Ritual hunt site from 7,000 BC found in Jordan
STORY: Archaeologists have discovered a stone age site dating back to 7,000 B.C. in a remote desert in Jordan, with structures which show humans were rounding up and hunting gazelles much earlier than previously thought.
The team of French and Jordanian experts also found over 250 artefacts at the site, including exquisite animal figurines which they believe were used in rituals to invoke supernatural forces for successful hunts.
"We discovered a ritualistic settlement, ritual meaning connected to religious rituals. This settlement consists of numerous parts, two stone statues with carvings of human faces, and a drawing of a stone hunting trap," said Wael Abu Azizeh, the co-director of the French archeological team.
The objects, which include two stone statues with carvings of human faces, are among some of the oldest artistic pieces ever found in the Middle East.
