Protohistoric cairns and tower tombs in south-eastern Arabia (end of the 4th-beginning of the 3rd millennium BCE).

Abstract

This article presents a synthesis of current knowledge regarding tower-tombs or Hafit-type tombs. Thousands are found within the Oman Peninsula, within the southeastern Arabian Peninsula, and they are usually associated with the beginning of the Bronze Age (the end of the 4th to the beginning of the 3rd millennium BCE). This apparently large-scale funerary phenomenon is contextualized, and the history of discovery and the orientation of current research are discussed. Finally, the chronocultural timeline is presented, before the traits that characterize these funerary monuments are described. Throughout this article, the available data on locations and use-time of the necropolises, tomb architecture, funerary practices, and the biological data of the individuals deposited within them, are accompanied by a reminder of the challenges and perspectives nourishing current research on this topic.