Archaeological Evidence for the Consumption of Tobacco and Coffee in Ottoman Arabia

Abstract

This thesis is to examine the nature of the archaeological evidence for coffee and tobacco consumption in Arabia during the Ottoman period (sixteenth through the early twentieth centuries). The data used in this study are culled from survey projects carried out in Saudi Arabia during the Comprehensive Survey Program (1976 - 1981). I have refined the dates of the tobacco pipes (chibouks), which will allow for a finer grain chronology for the spread of coffee and tobacco based on the material culture. Additionally, pottery parallels used in conjunction with the tobacco pipe material will aid in refining the chronology for Ottoman-period sites in northern Arabia. A large portion of this project also involves an evaluation of the methodological issues facing researchers who are attempting to study Ottoman-period components in the Middle East, as revealed in the gross survey reports from Saudi Arabia. A final facet of this project is to draw a link between the artifacts associated with coffee and tobacco consumption, and the types of sites where they are found. By distinguishing the site types associated with coffee and tobacco through the analysis of archaeological finds, we can access a clearer picture of the distribution of those artifacts in Arabia that are associated with coffee drinking and tobacco smoking in order to tell where and whom was engaging in these activities.