Kites on the margins. The Aragats kites in Armenia

Abstract

Many desert kites have recently (2010) been discovered on the basaltic slopes of Mount Aragats in Armenia. The implementation of various complementary techniques (geomatics, statistical analyses, geoarchaeology, malacology, radiocarbon analysis) has enabled defi nition of their specifi cities. Isolated from the classic Syro-Jordanian zone, they are characterised by a certain simplicity, great morphological homogeneity, strongly related locations to the morphological characteristics of the mountain massif, and dated between the Bronze Age and beginning of the Common Era. Résumé : De nombreux kites-ou desert-kites-ont récemment (2010) été découverts sur les fl ancs basaltiques du Mont Aragats, en Arménie. La mise en oeuvre de techniques variées et complémentaires (géomatique, analyses statistiques, analyse architecturale, géoarchéologie, malacologie, analyse radiocarbone) permet de préciser leurs spécifi cités. Isolés de la zone classique syro-jordanienne, ils sont caractérisés par une certaine simplicité, une grande homogénéité morphologique, des implantations en lien fort avec les caractères morphologiques du massif et un âge compris entre l'Âge du Bronze et le début de l'Ère Commune.

Northernmost kites?

“…The enclosure is relatively far-reaching, as the median surface attains 1.8 ha [IQR 1.4e2.5 ha]. Only 13 out of the 154 measurable enclosures measure less than one hectare (the values indicated here may differ slightly from those published in Brochier et al, 2014, without greatly modifying the general characteristics, as they have been updated to include the whole corpus). This surface can be partitioned (17% of cases).…”

“…In spite of relatively widespread archaeological research, many fundamental questions surrounding these structures have still not been satisfactorily resolved. The age of kites remains uncertain, as the only rare chronological evidence is centered on the Bronze Age ( Echallier and Braemer, 1995;Van Berg et al, 2004;Nadel et al, 2010;Brochier et al, 2014). However, certain authors claim that some of these structures are Neolithic (Helms and Betts, 1987;Akkermans et al, 2014;Iamoni, 2014;Morandi Bonacossi, 2014), while petroglyphs depicting kites point towards a classical age (Harding, 1953;Kennedy and Henderson, 2012), and historical evidence of collective hunting could implicate the use of kites (Burckhardt, 1835;Barker, 1876;Mitford, 1884;Wright, 1895;Musil, 1928a,b), although correlations between the described kites and those observed here still have to be confirmed .…”

The diversity of Late Pleistocene and Holocene wild ungulates and kites structures in Armenia

“…Two types of kite structures were recorded in Aragats Mount, according to Brochier et al (2014): kites with antennae and those without. The kites with antennae are characterized by an enclosure following slope breaks, by uphill running antennae, pointed appendixes or proximal cells, and an entrance with an edge or threshold.…”

“…Several concentrations of stone structures known as "desert kites" (or simply kites) have been recorded along mountain chains in the Mount Aragats region (Barge et al, 2013;Gasparyan et al, 2013;Brochier et al, 2014;Crassard et al, 2014). Kites are located in temperate semi-arid to arid areas in landscapes including plateaus, steppe, semi-deserts, and dwarf shrub vegetation.…”

“…Lithic tools dated between the third and the first millennium BC have been recovered from the surface of certain kites in the northwestern fringes of the Ararat depression . While hypotheses linking kites to hunting or husbandry were suggested for desert kites in the Middle East, kites in Armenia are mainly considered to be hunting structures Brochier et al, 2014). Even though kites are widely described as driving traps for gazelle herds, with the use of kite antennae as drive lines guiding animals towards the enclosures, no concrete evidence has of yet been recorded confirming this function ( Echallier and Braemer, 1995;Legge and Rowley-Conwy, 2000;Holzer et al, 2010;Bar-Oz et al, 2011;Nadel et al, 2013;Zeder et al, 2013;Crassard et al, 2014;Chahoud et al, 2015).…”