Ritual hunting site discovered in the Jordan desert from 7,000 BC

Recently, archaeologists have discovered a Stone Age relic dating back to 7,000 BC in a remote desert in Jordan. From the ruins, people have circled and hunted antelopes much earlier than previously thought.

One of two statues discovered by archaeologists in the desert of southeastern Jordan is pictured during a news conference in Amman, Jordan February 22, 2022.

A team of French and Jordanian experts have also found more than 250 artifacts at the site, including exquisite figurines of animals that they believe were used in rituals to call upon supernatural forces. course for successful hunts.

The objects, including two stone statues with carved human faces, are among the oldest works of art ever found in the Middle East.

Nayef al Fayez, Jordan's Tourism Minister stands next to two statues discovered by archaeologists in the desert of southeastern Jordan during a news conference in Amman, Jordan.

Two statues were discovered by archaeologists in the desert of southeastern Jordan.

Wael Abu Azizeh, co-director of the French archaeological team, said: "This is a unique site where large numbers of gazelles are hunted in elaborate rituals. It has no rival in the world. from the Stone Age".

Experts have found concentrated stone walls several kilometers long, used to confine antelope to an area where they can be hunted more easily.

Although such structures can be found elsewhere. But in the arid landscape of the Middle East and Southwest Asia, they are thought to be the oldest, best preserved and largest, experts say.

A statement from the Southeast Badia Archaeological Project (SEBAP), which has worked at the site since 2013 said: 'They attest to the rise of incredibly sophisticated mass-hunting strategies that have been unexpected over a period of time. such an early time".

People attend a press conference organized by the Jordan Ministry of Tourism.

The settlement's circular hut-like houses and large number of antelope remains suggest that the inhabitants not only hunted for their own needs, but also traded with neighboring settlements.

Tourism Minister Nayef al Fayez told Reuters the discoveries were a spectacular addition to Jordan's archeological gems, which include the desert rock-hewn city of Petra, the Roman city of Jerash and the Roman city of Jerash. castles from the Middle Ages.