The International Association for the Study of Arabia funded the isotopic geochemical analysis of soils and the study of the mobility of the pre-Islamic peoples of Dhofar conducted by BonesLab.
The International Association for the Study of Arabia promotes historical and naturalistic research initiatives in the Arabian Peninsula, providing financial support and promoting the dissemination of archaeological, ethnographic, geographical, and geological fieldwork, as well as epigraphic, historical, linguistic, literary, and artistic studies.
The IASA Small Grant was awarded to doctoral student Vittoria Bianchi, part of BonesLab, Department of Cultural Heritage, to support her doctoral research. The project focuses on the anthropological and isotopic analysis of the largest osteoarchaeological collection in Dhofar (Southern Sultanate of Oman), aiming to determine the mobility, lifestyle, and health status of the pre-Islamic populations of this region, which is still little explored from an anthropological perspective. The funded project specifically involves the geochemical analysis, in collaboration with the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, of selected soils with the aim of determining the radiogenic value of the stable isotopes of strontium (87/86 Sr) in the geological substrate. The construction of a baseline and an isoscape from these values is essential for assessing the mobility and provenance of individuals recovered from archaeological excavations by comparing the radiogenic values of 87/86 Sr obtained from dental enamel, absorbed through the diet.