A tumulus cemetery on the north coast of Kuwait Bay: results of survey and excavation in the al-Sabiyyah region

Since 2007, the Kuwaiti-Polish Archaeological Mission (KPAM) has been working in the coastal region of al- Șabiyyah (Subiyyah), a desert plateau extending along the north coast of Kuwait Bay.1 It carried out an extensive survey and excavated selected stone structures, mainly burial mounds. More than 200 archaeological structures and sites, including around 130 tumuli and around 100 stone features of different types, were recorded. A selection of forty stone structures was excavated, of which twenty-seven were burial mounds. This paper summarizes the results of six seasons of investigations, from 2007 to 2012. The survey, coupled with excavation of selected structures from the survey area, has provided extensive data for a preliminary analysis of the tumulus cemetery found in al-Сabiyyah. Based on this research, it is possible to present the following: a provable classification of tomb forms; distribution patterns of the burial mounds; specific burial practices in the region; and a tentative chronology of the sepulchral structures.