The 2021 field season at Kalba: results of the excavations and geo-archaeological surveys.

The ongoing fieldwork at Kalba (K4) in the Gulf of Oman focused on the area outside the Early Bronze Age ditch construction and its subsequent use in the later Bronze Age and Iron Age periods. Our previous investigations have exposed a mud-brick wall section in the lower eastern profile of the trench whose function and specific dating were unclear. The excavated superimposed architectural remains in this area indicate that approximately the same spatial dimensions of the sites' central part were continuously enclosed. Besides environmental studies (archaeobotany, marine reservoir effect) and radiocarbon data, the archaeological material discovered during the investigations extend our knowledge of craft activities on the site. Apart from metallurgy and stone knapping, a fragment of a semi-finished soft-stone vessel attests to local manufacturing of specialized craft products. Based on the artefacts found at Kalba, the geo-archaeological survey was extended. The variety of lithic materials used to produce various objects demonstrates the deliberate choice of particular stone types, and the awareness of the site's inhabitants of local rock deposits. In this context, it is worth considering whether specific rock materials were procured as trade goods by the prehistoric coastal community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]