).
From 2000 to 2002, he has been general secretary of the French Institute in the
Near-East (IFPO, Damascus / Beirut / Amman), and deputy director in 2003. At
the present time, he is director of the French Research Centre for Archaeology
and Social Sciences in the Arabian Peninsula (CEFAS, Jeddah / Sanaa).
Dr Jérémie Schiettecatte
Archaeologist and researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research
(CNR S), in Paris, Jérémie Schiettecatte holds a PhD in Near-Eastern archaeology
from the Sorbonne University. He focuses on the study of the settlement process
in arid lands. His current interests lay in the analysis of the evolution of settlement
Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies, 2007
Since 2000, excavations have been carried out at Makaynūn by the French Archaeological Mission. F... more Since 2000, excavations have been carried out at Makaynūn by the French Archaeological Mission. Four main chronological phases have been identified. At present, the most ancient one is not precisely dated, but the three upper layers are easily dated to the first millennium BC. Each of these is briefly presented, along with the evolution of architecture. An exclusively mud-brick architecture characterizes the first phase of the site. A major break occurs about the seventh century BC with the introduction of the use of stone in the building as well as architectural plans and techniques already known elsewhere in South Arabia. In later phases, the monumentality of public buildings and the standardization of architecture increased. These changes show this region to be open to interregional influences. In addition, they seem to reflect the progressive political centralization at Makaynūn.
Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy, 2011
Work at the site of Makaynûn in eastern Hadramawt (Yemen) and surrounding territory has yielded i... more Work at the site of Makaynûn in eastern Hadramawt (Yemen) and surrounding territory has yielded information on ancient settlement patterns in southern Arabia. This small regional centre lay within an area marked out by a network of seasonal flood-water cultivation systems that irrigated agricultural areas. Each system was associated with one or more villages that were contemporary with the central site. As well as providing a communal refuge, the central site contained religious buildings, dwellings and doubtless the residence of the local elite, within the shelter of a defensive enclosure. This territory was overlain by a symbolic geography defined by the location of the sanctuaries and cemeteries of the Makaynûn community. This model of settlement was repeated all along the valley, where comparable systems were found at the mouths of the main tributary valleys.
Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies, 2006
In collaboration with the Service of Antiquities of the Ḥaḍramawt Valley (Say'ūn), the French Arc... more In collaboration with the Service of Antiquities of the Ḥaḍramawt Valley (Say'ūn), the French Archaeological Mission in Jawf-Ḥaḍramawt has been studying the organization of the territory of an ancient South Arabian city in Ḥaḍramawt through excavations and survey, and presents here a first view of its results. Located in a meander of the Wadi Masīla at the confluence of six secondary valleys, the site of Makaynūn includes a central fortified area and was probably part of a regional defensive network. Three sanctuaries located inside the city highlight its function as a religious centre. Seven other sanctuaries were found in the associated agricultural territory. The latter also included villages scattered at the outlets of the secondary valleys and several hydraulic structures forming an irrigation network, which took advantage of the runoff of the six secondary wadis. It was organized in a way that allowed the irrigation both of the fields located in the central plain, and of those located at the outlets of the secondary valleys. The inscriptions found at the site and in its vicinity, as well as material collected in the different excavated levels in the central part of the site suggest that the town, probably occupied during the first half of the first millennium BC, had reached its maximum development between the fourth and the second centuries BC.
In Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies, 43, p. 285-308., 2013
Archaeologically, only little is known of the prehistoric, ancient, and medieval periods of centr... more Archaeologically, only little is known of the prehistoric, ancient, and medieval periods of central Arabia, the Riyadh Province in particular. And yet, as one of the few watered areas in the Najd, it has played a significant role in the political, economic, and religious history of the Peninsula. In order to throw new light on this region, in 2011 a French-Saudi archaeological mission started work in the Kharj oasis, surveying the area. Several types of site have been located: middle Palaeolithic workshops, Bronze Age necropoleis, and late antique/early Islamic settlements and irrigation systems. The main results of this survey are presented here, focusing on two sites: al-Kharj 22, a middle Palaeolithic site, and the late antique/early Islamic site of al-Yamāma, which was one of the major settlements in central Arabia for almost half a millennium (fifth–twelfth centuries) and was occupied until the eighteenth century.
Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy, vol. 25, issue 1 (May 2014), p. 80-95, 2014
This article presents the results of the excavation of a residence dated between the second and f... more This article presents the results of the excavation of a residence dated between the second and fourth centuries AD, constructed over the ruins of the South Arabian town of Makaynûn, in central Hadramawt (Yemen). The building yielded a large quantity of material including objects proving contacts between the central Hadramawt and regions located to the north-east, such as central Oman, the Gulf area and India.
Quaternary …, Jan 1, 2011
Recent geoarchaeological investigations have been carried out in the thick silty alluvial formati... more Recent geoarchaeological investigations have been carried out in the thick silty alluvial formations of the northern Hadramawt basin (Yemen). Field data was combined with a compilation of palaeoenvironmental records published from Arabia and its margins. Research performed on palaeolakes and other geoarchives indicates that the wet early-mid Holocene has little in common with the continuously arid period after 5.2 ka BP. The data sets allowed the authors to propose new perspectives for the Holocene palaeohydrological evolution of Southern Arabia, which was more variable and contrasting than previously thought. Furthermore, these data provide the opportunity to go deeper into the Holocene and to present a new precise palaeohydrological framework for the Late Holocene (7.0e2.0 ka BP). River functioning, fluvial aquifer dynamics and types of sedimentation are closely related to the rainfall regime, length and intensity (monsoonal or Mediterranean), and to the landscape conditions in the upper watersheds. The development of fluvial palaeosols in the Hadramawt valleys, often associated with high levels of the aquifers, is clearly in phase with humid periods until the beginning of the first millennium BC (5.9e5.3, 4.8e4.5 and 4.0e2.7 ka). River behaviour also impacted Neolithic and early Bronze Age settlement systems in this lowland area, as phases of floodplain stability favour site location. The hyperarid 4.2 ka event is associated with an unprecedented fluvial detrital phase with high energy discharges in the entire Hadramawt basin.
Recent geoarchaeological investigations have been carried out in the thick silty alluvial formati... more Recent geoarchaeological investigations have been carried out in the thick silty alluvial formations of the northern Hadramawt basin (Yemen). Field data was combined with a compilation of palaeoenvironmental records published from Arabia and its margins. Research performed on palaeolakes and other geoarchives indicates that the wet early-mid Holocene has little in common with the continuously arid period after 5.2 ka BP. The data sets allowed the authors to propose new perspectives for the Holocene palaeohydrological evolution of Southern Arabia, which was more variable and contrasting than previously thought. Furthermore, these data provide the opportunity to go deeper into the Holocene and to present a new precise palaeohydrological framework for the Late Holocene (7.0e2.0 ka BP). River functioning, fluvial aquifer dynamics and types of sedimentation are closely related to the rainfall regime, length and intensity (monsoonal or Mediterranean), and to the landscape conditions in the upper watersheds. The development of fluvial palaeosols in the Hadramawt valleys, often associated with high levels of the aquifers, is clearly in phase with humid periods until the beginning of the first millennium BC (5.9e5.3, 4.8e4.5 and 4.0e2.7 ka). River behaviour also impacted Neolithic and early Bronze Age settlement systems in this lowland area, as phases of floodplain stability favour site location. The hyperarid 4.2 ka event is associated with an unprecedented fluvial detrital phase with high energy discharges in the entire Hadramawt basin.
Journal of Archaeological Science, 2014
Quaternary …, 2011
Recent geoarchaeological investigations have been carried out in the thick silty alluvial formati... more Recent geoarchaeological investigations have been carried out in the thick silty alluvial formations of the northern Hadramawt basin (Yemen). Field data was combined with a compilation of palaeoenvironmental records published from Arabia and its margins. ...
Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy, 1990
Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy, 2009
The east Arabian settlements in antiquity were never large urban sites. However, they were the ma... more The east Arabian settlements in antiquity were never large urban sites. However, they were the main centres of the communities that inhabited that area, interfacing between the nomadic and sedentary societies. A study of the distribution and characteristics of these sites reveals different, complementary functions. They were organized in local networks forming the essential structure of the settlement pattern and delineating the territories of communities having their own political identity.
