Desert kites in Jordan and Saudi Arabia: Structure, statistics and function, a Google Earth study

Google Earth offers the opportunity to study desert kites, large, presumably Neolithic, gazelle-hunting structures, shaped like children's kites in their final building stages. Kites occur throughout the Near East where large stones and boulders were available, e.g. in the Harrat (lava deserts). The most prominent kites typically consist of kilometer-long guiding walls, ending in a hectare-sized enclosure. In Jordan, at least 550 kites are counted, and another 252 in Saudi Arabia (SA). The Jordanian and the 45 northern SA kites are of a different type (star-shaped and arranged in chains) than the 207 in the Harrat Khaybar in Central SA (barbed and individual). Size statistics are presented; relative stratigraphy and kite function are discussed. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved.