Marine turtles from the habitation area and graveyard of Ras al-Hamra RH-5.

Interactions between humans and marine turtles have occurred on the Arabian Peninsula, particularly the east coast, for at least the past 7000 years, as shown by a rich archaeological record. This has been discussed in several books, chapters, and articles (both popular and scientific) that present original findings, summaries, and popular accounts which have made the information available to a wide readership (e.g., see Frazier 2003, 2005). Of notable importance are the many archaeological studies in the Sultanate of Oman (see Cleuziou and Tosi 2007), and among these sites Ras Al-Hadd and Ras Al-Hamra stand out for the quantity and contextual complexity of marine turtle remains (e.g., Coppa et al. 1985; Salvatori 1996, 2007; Mosseri-Marlio 2000a, b, 2002; Uerpmann 2003; Uerpmann and Uerpmann 2003; Cleuziou and Tosi 2007; Munoz 2014). Evidence of burning and cut marks are common, particularly at Ras Al-Hadd. Many of the findings from Oman involve marine turtle specimens that are interpreted as having been used for food, but the remains from the 4th millennium site of RH-5 at Ras Al-Hamra (Muscat, Sultanate of Oman) offer a very different, and remarkable, perspective.