Harriet Crawford presents a scholarly account of the archaeology of the Arabian Gulf from c.4500-1500 BC. It offers an interpretation of the structure of society in the Early Dilmun period (c.2000-1500 BC) using material from the excavated site of Saar on the main Bahrain island. The urban, centralized and probably literate society in Dilmun is contrasted with the contemporary societies in Oman and the Emirates. Here there is evidence from buildings and graves for a loosely knit, apparently tribal society. Both societies were greatly influenced by their participation in the complex trade routes which linked them with ancient Mesopotamia to the north and the Indus Valley to the south east, but developed their own distinctive cultures. The reason for their divergent development seems to relate to the fact that Dilmun was an entrepot, while the Oman peninsula was a source of raw materials.

Harriet Crawford presents a scholarly and up-to-date account of the archaeology of the Arabian Gulf from c. 4500-1500 BC. She offers a new interpretation of the structure of the urban, centralized and probably literate society of the Early Dilmun period (c. 2000-1800 BC) using material from the recently excavated site of Saar on the main Bahrain island. Like the neighboring societies in Oman and the Emirates, Dilmun was greatly influenced by its participation in the complex trade routes linking it to Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley.

This comprehensive and heavily illustrated history of the Bahrain Islands over more than 3000 years fills a gap in our knowledge of the archaeology of the Middle East. Home to the ancient civilizations of Dilmun and Tylos, Bahrain was one of the most significant cultural areas in the region and its pre-eminence as a trading centre brought it enormous wealth, reflected in the buildings and artefacts that have been excavated in recent years. Many of these objects and sites have never been published before and this book reveals a range of materials for specialists in Middle Eastern archaeology and for all those with an interest in the art, architecture and history of the ancient world. An international team of archaeologists and historians assess the importance of the Dilmun culture, and Bahrain's development as "Tylos" from Alexander the Great to the Sasanians. The text is complemented by an extensive range of colour photographs that show the full range of Bahrain's artistic heritage.