Papers by David L Kennedy
Landscapes of Survival, 2020
The ancient stone-built structures found in the Harrat al-Sham and known to Bedouins as the ‘Work... more The ancient stone-built structures found in the Harrat al-Sham and known to Bedouins as the ‘Works of the Old Men’ are familiar and increasingly well-documented, especially for the part in Jordan. Several site types (Kites, Wheels, Pendants, Cairns, Chain Walls, etc.), totaling many thousands, have been recorded and plotted as well as hundreds of kilometres of low, meandering walls. Similar structures are found more widely in ‘Arabia’. Kites, the best-known, have been recorded as far away as Armenia and Yemen (and even in central Asia). There are also parallels elsewhere in Arabia for some of the other Harrat al-Sham structures in a variety of landscapes. However, just as it is precisely on this lava field of Syria-Jordan-Saudi Arabia that overwhelmingly hosts these structures in huge numbers, so, too, one should look to the succession of other lava fields (harrat; singular harrah) found along the west coast of the Arabian peninsula. There has been little fieldwork on these latter and they are far less well-explored on the satellite imagery of Google Earth and Bing. Nevertheless, a growing number of high-resolution ‘windows’ in this imagery have been interpreted systematically and with varying degrees of completeness. Tens of thousands of sites have now been recorded on these other harrat revealing not just some expected parallels but also surprising differences. Kites have been found in very large numbers in the Harrat Khaybar, but seldom in the other harrat and many are of a design notably different from elsewhere; indeed, unique to this lava field. Likewise, Pendants and Wheels are abundant but the designs are different. Even more notable are site types found in the Harrat al-Sham but not elsewhere, and others found elsewhere but not in the Syrian lava field. For example, Chain Walls are found just once outside the Harrat al-Sham; conversely, Gates, Barred Rectangles, Triangles and two types of Pendants (Trumpet and Keyhole) are found only in some of the harrat of Saudi Arabia. Variants in design, differences in site types and the distribution patterns and associations between site types may be of significance in interpreting and explaining human activity and at least the relative chronology of the sites. It remains crucial for fieldwork to be undertaken in parallel with the interpretation and analysis of the imagery.
East and West in the World Empire of Alexander, 2015
and encouragement of an extensive supporting cast, and we would register our sincere gratitude to... more and encouragement of an extensive supporting cast, and we would register our sincere gratitude to many, sometimes unsung, individuals. Particular attention must be drawn to the meticulous labours of Dr Alessandra Pugliese, who, during her PhD candidature at the University of Otago from 2010 to 2013, funded by several research grants from the Division of Humanities and the Classics Department, acted as Research Assistant, editing, homogenizing, and imposing order on some complicated and rather recalcitrant material. It is fair to say that this volume would not have been possible without her wonderful dedication and labours. We would also thank numerous scholars who have acted as specialist referees and consultants for the various essays and lightened our own burden as readers and editors:
A web site dedicated to researching western travellers in – broadly, the lands east of the Rift V... more A web site dedicated to researching western travellers in – broadly, the lands east of the Rift Valley from Aqaba to the source of the Jordan, from Petra to Palmyra.
As these travellers also one or more neighbouring countries, the postings often also include Egypt and the Near East.
A Companion to the Hellenistic and Roman Near East, 2021
The full text of M A Stein's unpublished Report (his aerial and ground reconnaissances in Ira... more The full text of M A Stein's unpublished Report (his aerial and ground reconnaissances in Iraq and Transjordan in 1938-1939) edited and with a commentary and bibliography. (BAR -S272, 1985)
Palestine Exploration Quarterly, 2016
Land and Syria in the later 19th century was William Cowper Prime. His journey of 1855 to 1856 re... more Land and Syria in the later 19th century was William Cowper Prime. His journey of 1855 to 1856 resulted in two books, which went through multiple editions over a period of twenty years. They were evidently both a stimulus to follow in his footsteps and a standard text in the hands of many pious Christians, as Mark Twain was to amusingly observe. Several articles on the region published anonymously in HarperÕs New Monthly Magazine in the mid to late 1850s were certainly by him; several others are occasionally attributed to him; and a few others not usually credited to him seem similar in style. There is, however, confusion. Three long articles commonly attributed to him seem to be part of a series of five by the same writer, and all have been accepted as factual reports of actual events, places and people. Closer examination of all five of these essays confirms they are by the same author and almost certainly by Prime. On the other hand, analysis of the chronology and frequently highly implausible content leave little doubt they are fictitious and cannot be treated as historical sources. In the light of these conclusions, one has to also re-evaluate PrimeÕs books. Mark Twain was scathing about their reliability and the new evidence of PrimeÕs subsequent writings reinforces his taste not just for exaggeration, but also outright invention.
