Archaeologists find ritual hunt site in Jordanian desert from 7,000 B.C.

Amman, February 24 (BNA) Archaeologists have discovered a Stone Age site dating back to 7000 BC in a remote desert in Jordan, with skeletons showing that humans were gathering and hunting deer earlier than previously thought.

The team of French and Jordanian experts also found more than 250 artifacts at the site, including fantastic animal statues that they believe were used in rituals to evoke supernatural powers for successful hunts.

The pieces, which include two stone statues with carvings of human faces, are among the oldest artifacts found in the Middle East, according to Reuters.

“This is a unique site where large quantities of deer were hunted in complex rituals. It has no competitor in the world since the Stone Age,” said Wael Abu Azizah, co-director of the French archaeological team.

Experts found several kilometers long, closely spaced stone walls, which were used to trap deer in a confined area where they could be hunted more easily.

Experts said that although such structures, known as “desert kites” can be found elsewhere in the arid landscapes of the Middle East and southwest Asia, they are believed to be the oldest, most conservative and largest.

“They testify to the emergence of highly complex, and unexpected mass hunting strategies in such an early time frame,” said a statement from the Southeast Badia Archaeological Project (SEBAP) that has been operating at the site since 2013.

The settlement’s circular hut-like dwellings and large quantities of deer remains show that the inhabitants were not only looking out for their own needs, but also exchanging neighboring settlements.

Tourism Minister Nayef al-Fayez told Reuters that the discoveries were a wonderful addition to Jordan’s archaeological gems, which include the city of Petra carved into the desert rocks, the Roman city of Jerash and medieval castles.

HF