1. The archaeology of the Tayma oasis: Continuity and change of subsistence strategies in the arid NW of the Arabian Peninsula from the Neolithic to Islam2. Water management in the historical oasis of Tayma

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Long-standing interdisciplinary research at the ancient oasis of Tayma resulted in a substantial reassessment of Northwest Arabia as dynamic zone of cultural contacts. Oasis cultivation, according to archaeobotanic data, started at around 4.200 BC, favored by the availability of groundwater, one of the factors sustaining the oasis and its connectedness for millennia. At least by the end of the 3rd millennium BC Tayma had close connections with the leading political and economic agents within the region, i.e. Egypt, Syro-Mesopotamia and the Levant. The Arabian Peninsula continuously provided important resources. Tayma reached its largest extent in pre-modern times (9.2 sq.km) long before the end of the 2nd millennium BC, before developing into a central place on the so-called Incense Road. Whereas 1st millennium BC historical reconstructions of Tayma had been dominated by Assyrian, Babylonian or Biblical sources, the new archaeological evidence offers a more refined picture of an oasis whose ancient center continued to be settled until the early Byzantine period, before being abandoned.The main goal of the long-term investigation is the archaeological exploration of the oasis settlement at Tayma and its environmental settings in the frame of continuously changing ecological contexts and the results of human activities. Of special interest are solutions and innovations as part of culture, which are related to the implementation of different subsistence strategies and of pertaining risk-management. (Application for long-term funding, 2007, p. 16) The research aims of the project are embedded in five central core areas. The data originating from this research is currently under study for subsequent publication:1. Obtaining settlement and environmental data2. Social structures and lifestyles3. External cultural relations (social, economic, political)4. Study of data and archive work on the documentation; Geographic Information System (GIS)5. Continuation of the publication program. The hydrological sub-project investigates the development of water management at Tayma since the Chalcolithic period from an archaeo- and palaeo-hydrological perspective in the context of changing environmental conditions. Artesian ground-water caused the emergence and continuous existence of the oasis which, today, is located in an area of hyper-arid climatic conditions. Investigation into the hydro-geological setting and hydro-technical contexts has not only facilitated the identification and localization of water resources, but will allow for reconstructions of its utilization, especially in relation to specific types of water management. In this context, the yield of water and the demand of different types of use need to be further investigated.