Large stone carvings found at two sites in the Middle East are thought to show ancient plans for human-made mega structures, researchers have said.
One carving discovered on a large rectangular stone at a Jordanian campsite dated back about 9,000 years.
Two other engravings were found on a boulder at the base of a cliff in Saudi Arabia. They were created about 8,000 years ago, researchers said.
The findings are thought to be the oldest realistic building plans carved to scale on stone.
The engravings show plans for “desert kites” – human-made archaeological mega-traps used to hunt wild animals – that date back at least 9,000 years.
The kites were made of stone walls up to 5km long that narrow into large pits.
They were used to trap animals including gazelle and deer.
The kites, in their entirety, are “only visible from the air", said Remy Crassard, an archaeologist at the French National Centre for Scientific Research in Lyon.
“The extreme precision of these engravings is remarkable, representing gigantic neighbouring Neolithic stone structures, the whole design of which is impossible to grasp without seeing it from the air or without being their architect,” researchers said in the report, published in the Plos One journal.
“They reveal a widely underestimated mental mastery of space perception, hitherto never observed at this level of accuracy in such an early context.”
The findings shed new light on how ancient communities used space and how they approached group activities, researchers said.
The engraved slab from Jibal Al Khashabiyeh, Jordan, is stored at the French Institute for the Near East in Amman.
The artefact is expected to be moved to the Hussein bin Talal University exhibition room of the South-Eastern Badia Archaeological Project in Wadi Musa, south of the capital.
The engraved boulder in Saudi Arabia has not yet been removed from the site in Jebel az Zilliyat.
The edges of the limestone block were carved with a large, hard hammer, researchers said. The engraving was made using carving techniques including fine incisions and pecking.
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A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
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What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
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There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
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