Proposal for the Archaeological, Botanical and Geological Exploration of the Mahra and Hadramout [Hadhramaut] Region of Yemen related to the Ancient Frankincense Trade

Zarins, Juris; George R. Hedges; Ronald Blom; Nora Martinez

Published by (The Archaeology Fund), (Springfield, Missouri), 1996

Printed wraps in academic binding 22x28cm. Various numberings printed to the rectos: (26)pp proposal text + 31pp maps, plans and diagrams (some folding, some with hand colouring), 10pp references, 9pp team member CVs, 6pp text + (2)pp maps Appendix on Landsat images. Very good, lightly creased. Extremely rare. Three of the authors of this proposal, Zarins, Hedges and Blom, had formed the Archaeology Fund, a member of the American Institute for Yemeni Studies (AIYS). Starting in 1992, they participated in the TransArabia Expedition to Oman in search of the lost city of Ubar, led by filmmaker and archaeologist Nicholas Clapp. Zarins (1945-2023) was chief archaeologist, Archaeology Fund CEO George Hedges (1952-2009) one of the Principal Organisers, and Ronald Blom of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory was chief space imaging scientist / geologist. They were joined by Charles Elachi also of NASA, British explorer Ranulph Fiennes, and botanist Nora Martinez of the Huntington Botanical Gardens. The work made major discoveries about the ancient frankincense trade and routes in Oman. The proposal offered here extends that work into little explored areas in Mahra and the Hadramaut: "from our work in Oman, there is strong evidence that the cultures identified there will be found in correlative sites that we posit to exist in Mahra and Hadramaut regions in Yemen, including sister sites to the so-called Ubar site in Oman" (pp(1)-(2)). It includes an overview of the region (incense), the Modern South Arabian (MSA) population, MSA speakers and historical antecedents; archaeological evidence; triliths; sea-faring; Persia, Parthia and the Biblical story of the Magi; the Bronze Age; and the Neolithic. It proposed surveys of the coast between Mukalla to Damqut (similar to the Salalah Plain), the Wadi Jiz System and its tributaries in the Uplands, and permanent springs in northern Nejd. The project went ahead under the auspices of the AIYS, and its explorations along the ancient frankincense routes into the virtually unexplored Mahra region, covered almost 2000 miles of territory. It reported over 65 major sites, including two fortresses nearly identical to those at Ubar, two port sites showing evidence of ancient trade with China and SE Asia, a mysterious ring site with apparent celestial orientation, and numbers of triliths (route markers of the ancient frankincense traders). A second survey campaign was conducted in 1998 (ref: AIYS, "Archaeological Exploration of the Mahra Region"; "The Frankincense Route Emerges From the Desert", NY Times, 21 April 1992; "Ruins in Yemeni Desert Mark Route of Frankincense Trade", NY Times 28 Jan 1997). Seller Inventory # 5083

Bibliographic Details

Title: Proposal for the Archaeological, Botanical ...
Publisher: (The Archaeology Fund), (Springfield, Missouri)
Publication Date: 1996
Binding: Soft cover
Condition: Very Good