Rebecca Repper

Northwestern Arabia is marked by thousands of prehistoric stone structures. Of these, the monumental, rectilinear type known as mustatils has received only limited attention. Recent fieldwork in AlUla and Khaybar Counties, Saudi Arabia, demonstrates that these monuments are architecturally more complex than previously supposed, featuring chambers, entranceways and orthostats. These structures can now be interpreted as ritual installations dating back to the late sixth millennium BC, with recent excavations revealing the earliest evidence for a cattle cult in the Arabian Peninsula. As such, mustatils are amongst the earliest stone monuments in Arabia and globally one of the oldest monumental building traditions yet identified.

It has become increasingly common in archaeology to utilise virtual globes for regions where few if any aerial photographs are available. Saudi Arabia is one such and it has proved especially useful for identifying and mapping the prolific structures commonly referred to as the ‘Works of the Old Men’, most prominently kites. These are now generally accepted as hunting traps for migratory animals. Although a few were known in Saudi Arabia, the increasing availability of high-resolution ‘windows’ on virtual globes has revealed them in ever-larger numbers. Such windows can be exploited to define and map archaeological remains and develop methodologies. One particular region with such potential is Harret Khaybar. Progressive additions of high-resolution windows for this harra have revealed 917 kites. Beyond mere counting, analysis allows the development of typologies and identification of locally distinctive forms—notably the ‘barbed’ form; mapping and the interpretation of patterns in relation to geology, soils, water sources and vegetation; and associations with other ‘works’, with scope for creating at least relative chronologies. The present study provides data and preliminary analysis, and guidance for such a holistic ground-based archaeological project should the opportunity arise.

Linear features have attracted attention from the beginnings of Aerial Archaeology, one of the most enigmatic being the so-called Khatt Shebib. With the aid of remote sensing, this paper will illustrate this structure's character, explore its route and investigate intersecting and associated structures. What emerges is more complex than just a single wall.

This project uses satellite imagery and historic air photographs to discover and interpret archaeological sites. It has created an open access database of archaeological records that provides basic information so that the sites can be better understood and preserved in the future. The threats to sites in the Middle East and North Africa are increasing and creating a record of previously unrecorded sites using this methodology may be our last chance before they are destroyed.

Bewley, R., Wilson, A. I., Kennedy, D., Mattingly, D., Banks, R., Bishop, M., Bradbury, J., Cunliffe, E., Fradley, M., Jennings, R., Mason, R., Rayne, L., Sterry, M., Sheldrick, N., and Zerbini, A. (2016). 'Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa: Introducing the EAMENA Project', in S. Campana, R. Scopigno, G. Carpentiero, and M. Cirillo (eds), CAA2015. Keep the Revolution Going: Proceedings of the 43rd Annual Conference on Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology (Archaeopress Archaeology). Oxford, 919–32.

It has become increasingly common in archaeology to utilise virtual globes for regions where few if any aerial photographs are available. Saudi Arabia is one such and it has proved  specially useful for identifying and mapping the prolific structures commonly referred to as the ‘Works of the Old Men’, most prominently kites. These are now generally accepted as hunting traps for migratory animals. Although a few were known in Saudi Arabia, the increasing availability of  high resolution ‘windows’ on virtual globes has revealed them in ever-larger numbers. Such windows can be exploited to define and map archaeological remains and develop methodologies. One particular region with such potential is Harret Khaybar. Progressive additions of high-resolution windows for this harra have revealed 917 kites. Beyond mere counting, analysis allows the development of typologies and identification of locally distinctive forms—notably the ‘barbed’ form; mapping and the interpretation of patterns in relation to geology, soils, water sources and vegetation; and associations with other ‘works’, with scope for creating at least relative chronologies. The present study provides data and preliminary analysis, and guidance for such a holistic ground-based archaeological project should the opportunity arise.

The exhibition was undertaken for the Australian Centre for Ancient Numismatic Studies and hosted by Macquarie University's Museum of Ancient Cultures and featured those coins published in Nicholas L. Wright (2011) Coins from Asia Minor and the East: Selections form the Colin E. Pitchfork Collection, Ancient Coins in Australian Collections II.

The exhibition was designed for a large, medium, and three small cases based on the themes inherent in the collection: The Seleukid Kings, Coinage under the Achaemenid Empire, City State, Electrum and Stephanophori respectively.
This project was supervised by Associate Professor Ken Sheedy, Director of ACANS, and Dr. Nicholas L. Wright. I benefited greatly from their comments and input and thank them for the opportunity. The resulting work is my own.

This museum exhibition was completed as a requirement for the Masters of Museums Studies (Macquarie University).  The exhibition was completed and installed in late 2010, and launched with the publication on the 25 November 2011 at the Third Biennial Conference of the Numismatic Association of Australia.

The book offers an approachable survey and analysis of the stone built structures known as Kites  found throughout Arabia - the huge arid region extending from south-eastern Turkey through Syria, Iraq, Jordan and Saudi Arabia to Yemen.  The volume examines Kites from their first discovery by the RAF pilots who were the 'Pioneers' of aerial photography in the inter-war period in Transjordan to recent research and interpretation conducted by various professionals in the field. Distribution, form and function of the Kites is discussed and extensively illustrated with references provided throughout. The volume benefits from David Kennedy's long established interest and passion for aerial photography and archaeology in the Middle East, and draws on the extensive reconnaissance performed by the Aerial Archaeology in Jordan Project and historical imagery research of the APAAME Project. The book also includes extensive appendices illustrating types and locations of Kites across 'Arabia', and historical accounts of Kites by early explorers in the Middle East.

The medium of iBook was chosen for two primary reasons: accessibility and inclusion of illustrations. We have made the iBook available for just US$4.99/ AU$5.99/ £2.99 to make the publication affordable. Images have been profusely included to illustrate the features described. The electronic format allows for interactive features which enhance the illustrative elements and for video interviews and footage taken from the helicopter.

Heavy on content, the iBook does come out at roughly 1GB to download, but fortunately will only ever be as heavy as carrying around your laptop or iPad.

https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/kites-in-arabia/id910866475