Although kite structures are known from several areas of the southern Levant and the Near East (e.g. Sinai, Negev, Syria, Saudi Arabia), their distribution in Jordan was thought to be restricted to the north-eastern basalt harra landscape. From the point of view of arid peripheries settlement dynamics, the gap left in southern and southeastern Jordan was puzzling in view of the clear continuity in human occupation evidenced by recently intensifying research in this region.This paper presents the first occurrences of kites identified in this hamada landscape in the framework of the joint French-Jordanian South Eastern Badia Archaeological Project (SEBAP). Despite obvious similarities with the examples known from the harra, the two distinct sets of kites uncovered show clear local specificities in their layout and use of topography, which will be emphasised through the description of survey and excavation results. The evidence clearly supports a function of hunting structures and some clues regarding dating, although still preliminary, are expressed as well. Some lines of investigation to grasp the diversity and regionalism of the kite phenomenon are also explored, as different kite-building traditions seem to emerge from the growing body of evidence available.
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The availability of building materials in this region, specific climatic/weather conditions, and the presence of oases as well as periodically advantageous grazing lands are some factors that have been cited to explain the preference for this location (Helms and Betts 1987: 41-2).The apparent total absence of these desert kites on the hamada limestone plateau of south-eastern Jordan remained puzzling for a long time, especially in view of their existence in the neighbouring arid regions of the Negev and Sinai. This absence became all the more perplexing as the intensification of archaeological research started to find evidence of important Late Prehistoric (Late Neolithic-Chalcolithic-Early Bronze Age) human occupation in this area W. Abu-Azizeh, M. Tarawneh, R. Crassard and J.A.S Priego. 2021. Discovery and excavation of desert kites in the south-eastern Badia of Jordan. In A. Betts and P. van Pelt (eds), The gazelle's dream: game drives of the Old and New Worlds. Adapa Monographs. Sydney: Sydney University Press.
Exploration undertaken in Al-Thulaythuwat/Jabal Kabd area, in the framework of the south-eastern Badia Archaeological Project, identified an extensive funerary phenomenon dating back to either, the Late Neolithic, or a transitional Late Neolithic/Early Chalcolithic phase. Excavation of a small but representative sample of burial structures, along with an analysis of the cairns and associated structures, highlighted different levels of variability. However, when viewed as a whole, this necropolis on the south-eastern arid margins of Jordan demonstrates a marked level of consistency. While our interpretations remain tentative, we have tried here to offer working hypotheses for this variability.
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