Innovations in Early Maritime Technology in Mesopotamia and the Arabian Gulf

Eric Staples, Zayed University

Document Type

Article

Source of Publication

Social Science Quarterly

Publication Date

1-1-2020

Abstract

© 2020 by the Southwestern Social Science Association Objective: The objective of the article is to address the following fundamental questions: First, to what extent can Bronze Age maritime technology in Mesopotamia and the Gulf be considered an example of historical innovation, given the limited set of evidence? Second, what are the challenges of effectively measuring and analyzing maritime technological “innovation” in this period? Third, what methodologies have been recently developed to help us better understand these innovations?. Methods: The method relies on historical-archaeological analysis of the evidence as well as experimental archaeological reconstruction. Results: The study suggest that while the archaeological and textual evidence clearly shows that innovations took place, the paucity of that evidence limits any detailed analysis of innovation. Conclusion: Due to the limited data currently available to us, maritime experimental archaeology provides the best methodology for potentially understanding these innovations until further archaeological discoveries are made related to the subject.

ISSN

0038-4941

Publisher

Wiley

Volume

101

Issue

7

First Page

2539

Last Page

2554

Disciplines

Arts and Humanities

Scopus ID

85097814136

Indexed in Scopus

yes

Open Access

no

Link to Full Text

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