| Abi’el |
Presumed to be an ncient ruler of a region of astern Arabia |
| Alexander the Great |
Greek king of Macedon from 336 BC to 323 BC who conquered the Persian Empire, and therefore much of the ancient Near East. He was one of the most successful military commanders in history |
| amphora |
Tall jar or jug with two handles and a narrow neck that was used in the ancient world for storing and transporting wine and food |
| Aramaic |
Ancient language used as a common tongue in the Near East between around 800 BC and 500 AD. Now mainly used as the liturgical language of Eastern Christianity but still spoken in parts of Iraq, Syria and Turkey |
| Ariston |
Magistrate at Rhodes for one year between 182 and 176 BC |
| Augustus |
First emperor of the Roman Empire, who ruled from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD |
| Bahrain |
Island in the Arabian Gulf where remains dating from the Palaeolithic to Islamic period have been excavated |
| Bronze Age |
Subdivision of time roughly corresponding to 3000-1300 BC in Arabia, so named because of the common use of bronze |
| carnelian |
Clear red form of silica (silica is most commonly found in nature as sand or quartz), used in the Stone Age for jewellery and later widely used to make signet or seal rings for imprinting a seal with wax on important documents |
| Charax Spasinou |
Ancient port at the head of the Arabian Gulf (in today’s Iraq), and the capital of the ancient kingdom of Charax, also known as Characene |
| chlorite |
A kind of softstone used for carving. See steatite |
| Christian Era |
Period beginning with the year reckoned to be that of the birth of Jesus designated by 0 AD (Anno Domini, Medieval Latin meaning the year of the Lord) |
| collective burials |
Tombs in which more than one body was placed, either simultaneously or over a period of many years. These were common during the Bronze Age, and could sometimes contain hundreds of individuals |
| Dilmun |
Ancient name for the island of Bahrain and adjacent areas |
| electrum |
Naturally occurring alloy of gold and silver, with trace amounts of copper and other metals. Its colour ranges from pale to bright yellow, depending on the proportions of gold and silver |
| falaj |
Underground channel used to divert water from its source to irrigate crops. Also known as qanat |
| frankincense |
Aromatic resin derived from trees in south Arabia (modern Yemen and Dhofar, Oman). Widely used in incense, medicine and perfume in ancient and modern times, and the source of great trade wealth in Arabia |
| Heracles |
Greek version of Hercules, a semi-divine hero of classical mythology |
| Indus civilization |
Ancient civilization that flourished in the Indus and Ghaggar-Hakra river valleys of Pakistan and India, extending westward into Baluchistan |
| intaglio |
Refers to incised (negative) image-making, and is the opposite of cameo. It is used in making engraved seals, where it leaves a raised design on the material being stamped, especially wax |
| Iron Age |
Subdivision of time roughly corresponding to 1300-300 BC in Arabia |
| Levant |
Geographical term historically referring to a large area in the Middle East south of the Taurus Mountains, bounded by the Mediterranean Sea on the west, and by the northern Arabian Desert and Upper Mesopotamia to the east |
| Maciya |
An ancient people attested to in Persian sources, thought to correspond to the inhabitants of southeast Arabia |
| Maka |
A region attested to in Persian sources, thought to correspond to southeast Arabia |
| Mara’shams |
Man’s name incorporating the name of the deity Shams (see Shams) |
| Mesopotamia |
Region located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq and northeastern Syria, which was home to advanced societies from the 6th millennium BC onwards |
| millennium |
Period of one thousand years (plural - millennia) |
| Nabataean |
Ancient trading people of southern Jordan and the northern part of Arabia |
| Neolithic |
Term used to describe the final phase of the Stone Age, currently thought to date to between ca. 6500 BC and 3000 BC in Arabia |
| Palaeolithic |
Term used to describe the early phase of the Stone Age, extending from about 2.5 million to 10,000 years ago |
| Parthians |
Persian dynasty originating in the northeast of modern Iran, whose empire grew to cover all of Iran proper, and extended westwards to the borders of the rival Roman Empire |
| Pergamon |
Ancient Greek city in western Anatolia (Turkey) |
| Persia |
Region approximating to modern Iran which was at the centre of a series of powerful empires, sometimes extending as far as Anatolia, the Caucasus, Central Asia, the Levant and Egypt |
| petroglyphs |
Carvings or other designs etched on stones and rocks |
| seal (also stamp seal, cylinder seal) |
A carved object, usually stone, used to stamp or roll onto wax or clay to leave a distinctive design. Often used by merchants and officials to authenticate transactions |
| Shams |
Shams, meaning simply “sun”, was a solar deity and the patron god of several Arabian peoples |
| softstone |
Any of a variety of soft minerals, frequently known as steatite or chlorite, and used especially to carve bowls, boxes and jewellery |
| steatite |
A kind of softstone found in the mountains of southeast Arabia and elsewhere. It is mainly composed of talc, and its softness made it very popular for the carving of artefacts. The term is often used interchangeably with chlorite |
| tetradrachm |
Ancient Greek unit of currency (coins) |
| Umm al-Nar Period |
Period of the Bronze Age named after the settlement and tombs on the island of Umm al-Nar in today’s Abu Dhabi. It evolved some time between 3000 and 2500 BC and ended at around 2000 BC |
| Victoria |
Roman goddess, the personification of victory |
| Wadi Suq Period |
Period of the Bronze Age named after sites located in the Wadi Suq valley in today’s Oman. It succeeded the Umm al-Nar Period at around 2000 BC and ended at around 1600 BC |