Journal of Roman Archaeology, 2008
Pres de Petra la forteresse nabateenne d’Udrhuh devient en 106 un castrum romain. Description des... more Pres de Petra la forteresse nabateenne d’Udrhuh devient en 106 un castrum romain. Description des vestiges (enceinte, principia). Decouverte en 2005 d’une inscription en latin, dedicace aux tetrarques par la legion VI Ferrata, avec martelage du nom de Maximien, donc datee entre 293 et 305. Mention d’une reconstruction du camp. Recherches sur les carrieres du dux (Aurelius Heraclides), du praeses de la province (Aelius Flavianus) et du prefet de legion (Aurelius Mucianus) mentionnes
Antiquity, 2012
Aerial photography is so fundamental an instrument of modern archaeology that we often take it fo... more Aerial photography is so fundamental an instrument of modern archaeology that we often take it for granted. But its methods are surprisingly specific and its most important experimental theatre was probably the territory of the Levant—and especially the rocky terrain of Jordan. The author, a prominent aerial archaeologist of our own day, takes time off to review the achievements of the pioneers, serving officers who established routes over the desert to deliver mail between Egypt and Iraq. The fabulous ancient landscape they discovered could only be appreciated through the low-level window provided by these slow-moving rickety machines and their intrepid pilots. In these days of jet travel, the precious basalt landscape is in danger of slipping off the agenda again—both for researchers and conservers.
Palestine Exploration Quarterly, 2000
L'A presente quelques inscriptions decouvertes au cours d'un programme de recherche d'... more L'A presente quelques inscriptions decouvertes au cours d'un programme de recherche d'archeologie aerienne mene en Transjordanie sur le site de Qasr el-Hallabat. Il evoque, tout d'abord, les evenements qui ont aboutit a ce projet et a la realisation de ces photographies par S. A. Stein. Il etudie ensuite ces inscriptions : celles-ci, gravees, pour la plupart, sur des bornes milliaires, fournissent des informations sur les installations militaires romaines dans la region.
Journal of Archaeological Science, 2011
In the 1920s pilots overflying the Transjordan panhandle discovered thousands of enigmatic stone-... more In the 1920s pilots overflying the Transjordan panhandle discovered thousands of enigmatic stone-built structures which the beduin called ‘’The Works of the Old Men’. We now know these works are several thousand years old, extend from Syria to Yemen and probably number a million or more, making them far older and significantly more extensive than Peru’s Nazca Lines. Like the
Journal of Archaeological Science, 2011
Archaeologically, Saudi Arabia is one of the least explored parts of the Middle East. Now, thanks... more Archaeologically, Saudi Arabia is one of the least explored parts of the Middle East. Now, thanks to Google Earth satellite imagery, a number of high-resolution ‘windows’ have been opened onto the landscape. Initial investigations already suggest large parts of the country are immensely rich in archaeological remains and most of those identified are certainly pre-Islamic and probably several thousand years
The International History Review, 2006
Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, 1998
An academic directory and search engine.
Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy, 2014
ABSTRACT The traces of dispersed houses in desert or steppic regions of northern Jordan and south... more ABSTRACT The traces of dispersed houses in desert or steppic regions of northern Jordan and southern Syria have been augmented by recent discoveries and fieldwork. The evidence suggests that they are dated to the Umayyad period, although often with traces of Late Roman/Jafnid (Ghassanid) origins. The new discoveries allow an enrichment of our knowledge for the period and provide a contrast with the better known Desert Castles and Qusur that dominate the evidence for this period.
