ABSTRACT
The data just described also allows a consideration of identity in its various manifestations, and here the focus will by necessity be drawn out once more from Bahrain to encompass its wider region as well. This said, the archaeological recognition of multiple and changing identities in the Gulf, and to a lesser extent in Bahrain is difficult, perhaps more so than in many other parts of the world, as it was, and still is in many instances, fraught with political difficulties. The point about the choices involved in the term used to describe the region has already been made in Chapter 1 – whether ‘Persian’ or ‘Arabian’ Gulf – owing to its associated ethnic, and political connotations. This provides an example of the potential pitfalls which exist in considering this topic.