IOP Material Science and Engineering Volume 37 Issue 1 , 2012
The identification of more than 25% of the pottery sherds from the late PIR.D period (ca. 2nd - m... more The identification of more than 25% of the pottery sherds from the late PIR.D period (ca. 2nd - mid. 3rd c. AD) assemblage from the recently excavated building H at Mleiha as Indian is based on form and fabric, but using only visual assessment. Petrographic analysis of the fabrics can provide more precise indicators of the geographical origin of the wares. In this study, a total of 21 sherds from various key sites in Western India were compared with 7 different ‘Indian’ coarse-ware vessels sampled at Mleiha using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry. The analyses were conducted on powdered samples collected from the core of each sherd. Each sample was irradiated for 1000 seconds using a 1.2 mm diameter X-ray beam. The resulting spectra were used for quantification of the X-ray intensity and elemental concentration. Levels of correlation in the elemental ratios of the sherds were statistically tested using an F-test as well as a Chi-test. Initial review of the XRF results indicates that the Maharashtra and Gujarat regions of India are probable source areas for at least two of the types of wares. Collection of additional samples from these areas and other regions of India, and further statistical analysis through methods such as Principal Component Analysis will help to isolate groups of wares from India and correlated them with types of vessels imported into the Oman peninsula in antiquity.
Unpublished Field Reports by Michel Mouton
Report of the archaeological, geophysical, archaeozoological and topographical activities of the ... more Report of the archaeological, geophysical, archaeozoological and topographical activities of the French-Saudi mission in the oasis of al-Kharj, 80 km South of Riyadh, in the Central Province of Saudi Arabia carried out from November 11 to December 18 2012. It includes chapters on:
- The geographic and historical setting
- Description on the Registration system
- Report of the exploration of the site of al-Yamāma: geophysical survey, topographical survey, archaeological sounding, excavation of a mosque, zooarchaeological study, restoration process
- A geomorphological study of al-Kharj area.
Books by Michel Mouton
chemical study of archaeological bitumens form the sit of Mleiha
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Papers by Michel Mouton
Publisher: L'ERMA di BRETSCHNEIDER
Series: Arabia Antica, 09
ISBN: 978-88-913-0680-7
Binding: Hardcover
Pages: 336
Size: 24 x 28 cm
Ancient Arabia has promptly been pictured as a vast empty desert. Yet, for the last 40 years, by digging
out of the sand buried cities, archaeological researches deeply renewed this image. From the second half of
the 1st millennium BC to the eve of Islam in East Arabia, and as early as the 8th century BC in South Arabia,
the settlement process evolved into urban societies. This study aims at reviewing this process in South and
East Arabia, highlighting the environmental constraints, the geographical disparities and the responses of
the human communities to ensure their subsistence and to provide for their needs.
Evolution was endogenous, far from the main corridors of migrations and invasions. Influences from
the periphery did not cause any prominent change in the remarkably stable communities of inner Arabia in
antiquity. The settlement process and the way of life was primarily dictated by access to water sources and
to the elaboration of ever-spreading irrigation systems.
Beyond common traits, two models characterise the ancient settlement pattern on the arid margins of
eastern and southern Arabia. In South Arabia, the settlement model for the lowland valleys and highland
plateaus results from a long-term evolution of communities whose territorial roots go back to the Bronze
Age. It grew out of major communal works to harness water. Into a territory of irrigated farmland, the south-
Arabian town appeared as a central place. Settlements constituted networks spread across the valleys and
the plateaus. Each network was dominated by a main town, the centre of a sedentary tribe, the capital of a
kingdom.
In East Arabia, the settlement pattern followed a different model which emerged in the last centuries BC
along the routes crossing the empty spaces of the steppe, in a nomadic environment. Each community spread
over no more than one, two or three settlements. These settlements never grew very large and the region was
not urbanised to the same degree as in the southwest of the Arabian Peninsula. Permanent settlements were
places for exchanges and meetings, for craft productions, for worship, where the political elites resided,
where the wealth from long-distance trading was gathered, and where surplus from the regional economy
was held. Each town was isolated, like an island in an empty space.
Dr Hdr Michel Mouton
Archaeologist at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNR S), Michel
Mouton has been director of the French archaeological expedition in Sharjah
from 1991 to 1997 (excavations at Mleiha and al-Madam); director of the French
archaeological expedition in the Jawf-Hadramawt from 1995 to 2006 (excavations
at Qan' , Makaynn, and surveys of the Yemen territory) and head of the
project Early Petra from the National Agency for Research (2008-2012).