American Journal of Archaeology, 2008
Bulletin of the Council for British Research in the Levant, 2008
There is, now, the scope for developing the project dramatically. A generous grant from the Packa... more There is, now, the scope for developing the project dramatically. A generous grant from the Packard Humanities Institute will allow us to work on the archives and create a web site on which all our images can be displayed and searched. It will also allow us to treble the number of hours fl own and increase the associated ground exploration. Aerial Archaeology was pioneered in the Middle East in the 1920s with dramatic aerial photographs taken in Syria by the great French scholar, Pere Antoine Poidebard. His discoveries resulted in a book, now a collectors’ item, La trace de Rome dans le desert de Syrie (Paris, 1934). Despite important work in Iraq, Transjordan and Iran, there was nothing to equal Poidebard’s contribution. Collectively, a great deal was achieved in the 1920s and 30s though some countries in the region prohibited it entirely — Turkey is the obvious case. However, a new World War and independence for the countries of the region brought an end to virtually all aerial archaeology throughout the Middle East by about 1950.
Bulletin of the Council for British Research in the Levant, 2009
AbstractA significant grant from the Packard Humanities Institute has allowed the development of ... more AbstractA significant grant from the Packard Humanities Institute has allowed the development of a long-standing project of Aerial Archaeology in Jordan. In 2008 the number of flying hours, sites recorded and associated ground-work time trebled. Hundreds of sites, not previously recorded, have been added to the database. A web-based archive of the entire collection of aerial photos taken since 1997 is now under construction.
Bulletin for the Council for British Research in the Levant, 2017
submit a proposal to examine and document archaeological sites under threat in the Middle East; N... more submit a proposal to examine and document archaeological sites under threat in the Middle East; North Africa was soon added with input from Professor David Mattingly (University of Leicester), given his long experience of archaeological surveys in the Maghreb (Mattingly 2004; 2013). Thus, the Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa was born, and work on data collection and database design began in 2015 (eamena.arch.ox.ac. uk, Bewley et al. 2016). Funding was initially approved for two years and in 2016, with the inclusion of Professor Graham Philip (University of Durham), was extended for a further three years. This new phase of the project focuses, in part, on bringing together datasets and information from previous surveys to assist in the creation of a Historic Environment Record (HER) for Syria. Under the umbrella of SHIRIN (http://shirin-international.org) this includes collating data from field projects (e.g. SHR (Philip et al. 2011; Philip and Bradbury 2016)), as well as larger comparative projects (e.g. Fragile Crescent (Wilkinson et al. 2014) and PaléoSYR (http://www.cepam.cnrs.fr/ spip.php?rubrique175&lang=fr)). In addition, in 2016 Dr Neil Brodie joined the EAMENA project to continue his work on understanding and reducing the impact of looting and the illicit trade in and trafficking of antiquities (http://traffickingculture.org and http://www. marketmassdestruction.com/the-rihani-provenance/). EAMENA now has a pool of 13 staff, mostly full-time but some part-time, but has also attracted a number of interns, volunteers and partners. These individuals are willing to give their time, and also their data, to help the aims of the project which are to: • Identify, understand and monitor the endangered archaeology of the MENA region. • Create a record of sites and monuments for each country in the MENA region that includes an assessment of the threats to sites. • Help to protect and conserve MENA's archaeological heritage. • Raise awareness and encourage informed debate about heritage in the region. • Assist customs and law enforcement agencies tackling looting and the illegal trade in antiquities. • Train heritage professionals in methods
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Papers by David L Kennedy
As these travellers also one or more neighbouring countries, the postings often also include Egypt and the Near East.
As these travellers also one or more neighbouring countries, the postings often also include Egypt and the Near East.
The medium of iBook was chosen for two primary reasons: accessibility and inclusion of illustrations. We have made the iBook available for just US$4.99/ AU$5.99/ £2.99 to make the publication affordable. Images have been profusely included to illustrate the features described. The electronic format allows for interactive features which enhance the illustrative elements and for video interviews and footage taken from the helicopter.
Heavy on content, the iBook does come out at roughly 1GB to download, but fortunately will only ever be as heavy as carrying around your laptop or iPad.
https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/kites-in-arabia/id910866475
Happily, the immense surge in archaeological and historical research on the Roman period everywhere has included the Roman Near East and there have been significant academic developments.
This collection of studies on the Roman Near East represents Professor Kennedy’s academic assessment of the region, which began with his doctoral thesis on the contribution of Syria to the Roman army. Although the thesis was never published, several articles owe their genesis to work done then or soon after and are included here (VI, VII, IX, XII). Initial visits to military sites in Syria and Jordan swiftly brought out the presence in many cases of associated civil settlements and - though often now gone, the traces of ancient field systems. Hence, the two prominent sub-themes in this collection are the Roman military and various aspects of society and settlement - settlement types, farming, logistical underpinning and communications.