Bioarchaeological Research in the Al-Qusais Necropolis (Dubai, Uae): Funerary Dynamics, Chronology and Sex Determination Through Dental Proteomics

The Al Qusais necropolis (Dubai, UAE) is one of the most significant funerary complexes in southeastern Arabia, with a chronological sequence spanning from the Late Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age (c. 1400–750 BCE). The archaeological campaigns carried out by the Sanisera Institute in collaboration with the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority have applied advanced bioarchaeological methodologies, including bioapatite dating and palaeoenvironmental reconstruction through malacological analysis. The results confirm that the original environment of the site was a coastal mangrove ecosystem, now disappeared, located barely 700 metres from the shoreline, compared to the current nine kilometres. Faced with the impossibility of determining biological sex by conventional osteological methods—due to the severe fragmentation and poor preservation of the skeletal remains—dental enamel proteomic analysis of the amelogenin protein was implemented for the first time in the United Arab Emirates. This method, applied to samples from seven individuals, allowed for the correct identification of sex in 80% of cases, distinguishing AMELX and AMELY peptides by mass spectrometry using timsTOF Pro II technology. The results obtained correlate with the body orientation of the interred individuals and with the composition of the grave goods, revealing coherent and consistent gender patterns across the different phases of occupation of the site.

Keyword: Bioarchaeology, Sex, AI Qusais, Amelogenin, Proteomics, Grave Goods, Funerary Rituals.