Serge Cleuziou, one of the founding fathers of archaeological research in the UAE, died on Wednesday in Paris. He was 65, and had cancer. Prof Cleuziou was one of the pioneers of prehistorical archaeological investigation in the years shortly after the foundation of the UAE, helping to uncover fascinating insights into early Arabian civilisations.He dedicated more than three decades of his life to studying the remains of these ancient communities throughout the Middle East, but mainly in the UAE and Oman. A funeral service was held in the French capital on Saturday, and he is to be buried in the Correze region, in central France, in the coming days. Friends and peers spoke of his passion for the region and his lifelong dedication to furthering an understanding of life in and around the desert oases more than 4,000 years ago. In 1972, he joined France’s National Centre for Scientific Research, and in 1977 he moved to the UAE to work as the director of the French Archaeological Mission to Abu Dhabi. [...]