Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies.

• Author: Yule, Paul
• Position: Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies, vol. 33 - Book Review

Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies, vol. 33 (2003). [pounds sterling]42.

In content and appeal the attractive and weighty proceedings of the Arabian Seminar of 2003 show the strong development characteristic of Arabian studies and of this serial in recent years. For the money it is the best publication in its field for several reasons. Aside from excellent editing, a grant from the Muhammuad 'Isa Foundation has now permitted a polished and lavish presentation at the same price as previous volumes. The authors have delivered many of the papers published here first as lectures at the seminar, and have chosen this journal for the developed form of their work. Long-term research efforts and computer technology are on display in most papers. These show a concrete documentation not possible twenty-five years ago in the host countries. A third of the papers deal with southeastern Arabia and the remainder with the Yemen. Diverse contributions are grouped thematically to the extent possible. The reviewer would have preferred an alphabetical or chronological order within each group. The papers deal with history, archaeology, epigraphy, anthropology, and Semitic studies.

With so many successful and original contributions, an attempt to identify the best would reveal more about the reviewer's own interests than significant qualitative differences. Highlights comprise Neolithic and Bronze Age archaeological studies at the eastern tip of the Sultanate (C. Monchalbon et al.) and Bronze Age funerary ruins in the Yemen (F. Braemer et al.). The appearance and specifics of "Magan boats" from the R'as al-Jinz study group are treated extensively (T. Vosmer). Surveys in the Wadi Bani 'Awf (J. Haser) and Sama'il pass (A. El-Mahy/M. Ibrahim) shed new light on little-explored areas from the Iron Age into the middle Islamic period. P. Magee lists most of the radiocarbon determinations for Iron Age II southeastern Arabia.

Six seasons of settlement archaeology for Bronze Age and Iron Age upland Yemen (T. Wilkinson) do much progressively to illuminate...