Rescue excavations along Package 2 of the Batinah Expressway

The rescue excavation carried out in 2016 along Package 2 of the Batinah Expressway in the Sultanate of Oman led to the recovery of 25 funerary structures, arranged in two main clusters (the Al-Jamma foothills and the Wadī Banif). The research area is located in the southern Batinah plain, at the foot of the Al-Hajar Mountains. Preliminary surface investigations led to the identification of the two groups of tombs that were excavated with stratigraphic method and documented with modern surveying and data recording techniques, including sampling of human remains. The most interesting and best-preserved groups of cairns are located in inland-Al-Jamma (Ar-Rustāq), on the top and on the slopes of low hills, or on the terraces and beds of the valleys. The investigation of the tombs, in addition to the preliminary analysis of the architectural elements, building techniques, and burial practices, allowed the identification of the structural types and the description of tomb use, reconstruction, reuse and pillaging activities, as well as insight into rituals and funerary practices