Kites of AlUla County and the ?arrat ?Uwayri?, Saudi Arabia |
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| Authors: | Rebecca Repper Melissa Kennedy Jane McMahon David Boyer Matthew Dalton Hugh Thomas David Kennedy |
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| Institution: | 1. Classics and Ancient History, School of Humanities, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western 2. Australia, Australia |
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| Abstract: | A comprehensive remote sensing survey of AlUla County in north-west Saudi Arabia has revealed 32 examples of the ancient, stone-built animal traps known as ‘kites’. Noting that most (27) are located on the ?arrat ? Uwayri?, a satellite survey of parts of that lavafield outside of AlUla County was undertaken, identifying a further 175 kites. These show commonalities with ‘V-shaped’ kites previously identified in mountainous areas along the western extents of the Arabian Shield in the Sinai Peninsula, Negev Desert and south-west Saudi Arabia. A study of the form and placement of these kites in their ecological and geological contexts suggests that they are representative of a distinct complex, exhibiting sophisticated morphological adaptations to target specific games over similar terrain. |
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| Keywords: | Arabian shield hunting kites remote sensing Saudi Arabia |
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