On the Margins? Neolithic Expansion in the Black Desert, Jordan

Event details Date: Wednesday, October 14, 2026 Time: 12:10 PM Location: Archaeological Research Facility, 2251 College Type: Film Audience: Alumni,Faculty,Prospective Students,Public,Staff,Students About this event At first glance, the Black Desert of eastern Jordan might appear to be a landscape that only archaeologists, film crews, and Bedouin crews could love, but recent research demonstrates that prehistoric people occupied the region in far greater concentrations than previously thought. Aerial archaeology, including satellite imagery, piloted flyovers, and unpiloted aircraft (drones) dramatically changed our perspective on how many people lived and worked in the region. In this lecture we explore these new perspectives by critically examining the evidence for the built environment on the landscape, including the buildings, wheels, and the animal traps known as desert kites. Coupled with data from excavation, our analyses suggest that the Black Desert Neolithic was exploited intensively by people who hunted gazelle using the thousands of desert kites as well as tended flocks of domesticated sheep. Rather than a marginal zone with only temporary and ephemeral human visits, the past decade of field investigations demonstrates how prehistoric people moved through and occupied the region, with connections to Mesopotamia, the Levant, and Arabia. Official event details: https://events.berkeley.edu/arf/event/332888-on-the-margins-neolithic-expansion-in-the-black-deser