Early Dilmun Burial Mounds in Bahrain: the Wâdî al-Sail Archaeological Project and the Dilmun Mapping Project

• Published in: Arabian humanities Vol. 19
• Main Authors: Abe, Masashi, Uesugi, Akinori
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Arabian Humanities 31-07-2024; Centre Français d’Archéologie et de Sciences Sociales de Sanaa
• Subjects: A'alî; Bahrain; distribution pattern of burial mounds; Early Dilmun; mortuary and burial practice; Wâdî Al-Sail; mortuary and burial practice; Dilmun ancienne; Early Dilmun; Bahreïn; the Origins of Dilmun; Bahrain; modèle de distribution des tumulus funéraires; émergence d'une société complexe à Bahreïn; Wâdî Al-Sail; amorites; emergence of a complex society in Bahrain; A'alî; pratiques funéraires et d'inhumation; distribution pattern of burial mounds; دلمون المبكرة، البحرين، وادي السيل، عالي، ممارسات الدفن والجنازات، نمط توزيع التلال الجنائزية، ظهور مجتمع معقد في البحرين، أصول دلمون، الأموريين; A'ali; les origines de Dilmun
• ISSN: 2308-6122; 2308-6122
• DOI: 10.4000/1243l

This paper overviews the results of archaeological research by the Japanese mission on the Early Dilmun burial mound sites. The archaeological research on Early Dilmun burial mounds in Bahrain has a history of more than 100 years. Excavations of a number of burial mounds, including 'Royal Mounds', have revealed different aspects of the mortuary and burial practice of the Early Dilmun period and the emergence of a complex society on Bahrain Island. However, there are many issues to be discussed with different approaches; how the mortuary practices changed through time, how the distribution pattern of burial mounds changed through time, how the social organization can be approached from burial mounds, and so on. The Dilmun Mapping Project run by Akinori Uesugi, one of the authors of this paper, focuses on the distribution pattern of burial mounds and the formation process of extensive cemeteries. The Wâdî Al-Sail Archaeological Project led by Masashi Abe has been revealing the mortuary and burial practice of the Early phase of the Early Dilmun period, which was not so well understood before. In addition, Wâdî Al-Sail provides an important clue for considering the origins of Dilmun.