Archaeological research on Arabia, and the Arabian Gulf coast especially, has blossomed over the last few decades. This is a trend that looks set to continue as fieldwork opportunities dissolve in other parts of the Middle East, and as scholarly interest moves from the search for ‘states’ and ‘complexity’ to the exploration of alternative forms of past societal structures. Paul Yule is one of the pioneers in this regard. His fieldwork has specifically targeted sites of the late first millennium BC and first centuries AD, and the book under review aims to provide an overview of this timeframe, along with a discussion of the archaeology of the preceding centuries.

The book is divided into two main chapters dealing with sites of (what Yule calls) the Early Iron Age (1300–300 BC) and the Late Iron Age (300 BC–AD 300), plus a short introduction and conclusion. The sections within these chapters progress logically, from presentation of the sites, through discussion of architecture, pottery and other finds, to themes such as trade, burial and religion; the text is accompanied by beautiful line drawings. The division of the material into Early and Late Iron Ages reflects the author's own chronological framework; it should be noted that this is not a chronology that is widely accepted by other scholars. A newcomer reading Yule's thoughts on these issues (pp. 15–20) would not be aware that this is the case, or know of the many scholarly publications that have sought both to problematise and resolve these chronological issues. Yule's avoidance of dealing with this issue in depth renders this book as somewhat problematic from the outset.

The catalogue of Early Iron Age sites is useful, but there is sometimes fleeting engagement with the excavated data and the opinions of other scholars. So, for example, excavation at al-Qusais did not discover a settlement “largely devoid of finds” (p. 21), but rather a site rich in bronze objects such as snakes and arrowheads; pottery adorned with snakes was also found here, leading scholars to conclude that it was a ritual centre, several other examples of which have been subsequently discovered. Another example is Muweilah, which Yule describes as an ‘Early Iron Age site’, that is, dating from 1300–300 BC according to his chronology. He does not, however, engage with the numerous publications that have presented nearly 50 radiocarbon dates from this site and that have secured the chronology to c. 1000–750 BC (i.e. the Iron Age II period). In addition, the statement that “The settlement is described as having been watered by a falaj, without which the settlement could hardly have existed” (p. 22) is incorrect. There is a nearby falaj, but whether or not it dates to the Iron Age II period is unknown. Moreover, there is, in fact, ample fresh water available in these coastal desert areas and at a fairly shallow depth. This is the reason why cities such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi were able to flourish in the recent past.

The second half of the book deals with the ‘Late Iron Age’, which Yule defines as “post-300 BCE to 300 CE?” (p. 64). This section briefly reviews the known sites and provides a discussion of the social dynamics of south-eastern Arabian society during this period. Here, Yule spends some time examining burial practices, and here too there are problems. For example, Yule writes that “Samad LIA men's graves are readily identifiable by means of the kinds of grave goods that they contain. Common are axes, daggers/long daggers, swords/short-swords, knives, balsamaria, storage bottles and cramps. Other sex-linked customs are noticeable” (p. 67). On the basis of this observation, and due to the higher number of male vs female burials, Yule concludes that men enjoyed a higher social status. In this reviewer's opinion, there is no justification for assigning biological sex on the basis of burials goods. This is especially the case when we consider that in pre-Islamic Arabia, female political and military leaders were well known from the second quarter of the first millennium BC—when north Arabian queens are noted on neo-Assyrian inscriptions—through to the later centuries of the millennium.

In summary, to those coming into the topic for the first time, Yule's book presents a brief overview of the complex archaeology of the region framed within the author's particular perspectives on cultural relations and chronology. To those more familiar with the archaeology of south-eastern Arabia, this book does not have a whole lot to offer. Very little new information is presented and much has already appeared in previous publications.