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Crop processing, consumption and trade of Asian rice (Oryza sativa L.) in the Arabian Peninsula during Antiquity: earliest evidence from Mleiha (third c. AD), United Arab Emirates

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Abstract

Asian rice (Oryza sativa L.) was identified, among other plant remains, from several contexts in a fortified elite residence at the site of Mleiha (United Arab Emirates) that was partially destroyed by fire in the third century AD. These remains, present both as isolated grains and as clusters of rice, constitute the earliest example of the species in the Arabian Peninsula and raise numerous questions on the role of rice in local economies during the Late Pre-Islamic period. The discussion focuses on two aspects of the finds. On the one hand, the state of preservation and the archaeological contexts of the rice remains are investigated in detail in order to reconstruct crop processing activities that might have taken place within the building as well as different aspects of the preparation and consumption of what seems to have been a rare crop. On the other hand, we discuss the origin of the Mleiha rice weighing the possible cultivation in local irrigated date palm gardens against its importation through the long-distance trade networks across the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean that are well attested by archaeological and textual sources for the period of concern.

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Notes

  1. On the 143 organic clusters with rice remains, 30 of them could not have been described in details because of their bad state of preservation and six of them have only spikelets and/or fragments of husk. Consequently, they are not relevant for this analysis based on rice grains only.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Doctoral College of Sorbonne Universités who granted the first author a PhD fellowship which permit to realize the analysis; Dr. Sabah Jasim from the Department of Antiquities (Sharjah’s Emirate, UAE) for the permission to export the material to the National Museum of Natural History in Paris (France); Géraldine Toutirais from the “MEB Biologie” plate-form for the SEM photographs; Pr. Dorian Q. Fuller (University College of London) with the help for identification of immature rice grains and Indian millets; Dr. Jean-Charles Ducène (EPHE) and Dr. Louise Quillien (CNRS) for their comments about textual references; the Maison du riz in Albaron (Arles, France) for the discussions about the growing conditions and the crop processing activities of rice; finally, the reviewer for his/her useful comments improving the paper. We are solely responsible for any errors or omissions.

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  1. Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique: Sociétés, pratiques et environnements (UMR 7209), Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, CP 56 - 55 rue Buffon, 75005, Paris, France

    Vladimir Dabrowski, Charlène Bouchaud & Margareta Tengberg

  2. CNRS (IFPO), Beyrouth, MEAE-Liban – IFPO, 13 rue Louveau, 92438, Châtillon Cedex, France

    Michel Mouton

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  1. Vladimir Dabrowski
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  2. Charlène Bouchaud
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  3. Margareta Tengberg
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  4. Michel Mouton
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Correspondence to Vladimir Dabrowski.

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Dabrowski, V., Bouchaud, C., Tengberg, M. et al. Crop processing, consumption and trade of Asian rice (Oryza sativa L.) in the Arabian Peninsula during Antiquity: earliest evidence from Mleiha (third c. AD), United Arab Emirates. Archaeol Anthropol Sci 13, 34 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-021-01277-5

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