Bill Glanzman- Reconstructing the Paths of Ancient Commerce
On several occasions, Dr. Bill Glanzman has travelled to Yemen and Oman to pursue archaeological research. Focusing on the roles and locations of camel caravans and their links to the rise of ancient Arabian states, his work has challenged the assumption that early travel between regions was motivated by the delivery of gifts to royal families, for reasons such as to build alliances. As part of his work as Co-Director of the Dhofar Archaeological Project housed at Brigham Young University and the Wadi Raghwan Archaeological Project, Dr. Glanzman is generating new data and cutting edge work that reconstructs modes of early commerce between the Dhofar and Marib regions. He shows that this was supported by a unique and sophisticated infrastructure relating, for example, to drainage, fishing, and bartering. Some of his discoveries on these routes include ancient graffiti, housing structures and burial sites. The government of Yemen has honored him for his pathbreaking work. For further details on Dr. Glanzman's research, see:
http://research.mtroyal.ca/research.php?action=view&type=researchers&rid=772
http://research.mtroyal.ca/research.php?action=view&type=project&pid=68
- Famira Racy, March, 2013