The large kite-shaped structures in the desert between Arabia and Jordan were monumental hunting traps
As early as 9,000 years ago, Homo sapiens left its mark on the environment. This can be affirmed thanks to what has been demonstrated by a study conducted in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Armenia and Kazakhstan in which the functions of the so-called desert kites were clarified , monumental structures which, seen from above, look like large parked kites.
There are thousands of these structures built starting from the Neolithic , consisting of guide walls that routed the animals making them converge in pits or precipice traps. They were therefore monumental traps to capture herds of animals. These structures interrupted animal migrations and led, in several cases, to extinction.
The oldest kites have been dated to around 7000 BC and were found in Jordan , while the age of those found in northwestern Arabia is still being determined, but may have been made in the transitional period between the late Neolithic and the Bronze Age (5000-2000 BC).
In 20 years it is estimated that desert kites detected have increased from 600-700 to about 6500. In Saudi Arabia, in the county of AI-‘Ula, 207 new kites have been detected and in this area the dominant form was that of V-shaped. Kites have been described in different shapes : sock, hatchet or W-shaped.
- Prehistory: kites drawn on the desert were mega traps (focus.it)
