The Kuwait-British Archaeological Expedition to as-Sabiyah: Report on the third season's work

Abstract

A third season of excavation by the joint Kuwaiti-British team took place at the Ubaid-related site of H3 in northern Kuwait during the spring of 2001. Permission to excavate was again granted by Dr al Rumayhi, Secretary General of the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters, to whom we are most grateful. The work was only possible because of the generosity of a number of funding bodies: the NCCAL in Kuwait; the British School of Archaeology in Iraq; the Institute of Archaeology, University College London; the Charlotte Bonham-Carter Charitable Trust; the Central Research fund of London University; the Society for Arabian Studies; and, above all, Kuwait Shell, our industrial sponsor. The success of the season was due to their generosity and to the dedication and skill of all members of the two teams.Objectives this year included the continuation of work in the multi-cellular building in Area A identified in the second season, and the uncovering of the building visible on the surface in the adjacent Area C. The multi-cellular building proved to be structurally complex and had an unexpected depth of deposit in its chambers. These deposits proved to be extremely rich in finds which will greatly enhance our understanding of the site when analyses are completed. In Area C, the new building was defined and excavated to its base although its relationship with the adjacent building(s) in Area A remains to be defined. Limited work was also carried out in the previously excavated military dug-out, or foxhole, Area F, where work was completed. Two teams worked in Area A which was subdivided this season into an east and a west sector, while a third team investigated Area C.