MASEJ – 2016

The first field campaign of the MASEJ quadrennial (the fifth since the mission’s inception in 2012) focused in 2016 on the eastern study area of the research program. It concerned the Jibal al-Khashabiyeh sector, where preliminary exploration during the 2013 and 2015 campaigns identified the first set of Desert Kites in the desert margins of southeastern Jordan. These structures are certainly among the most spectacular installations in the Near Eastern desert margins. Consisting of two long stone walls (sometimes several kilometers long) converging toward an enclosure punctuated by circular structures, their interpretation was long debated before reaching a general consensus: they are widely considered structures linked to the hunting of wild animals, likely gazelles, while their dating remains, by contrast, highly uncertain.

These preliminary results prompted a high-priority excavation campaign in May-June 2015 to clarify crucial questions regarding the function and dating of these installations. Various test pits, supplemented by new excavations during the 2016 campaign, provided tangible evidence corroborating the hunting hypothesis, very likely related to gazelle hunting. As for the chronology, the collected data and radiocarbon dating of charcoal samples obtained during excavation allowed the use of these structures to be traced back to the Late PPNB (Pre-Pottery Neolithic B) period, around 7000 cal BC. Consequently, these are the oldest known and reliably dated kite structures in the Near East.

During the 2016 campaign, alongside supplementary excavations on the kites, research focused on deepening the study of a series of campsite settlements identified in the direct vicinity of the kites. These settlements are distinguished by a very specific material culture, particularly an exceptionally rich lithic industry dominated by blade production. Among the diagnostic tools, the foliated bifaces and the repertoire of small arrowheads on blade supports provide points of comparison with other techno-complexes of the South Levantine desert margins, notably the “Tuwailan” industry of the Negev and the Black Desert of northern Jordan.

This group of settlements belongs to a homogeneous techno-cultural facies that fits perfectly within the Late PPNB chronological context established for the kites. While the proximity of these settlements to the kites initially suggested a possible chronological and functional correlation, this hypothesis was confirmed in 2015 thanks to the exceptional discovery of an engraving representing a kite on a large stone slab from one of these settlements. Furthermore, a targeted test pit conducted in 2015 on one of these sites demonstrated preserved structural and architectural elements associated with flint-knapping remains. On site JKSH F19, domestic remains delimited by curvilinear walls—including a subdivided internal organization and various hearth arrangements—were uncovered. Despite the small size of the 2015 test pit, considerable quantities of organic remains in stratigraphic context, including well-preserved animal bones and charcoal, were collected. Radiocarbon dating confirmed this occupation as Late PPNB, contemporaneous with the use of the kites.

These results have opened entirely new and significant perspectives for future research, as such campsites and the habitats of populations associated with kites had never before been identified elsewhere in the Near East.

Consequently, during the final campaign in July 2016, an extensive excavation of settlement JKSH F19 was undertaken to better understand the structural organization of the remains partially cleared in 2015. This excavation revealed a sub-circular unit averaging 6 meters in diameter, delimited by a carefully built double-faced wall. The presence of numerous hearths accompanied by a relatively large quantity of burned animal bones (likely gazelle, though zooarchaeological study remains crucial) indicates domestic activities within what must be considered a dwelling unit.

While the excavation of this settlement is complete—and will lead to multiple studies on occupation context, subsistence patterns, and environmental conditions (zooarchaeology, archaeobotany, geoarchaeology)—surveys in the Jibal al-Khashabiyeh sector during this campaign identified another site of particular interest. JKSH P52 displayed a lithic industry similar to JKSH F19 and comparable architectural traces visible on the surface. However, our attention was primarily drawn to a sector of the site exposed by erosion in a small gully, revealing a level containing extremely large quantities of animal bones. Three small test pits at JKSH P52 confirmed the presence of extensive architectural remains and, more importantly, the exceptional state of preservation. The stratigraphic level visible on the surface proved particularly interesting: it contains unusual quantities of animal bones, mostly burned, embedded in a thick layer of ashy sediment.

Preliminary examination suggests these are primarily gazelle bones. Furthermore, the faunal assemblage appears highly selective, showing an over-representation of lower limb extremities (phalanges, tali, distal ends of long bones). This selectivity, combined with the ashy sediment, suggests this may be the result of a highly specialized activity for processing the products of the hunt. The intensive, almost “industrial” nature of this activity, and the striking parallels in material culture with other Late PPNB camps, raise the question of a direct association with the nearby kites. Having identified for the first time the habitat of kite-using populations, we may now have one of the first confirmed processing sites for these mass kills, where butchery activities were practiced. While radiocarbon dating will verify the contemporaneity, it is already evident that this site offers invaluable potential that must be fully exploited.

Campaigns

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  MASEJ – 2016