GEOGLYPHS OF THE BLACK DESERT OF JORDAN:

Black Desert geoglyphs, Jordan. Image from News Jordan.

A series of very interesting geoglyphs stretch across a volcanic wasteland known as the Black Desert of Jordan. I was made aware of these when I received a communication from Tomás Tarjuelo Palomino, a collaborator introducing me to the theories of Spanish researcher Mrs. Virtudes Pontes Sánchez who has been studying the geoglyphs. In the following paragraphs I will present the geoglyphs and then go into the theory of Mrs. Sánchez and Mr. Palomino in a separate column.

These geoglyphs have occasionally been lumped into the same category as the ‘desert kites (see Note 1 below)’ that I have written about previously. This should not be accepted, however, as the ‘desert kites’ are obviously traps for hunting antelope and the purposes of these particular geoglyphs are unknown, but none of them seem to have a shape that would function as an effective animal trap. I purposely wrote the previous sentence as plural, purposes, because the patterns of internal walls, entrances and other construction details are far from standardized. Were they residences, temples, tombs or fortifications, or all of the above, nobody seems to know.

Black Desert geoglyphs, Jordan. Image from News Jordan.

There have been attempts to explain these constructions as archerastronomical sites. "Researchers have also shown that, in the past, one cluster of the wheels could have been linked with astronomical knowledge and that some of the geoglyphs were probably connected with burials." (Archaeology World Team) This is an example of the phenomenon known as confirmation bias, wherein an answer that was correct before for a different question is given outsized weight when applied to the current question. Just like everything looks like a nail to a hammer, everything likes like archeoastonomy to an archeoastronomer.

Black Desert geoglyphs, Jordan. Google Earth image from the Daily Mail, UK.

“It has been concluded by archaeologists that at least two of the giant Wadi Al Qattafi ‘Wheels’ from Wadi Al Qattafi and the Wisad Pools, in the Black Desert of Jordan are at least 8,500 years old – making them older than the famous Nazca Lines in Peru by about 6,000 years.” (Archaeology World Team) These must be among the oldest human constructions in the region. “BBC reports that by using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), the archaeologists were able to show not only the date of creation of the two wheels but also that one of them was repaired about 5,500 years ago.” (Archaeology World Team) These dates would have been achieved by OSL dating of the soil just under a rock providing a date for the last time sunshine shone on that patch of ground.

Azraq Wheels geoglyph, Black Desert, Jordan. Reddit image.

“The research, soon to be published in the journal Antiquity, demonstrates that at the time of the creation of these two wheels the climate of the Black Desert would have been very different, making life in the area easier.” (Archaeology World Team) These do not provide us an answer for what any of the desert constructions actually were used for. They are, however, a very strong argument that at least two of them were not archeoastronomical.

Azraq Wheels geoglyph, Black Desert, Jordan. Reddit image.

As I wrote above, the fact that no two of these constructions seem to have been built to the same pattern suggests that they may have had varied purposes. One suggestion I would like to make is that seen from above many of them look like a small, fortified hamlet or farmstead, with an outer wall, either for defense or to fence in livestock, and inner subdivisions representing animal pens and, presumably, areas for the construction of residential structures. Perhaps the differences in size and complexity are because of differences in group size and economic status. The larger structures might represent a clan or extended family and its large herds, while the smaller ones may just be a multi-generational residence with smaller flocks.

In my next column, I am going to pass along the absolutely unique, and highly creative, theory the the aforementioned Tomás Tarjuelo Palomino, and Spanish researcher Mrs. Virtudes Pontes Sánchez

NOTE 1: So-called ‘Desert Kites’ have been mentioned in two previous columns on RockArtBlog.

29 July 2023, 9,000 Year Old Petroglyphs Copy Designs of Mega-Scale Desert Animal Traps. https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/7760124847746733855/8126054377764858401.

17 June 2023, Editorial on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Rock Art Analysis. https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/7760124847746733855/1059986807197980559.

NOTE 2: Some images in this posting were retrieved from the internet with a search for public domain photographs. If any of these images are not intended to be public domain, I apologize, and will happily provide the picture credits if the owner will contact me with them. For further information on these reports you should read the original reports at the sites listed below.

REFERENCES:

Archaeology World Team, 2019, These Mysterious in Jordan Are 6,000 Years Older Than Peru’s Nazca Lines, 17 December 2019, https://archaeology-world.com. Accessed online 9 February 2025.

Tomás Tarjuelo Palomino, 24 January 2025, Personal Communication.

Virtudes Pontes Sánchez, 2021, Groundbreaking Archaeological and Scientific Discovery in the Jordanian Black Desert, 1 October 2021, https://operationdisclosureofficial.com. Accessed online 9 February 2025.