Abstract
The deeply etched tracks of human achievement in the Gulf region since prehistory reflect a dynamic interplay between local, neighbouring and inter-regional agencies. Geography, resources, the exchange of commodities and the transfer of ideas elevated the status of the Gulf to that of a major regional player; a busy conduit in which peoples from diverse backgrounds lived fully and communally, and soon attracted the direct intervention of neighbouring empires.
In the study of the vibrant historical events that marked the subsequent emergence of a post-colonial Gulf from the 18th century onwards, archaeology is
now making a significant contribution to documenting and explaining the principle social, political and economic factors that came to shape that period of fundamental change. Of the many social transformations that occurred between the later 18th and mid-20th centuries, none was more significant than the foundation and development of the modern emirate states along the south coast. The yoke of imperial control – real or threatened – was cast off and replaced with an indigenous political, cultural and economic independence;
a transforming achievement, attained through astute leadership by the coast’s
main ruling families in a strategic response to the rapidly changing global realities of the time.
In the study of the vibrant historical events that marked the subsequent emergence of a post-colonial Gulf from the 18th century onwards, archaeology is
now making a significant contribution to documenting and explaining the principle social, political and economic factors that came to shape that period of fundamental change. Of the many social transformations that occurred between the later 18th and mid-20th centuries, none was more significant than the foundation and development of the modern emirate states along the south coast. The yoke of imperial control – real or threatened – was cast off and replaced with an indigenous political, cultural and economic independence;
a transforming achievement, attained through astute leadership by the coast’s
main ruling families in a strategic response to the rapidly changing global realities of the time.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | World Heritage Series |
| Volume | 72 |
| Pages (from-to) | 32-37 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| ISSN | 1999-4745 |
| Publication status | Published - Jun 2014 |
Keywords
- Faculty of Humanities
- Qatar
- al Zubarah
- Islamic Archaeology
- Social History
- Economic Archaeology
- Modernity