IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i21p14096-d956826.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Developing a Geocultural Database of Quaternary Palaeoenvironmental Sites and Archaeological Sites in Southeast Arabia: Inventory, Endangerment Assessment, and a Roadmap for Conservation

Author

Listed:
  • Kenta Sayama

    (School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK)

  • Adrian G. Parker

    (Human Origins and Palaeoenvironments Research Group, School of Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK)

  • Ash Parton

    (Human Origins and Palaeoenvironments Research Group, School of Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
    Mansfield College, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3TF, UK)

  • Heather Viles

    (School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK)

Abstract

Quaternary palaeoenvironmental (QP) sites in Southeast Arabia are important not only to understand the history of global climate change but also to study how ancient humans adapted to a changing natural environment. These sites, however, are currently missing from conservation frameworks despite reports of destroyed sites and sites under imminent threat. This study presents the Geocultural Database of Southeast Arabia, the first open-access database on QP sites in this region, created as a comprehensive inventory of regional QP sites and a tool to analyse QP records and archaeological records. The endangerment assessment of QP sites in this database reveals that 13% of QP sites have already been destroyed and 15% of them are under imminent threat of destruction, primarily due to urban development and infrastructure development. Chronological and spatial analyses of QP and archaeological sites and records highlight the intricate relationship between palaeoenvironment and archaeology and emphasise the need for sub-regional-scale studies to understand the variation of climatic conditions within the region, especially to study changes in the ancient human demography. This database illustrates the potential of a geocultural approach that combines archaeological heritage with Quaternary geoheritage as a way forward for the conservation of QP sites at risk.

Suggested Citation

  • Kenta Sayama & Adrian G. Parker & Ash Parton & Heather Viles, 2022. "Developing a Geocultural Database of Quaternary Palaeoenvironmental Sites and Archaeological Sites in Southeast Arabia: Inventory, Endangerment Assessment, and a Roadmap for Conservation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-24, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:21:p:14096-:d:956826
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/21/14096/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/21/14096/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Andrea Zerboni & Alessandro Perego & Guido S. Mariani & Filippo Brandolini & Mohammed Al Kindi & Eleonora Regattieri & Giovanni Zanchetta & Federico Borgi & Vincent Charpentier & Mauro Cremaschi, 2020. "Geomorphology of the Jebel Qara and coastal plain of Salalah (Dhofar, southern Sultanate of Oman)," Journal of Maps, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(2), pages 187-198, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Cristina Bellini & Francesco Ciani & Lia Pignotti & Riccardo Maria Baldini & Tiziana Gonnelli & Marta Mariotti Lippi, 2022. "Modern Pollen Analysis in the Estuary Habitats along the Coast of Dhofar (Sultanate of Oman)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-19, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:21:p:14096-:d:956826. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.