The 2005 campaign at Salut, Oman - Università degli Studi di Pisa

Two areas were chosen for excavation on February/March 2005: trench 1, in the north-west corner of the upper part of the hill, and trench 2, across the 'lower structure' located at the eastern foothill of the mound. In addition, we made a survey along the ancient falaj system.

Trench 1
The excavation confirms the determinate constructional phases of 2004B sounding.

-1st construction phase. The corridor-like (room 1a), along the fortress defence wall, presents three small compartments with wide openings constructed in its western part, and on the opposite side it ends with a mud-bricks staircase, showing the presence of two-storage structures at this phase.

-2nd construction phase. Significant renovations of the lay-out and general organization of the site were undertaken: the outer defence wall was significantly enlarged, and a monumental mud-brick platform, delimited from the east by a well done stone wall, was constructed. The platform was used as foundation for a mud-brick building (Building1) which was mainly composed of a sub-rectangular room (7.2X9.3 m) supported once by six pillars; it presents a stone pavement of four low steps on the south corner, and two premises (room 2 and room 3) adjoining to its south-eastern corner.

-3rd construction phase. The top layer revealed horizontal surfaces, floors, pits (postholes) and remains of stone foundations of circular structures (2.5-3.0 m in diameter), a sort of dwelling, belonging to the mediaeval re-occupation of the site.

The foundation of Salut goes back to the Early Iron Age period (late 2nd millennia) and the site was occupied till at least the 9th- early 8th centuries BC, as it shown by the preliminary analyses of the materials and by the radiocarbon dates from different strata. The Building 1 recalls the monumental architecture of the 'pillared-halls' of some Iron Age sites in the U.A.E (Rumeilah, Qarn Bint Saud, Bithna, Muweilah); the set of finds represents votive objects (bronze snakes, miniature axe, bronze vessel), personal ornaments (rings, beads, pendant. pin) and tools (razors, hoe, awls, needles). Particularly interesting are several pottery sherds with applied decoration of snakes, whereas fragments of soft-stone vessels and several leaf-shaped, triangular and lanceolate arrowheads are characteristic materials of Iron Age assemblage.

Trench 2
The preserved height of the outer wall, which is round curved, is about 2.5 m. The construction technique, identical to that of the northern defence wall of the fortress, proves the contemporaneity of both walls.

The falaj
The falaj is an irrigation system through which underground water is directed by means canals to fields. The falaj of Salut (north-west and north of the fortress) belongs to 'shallow falaj' type, which tapped water from shallow water table as alluvional fans or wadi's bed; it was typical of Iron Age II (1100/1000-600 BC).