From 2000 to 2002, he has been general secretary of the French Institute in the
Near-East (IFPO, Damascus / Beirut / Amman), and deputy director in 2003. At
the present time, he is director of the French Research Centre for Archaeology
and Social Sciences in the Arabian Peninsula (CEFAS, Jeddah / Sanaa).
Dr Jérémie Schiettecatte
Archaeologist and researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research
(CNR S), in Paris, Jérémie Schiettecatte holds a PhD in Near-Eastern archaeology
from the Sorbonne University. He focuses on the study of the settlement process
in arid lands. His current interests lay in the analysis of the evolution of settlement
Unpublished Field Reports by Michel Mouton
- The geographic and historical setting
- Description on the Registration system
- Report of the exploration of the site of al-Yamāma: geophysical survey, topographical survey, archaeological sounding, excavation of a mosque, zooarchaeological study, restoration process
- A geomorphological study of al-Kharj area.
Books by Michel Mouton
Publisher: L'ERMA di BRETSCHNEIDER
Series: Arabia Antica, 09
ISBN: 978-88-913-0680-7
Binding: Hardcover
Pages: 336
Size: 24 x 28 cm
Ancient Arabia has promptly been pictured as a vast empty desert. Yet, for the last 40 years, by digging
out of the sand buried cities, archaeological researches deeply renewed this image. From the second half of
the 1st millennium BC to the eve of Islam in East Arabia, and as early as the 8th century BC in South Arabia,
the settlement process evolved into urban societies. This study aims at reviewing this process in South and
East Arabia, highlighting the environmental constraints, the geographical disparities and the responses of
the human communities to ensure their subsistence and to provide for their needs.
Evolution was endogenous, far from the main corridors of migrations and invasions. Influences from
the periphery did not cause any prominent change in the remarkably stable communities of inner Arabia in
antiquity. The settlement process and the way of life was primarily dictated by access to water sources and
to the elaboration of ever-spreading irrigation systems.
Beyond common traits, two models characterise the ancient settlement pattern on the arid margins of
eastern and southern Arabia. In South Arabia, the settlement model for the lowland valleys and highland
plateaus results from a long-term evolution of communities whose territorial roots go back to the Bronze
Age. It grew out of major communal works to harness water. Into a territory of irrigated farmland, the south-
Arabian town appeared as a central place. Settlements constituted networks spread across the valleys and
the plateaus. Each network was dominated by a main town, the centre of a sedentary tribe, the capital of a
kingdom.
In East Arabia, the settlement pattern followed a different model which emerged in the last centuries BC
along the routes crossing the empty spaces of the steppe, in a nomadic environment. Each community spread
over no more than one, two or three settlements. These settlements never grew very large and the region was
not urbanised to the same degree as in the southwest of the Arabian Peninsula. Permanent settlements were
places for exchanges and meetings, for craft productions, for worship, where the political elites resided,
where the wealth from long-distance trading was gathered, and where surplus from the regional economy
was held. Each town was isolated, like an island in an empty space.
Dr Hdr Michel Mouton
Archaeologist at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNR S), Michel
Mouton has been director of the French archaeological expedition in Sharjah
from 1991 to 1997 (excavations at Mleiha and al-Madam); director of the French
archaeological expedition in the Jawf-Hadramawt from 1995 to 2006 (excavations
at Qan' , Makaynn, and surveys of the Yemen territory) and head of the
project Early Petra from the National Agency for Research (2008-2012).
From 2000 to 2002, he has been general secretary of the French Institute in the
Near-East (IFPO, Damascus / Beirut / Amman), and deputy director in 2003. At
the present time, he is director of the French Research Centre for Archaeology
and Social Sciences in the Arabian Peninsula (CEFAS, Jeddah / Sanaa).
Dr Jérémie Schiettecatte
Archaeologist and researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research
(CNR S), in Paris, Jérémie Schiettecatte holds a PhD in Near-Eastern archaeology
from the Sorbonne University. He focuses on the study of the settlement process
in arid lands. His current interests lay in the analysis of the evolution of settlement
- The geographic and historical setting
- Description on the Registration system
- Report of the exploration of the site of al-Yamāma: geophysical survey, topographical survey, archaeological sounding, excavation of a mosque, zooarchaeological study, restoration process
- A geomorphological study of al-Kharj area.