Jabal Wisad Southwest Wadi Throat Kites (Wadi Wisad Narrows)
Wisad SW Wadi Throat · Wisad Narrows Kites
Pre-Pottery Neolithic B–C (7000–5800 BCE)·Late PPNB/PPNC·🇯🇴 Mafraq Governorate, Wadi Wisad throat southwest of Jabal Wisad (8 km SW), Jordan
About
About Jabal Wisad Southwest Wadi Throat Kites (Wadi Wisad Narrows)
Wadi throat where Wadi Wisad narrows to 45 m between basalt bluffs 8 km southwest of plateau (675 m). Six kites with unusually short walls (180–280 m) leveraging bluff constriction; killing pens 16–20 m with 2–3 pits against bluff base. Bluff provides natural wall, reducing construction 60%. EBAP 2020 excavated pit WB-2: 3 gazelle skeletons articulated + PPNB projectile points. Wadi-tube ‘wheels’ (stone circles) adjacent suggest camps. Seasonal flood silts partially bury pit rims.
Why it mattersKey geoglyph illustrating Late PPNB/PPNC hydraulic/geoglyph/kite/kurgan tradition in Mafraq Governorate, Wadi Wisad throat southwest of Jabal Wisad (8 km SW).
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Bluff-augmented vs free-standing wall origins
Theories
- 01Bottleneck hunting efficiency
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.7000–5800 BCE
- Period
- Pre-Pottery Neolithic B–C (7000–5800 BCE)
- Culture
- Late PPNB/PPNC
- Builders
- Late PPNB
- Purpose
- Wadi throat constriction kites at natural bottleneck
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c.7000–5800 BCE
Initial construction
2020
Drone/UAV high-resolution mapping and heritage inventory
On the ground
Structures & features
32.3800° N · 37.3900° E · 675 m · 4 mapped features
Throat Kite WB-2 Pen
desert kite16-m pen with 3 pits against bluff
32.3810° N · 37.3890° EBluff Guide Wall (280 m)
earthwork280-m wall closing to bluff
32.3790° N · 37.3910° EAdjunct Wheel W-7
stone circleStone circle ‘wheel’ adjacent to kite
32.3800° N · 37.3920° EPit WB-2 Gazelle Cache
shrinePit with articulated gazelle skeletons
32.3820° N · 37.3880° E