Kuwait

Abstract

Northern Kuwait formed part of ancient Mesopotamia and there is evidence of settlement during the Ubaid prehistoric period. For instance, fragments of a reed boat preserved in bitumen tar at As-Sabiyah have been dated to around 5,000 BC. Settlements along the bay of Kuwait and on the island of Failaka were part of the Bronze Age Dilmun civilization, which flourished and controlled trade in the Persian Gulf between 4,000 BC and 1,800 BC. After 600 BC the coastal settlements came under Babylonian rule. Alexander the Great’s arrival in the region in the third century BC paved the way for a period of Hellenistic influence, including a settlement on Failaka founded by Nearchus (one of Alexander’s officers). The area was part of the Sassanid Empire from the third century AD to the seventh century, and known as Maishan.