The results of the 27th OPUS grant competition held by the National Science Centre (NCN) have been announced. Among the funded projects is one led by Prof. Piotr Bieliński from the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology, University of Warsaw (PCMA UW), titled “Rises and Falls: Dynamics and Mechanisms of Settlement Development and Collapses in the Mountains of Northwest Oman during the Bronze Age and the Iron Age.”
The project aims to reconstruct the dynamics and mechanisms behind the emergence, development, and eventual decline of settlement in the Early Bronze Age (3100–2000 BCE) and the Iron Age (1300–300 BCE) in northwestern Oman. These two periods of flourishing, separated by a millennium-long hiatus, were marked by significant socio-economic and technological transformations. In the Bronze Age, advancements in copper processing and pottery production, coupled with the beginnings of irrigation-based agriculture, laid the foundation for greater social complexity. During the Iron Age, the introduction of the falaj irrigation system and the domestication of camels significantly enhanced communication and trade, fostering the development of organized proto-urban architecture.
The research will focus on the mountainous Qumayrah region, an area representative area of mountain zone of Eastern Arabia. This region, characterized by access to key mineral resources, such as copper, and its role as a crossroads for important trade routes, is a prime subject for studying the factors influencing settlement dynamics. By examining both periods, the study will shed light on long-term changes in how communities adapted to environmental challenges and how technological progress shaped their growth and decline. The project also aims to create a settlement model for the difficult mountainous zones of this region.
Prof. Piotr Bieliński, Chair of the PCMA UW Council and former director of the institution and faculty member of the Institute of Archaeology UW, leads the Omani-Polish Archaeological Mission in the Qumayrah region, where he conducted another research project funded by the NCN Harmonia 10 grant. He also heads the Kuwaiti-Polish Archaeological Mission and has directed numerous PCMA UW field projects in Syria and Iraq throughout his distinguished career.