Beyond the mine apertures themselves, further structural
And environnicnial evidence hints at the subsistence
Strategies of those operating the sulphur mines at Jebel
Dhanna. Five of the mine complexes, interestingly those
Which are predominantly made up of Aperture Types I
And 2 and arc therefore generally more complex, display
Structural evidence w ithin their immediate vicinilv. These
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Siruclures take v arious forms but are all constructed from the Unrally ixreurring weathered lintcstone of the jebel. S(vmc are fire shelters, positioned so as to blcK’k the strong, usually northerly, w ind the jebel. There is at least one
Example of an outline mosque. Other structures arc more substantial and appear to be shelters (either from the sun or the w ind). These aa* usually circular. 3-6 m across, and may have had an 'arish, or palm-frond, superstructure (fig. 4k One of these structures was excavated during the third phase of work at Jebel Dhanna. and given that it both superseded and was superseded by. spoil Irom adjacent mine apertua's. it confimis the relationship iKiwccn (he structures and the mining activity. Within the excavated
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Hfi 4 ficuatedpUm of trui tnrf awtniaird wnh tht mtw.
Structure, there were two internal hearths. Occupati<«! debris was jtcncnill) limited, however. suj:gcstjnp that these shehers were ca*cicd in an odhrx' fashion, and used during the working das. but not h)r whole seasons of woj k at a lime. Indeed, the ceramic as>cmhlaj;e contains m> c idcnce ft«r large water vcsscl. s or t«hcrtorage containers.
Water has prosed an interesting issue at JcIkM Dhanna. C’onvcrsations with a local resident. .Mubarak Al Mansoun. suggest that no wells arc present withm the cm irems of die jchcl. and. in fact, the nearest may he as far as 30 km away to the south (Al. Mansoun. pers comm.). Water catchment systems, however, are common in the areas around the mines. Hicse lake the form of shallow pools, terraced so as to collect run*off w. iicr. darns within wtuJij. and long, narrow trenches p<rsiiiuned so as to catch the water running through several iadi at once. One example, over in in length, was used by the Manasir up to the iy5ri>.
F. nvironmcnial cvuicncc. so far. has been shght. but suggests that miners were dining on shellfish, prcdornnunily winged oyster (hvha nuKroprenii and small bivalves (such as Aniiantis umhonrilai It is hoped tliat the lbrdKt>ming flotation ol a large numlicrt)fvuiiple> may reveal more.
World History
