Ever since the existence of certain stone structures, kite shaped in plan, were first noticed in the Jordanian and Syrian deserts during the 1920's, they have been the subject of numerous descriptions and speculations as to their origin, age and function. The view generally held today is that they were built by gazelle hunters as traps; the long stone walls (which converge on an enclosure) would lead the animals to a point where they could be killed. A different explanation is presented here : that the kites were erected by pastoralists mainly in order to capture and eventually to corral herds of possibly semi-domesticated animals, living in their natural habitat on the Fertile Crescent margins. This view is based on the results of surveys and mapping of kites in southern and central Syria, archaeological evidence from excavations, comparisons of the kites from the viewpoint of morphology, distribution, topographic situation in relation to water sources, wind direction, etc, and ethnographic parallels. It is concluded that the kites could refer to pastoralists' stock-raising techniques which changed, as needed, through time in many areas of the Near East from the Neolithic to recent times.
Le Yémen de l'âge du Bronze est encore fort mal connu. Les cadres solides qui commencent à être établis pour les hauts plateaux , manquaient à peu près totalement pour la zone du désert du Ramlat as-Sabatayn et l'est du pays. Les travaux menés sur deux nécropoles montrent l 'existence dans la première moitié du IIIe millénaire de groupes sociaux à structure sans doute complexe, pratiquant l'élevage sur les zones steppiques. Ces groupes utilisent communément une céramique fort élaborée. Ces nouvelles données modifient sensiblement les définitions culturelle et techno-économique des établissement humains de la région : la perception que nous avions précédemment en faisait en effet essentiellement des groupes de petite dimension, avec une culture matérielle acéramique alors qu 'existe aussi une autre forme sociale ; celle-ci consiste en de grands groupes reposant sur un système technologique plus complexe qui comprend poterie et métallurgie. Avec des datations comparables à celles connues pour les premières occupations agricoles développées sur les hauts plateaux , nous pouvons maintenant attester l'existence d 'un complexe de type Bronze ancien sur la bordure sud-ouest du désert d'Arabie.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.