Unity and diversity of the kite phenomenon: a comparative study between Jordan, Armenia and Kazakhstan

Abstract

International audienceDesert kites are found across a vast region. This paper presents a detailed description of kites from the Harrat al-Shaam region (Jordan) and proposes a comparative study, as well as an analysis of the morphology and organisation of kites known from Mount Aragats (Armenia) and the Ustyurt Plateau (Kazakhstan). A complete inventory of the structures in each region highlights their architectural characteristics and their spatial distribution in the landscape. Some preliminary results were obtained by comparing both regions: the core area in eastern Jordan, and peripheries—sometimes very distant—such as in the Caucasus and Central Asia. Chronological data were also compared, when available. All these different and complementary aspects were finally combined with satellite imagery analyses. The interactive process between satellite images and fieldwork observations has enriched both approaches, while yielding preliminary key elements of interpretation for a better understanding of the kite phenomenon on a global scale

Inscribed landscapes in the Black Desert: Petroglyphs and kites at Wisad Pools, Jordan

“…The location of Wisad Pools lies right in the heart of a significant number of kites, and so the representation of kites in the petroglyphs seems likely to reflect the importance of kites in the nearby landscape. The Global Kites Project (globalkites.fr) has, to date, documented over 5800 kites worldwide, but the densest, core region for kites is the harra in eastern Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Syria (Barge et al, 2015). The mapping of all the nearby kite walls can be seen in Figure 12.…”

“…While satellite imagery analysis has resulted in the impressive documentation of thousands of kites across a huge region, until recently there has still been relatively little on‐the‐ground investigation of these features because they can be so hard to access (but see Abu‐Azizeh & Tarawneh, 2015; Abu‐Azizeh et al, 2014; Barge et al 2015, 2016; Betts, 1991; Betts et al, 1998; Crassard et al 2015; Helms & Betts, 1987; Hill & Rowan, 2017). There remains a significant need for more contextualisation of desert kites to answer questions about who made them, how they were built, and how they were used.…”

“…Desert kites, so named because of their shape when seen from the air by early pilots flying over the region (Maitland, 1927; Rees, 1929), are enormous game traps constructed in antiquity. Thousands have been recorded across the harra , primarily in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria (Abu‐Azizeh & Tarawneh, 2015; Bar‐Oz et al, 2011a; Crassard et al, 2015; Helms & Betts, 1987; Kempe & Al‐Malabeh, 2010; Kennedy, 2012; Kennedy, Banks, & Dalton, 2015), as well as significantly further away, from Yemen (Brunner, 2015) to Kazakhstan (Barge et al, 2015, 2016). Although there are many different common shapes, most kites consist of a series of guiding walls leading to an enclosure.…”

Desert kites – old structures, new research

“…It can be a variation of the basic form, a mixture of two forms or a multiplication of a basic form. It is essential to make this simple and very general typology more sophisticated as is done for the desert kites within a defined region, for example, Harrat Khaybar (Kennedy, Banks & Dalton, this volume) or in order to distinguish the forms from several regions (Barge et al ., this volume ).…”

First chronometric results for ‘works of the old men’: late prehistoric ‘wheels’ near Wisad Pools, Black Desert, Jordan

“…Barge et al . 2015), strengthening the argument for kites as hunting devices and greatly increasing the probable amounts of labour involved in kite construction.…”