A multi-analytical approach applied to pottery from Oman as a key to understanding ancient Indian Ocean maritime trade

Abstract

The populations in Sumhuram (third/second century bce to fifth century ce) and Hamr al-Sharqiya 1 (HAS1) (first millennium bce to first/second century ce) were involved in one of the most important examples of large-scale trade systems in antiquity: the maritime network connecting the coasts of the Indian Ocean. This research focuses on a total of 35 southwestern Arabian and Indian pottery sherds from both the settlements of Sumhuram and Hamr al-Sharqiya 1, analysed through a multi-analytical complementary approach. This study intends to test the input potential of this type of approach applied to ceramics in the context of the Indian Ocean trade network. The techniques adopted are powder X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The results obtained allow the identification of eight distinct groups, each characterized by unique (textural, mineralogical, geochemical) signatures, providing specific clues for determining their provenance, specifically from the Indian subcontinent and southwestern Arabia. This paper shows the importance of this type of archaeometric study that must be integrated into a transdisciplinary approach.