Jebel Abu Khashaba Kites (Jibal Al-Khashabiyeh SE Extension)
Abu Khashaba Ridge Kites · Khashabiyeh SE Kite Extension
Late Neolithic to Chalcolithic·Khashabiyeh chert-ridge hunters·🇯🇴 Ma'an Governorate, Jibal al-Khashabiyeh, Jebel Abu Khashaba Ridge, Jordan
About
About Jebel Abu Khashaba Kites (Jibal Al-Khashabiyeh SE Extension)
Southernmost Jibal al-Khashabiyeh kite cluster on Abu Khashaba chert ridge (985 m) 45 km east of Ma'an, SE extension 18 km south of core Khashabiyeh field. Holds 6 ridge-top kites with 95–260 m arms, 14–26 m pens arranged herringbone along 3.8 km ridge crest. Unlike Black Desert basalt kites, uses tabular chert pavement with low 20 cm walls; pens have chert slab pavements rather than pits (floor kills vs pit traps), with gazelle bone concentrations dated 5800 BCE. Herringbone alignment exploits bidirectional north–south migration along Rift margin.
Why it mattersSouthernmost Khashabiyeh extension with chert slab floor (vs pit) variant.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Floor kill vs pit — prey size difference
Theories
- 01Bidirectional herringbone Rift migration
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.6500 – 5200 BCE
- Period
- Late Neolithic to Chalcolithic
- Culture
- Khashabiyeh chert-ridge hunters
- Builders
- Jibal Khashabiyeh SE groups
- Purpose
- Chert-ridge pavement kills with bidirectional herringbone interception
- Abandoned
- c.5000 BCE
- Rediscovered
- 2019 Khashabiyeh SE extension aerial; 2021 Jebel Abu Khashaba walkover
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
6500 BCE
Earliest chert pavement kites
2019
SE extension 6 kites mapped
On the ground
Structures & features
30.8500° N · 36.9200° E · 985 m · 2 mapped features
Chert Slab Pavement Pen JK-AK02
desert kite26-m pen with chert slab floor vs pits, bone bed
30.8520° N · 36.9180° EAbu Khashaba Herringbone Wall
wall260-m herringbone arm along ridge crest
30.8480° N · 36.9220° E