(XXIX-B4, 2012 
the improvements in 
/th ca. 13, 000 BP. 
f resources which led 
  
1 basin displayed on a 
dsat-7 ETM image by 
on Besançon et al, 
  
scene towards Tar al- 
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tion (Appleton, 1975). 
-aided vision analyses 
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were not only enjoyed 
edge of the mountain 
s in connection with 
Lónnqvist and Tórmá, 
International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensin 
g and Spatial Information Sciences, Volume XXXIX-B4, 2012 
XXII ISPRS Congress, 25 August — 01 September 2012, Melbourne, Australia 
  
Figure 7. A perspective view over the western piedmont seen 
from Tar al-Sbai built from Russian topographic map data 
using Image Drape. Constructed by A. Vuorela 2001, 2002. 
32 From Gazelle Killing to Pastoral Nomadism 
A series of the western piedmont oases between the two 
mountain ranges belonging to the Palmyrides formed the so- 
called Levantine corridor identified by O. Bar-Yosef (1998). 
The corridor did not only become an arena for gazelle hunting 
and the development of pastoral nomadism but also an 
experimental field for human sedentarization. The corridor has 
served as a seasonal route of gazelles which moved from the 
Arabian peninsula towards the oasis of El Kowm and further to 
the ancient village of Abu Huryera on the Euphrates (Legge and 
Rowley-Conwy, 1987, Moore et al, 2000). The flocks 
apparently continued further up to Gôbekli Tepe, where a 
Neolithic sanctuary for hunters existed, in Turkey. 
The so-called kites, large V-shaped gazelle traps built of stone 
rows, were located in the corridor. Similar constructions have 
been identified in numbers in basaltic areas of the Black Desert 
of Jordan and in the Hemma plateau of Syria, where rock art of 
the formations have also been recovered (Van Berg et al., 
2004). The sites, such as Abu Hureyra, based their subsistence 
economy at an early stage on gazelle killing. Gazelle was the 
main source of protein of these ancient people, and A.J. Legge 
and P.A. Rowley Conwy (1987) have suggested that the 
shortage of the gazelle meat and thus protein stimulated people 
towards animal husbandry. 
The escarpment of Tar al-Sbai may represent an area for 
seasonal hunting grounds used by the inhabitants of base camps 
situating in the El Kowm basin nearer to perennial water 
sources. Comparable archaeological finds from both areas point 
to the related human groups. This relation between Tar al-Sbai 
and EI Kowm would therefore indicate to the first steps towards 
the highland—lowland interaction, “transhumance” in D.O. 
Henry's line (1989)!, This habitat tracking may have already 
started among Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers continuing among 
es 1 
Transhumance is a term primarily applied to pastoral societies and 
their seasonal movements from base villages in lowlands to grazing 
lands in highlands, but, for example, D.O. Henry (1989) uses the term to 
illustrate seasonal movement of hunter-gatherers over different 
1008. ments/habitats already in the Middle Palaeolithic times (Henry 
1373). 
  
Figure 8. A perspective view over the western piedmont built 
from Landsat-5 TM image using Image Drape with Erdas 
Imagine and ASTER DEM. Constructed by M. Tôrmä 2012. 
Epipalaeolithic foragers and later among pastoralists in the arid 
areas of the Levant. In stone tool finds lance and arrow heads 
are represented on the piedmont showing the activity of hunting 
in the region. The recovered small tools such as scrapers at Tar 
al-Sbai indicate that butchering and leather processing were 
especially active at the abri sites, and a number of hunter's 
blinds prove considerable hunting activities at some point of 
time. Interestingly the blinds were set at the slopes and edge of 
the mountain where the flocks of animals such as gazelles 
traversed (Lónnqvist et al., 2011). 
3.3 Pastoral Transhumants, 
Preferred Grazing and Burial Grounds 
As previously mentioned, the mountain was the arena of hunters 
and foragers during the Palaeolithic as well as Epipalaeolithic 
period, but later on it served as grazing grounds for pastoralists: 
the interest of both groups was in acquiring meat. Actually we 
may find the echo of the word “meat” in the ancient Akkadian 
name of Jebel Bishri which was called Basar. The mountain 
could therefore have served as a “meat warehouse” for mobile 
people (Lónnqvist ef al., 2011). 
The study of pastoral landscapes needs to take into account both 
physical as well as managerial dimensions of the landscape. 
Patoralists play an important role in shaping the landscape (Ruiz 
et al., 1983). In the region of Jebel Bishri the highland-lowland 
interaction is close to the Bedouin life today which is 
comparable to that of the ancient pastoralists. Ancient pastoral 
structures, such as corrals i.e. animal pens, in the central area of 
the mountain form evidence of preferred landscapes and 
indicate to the existence of transhumance. The El Kowm basin 
has also provided evidence for the earliest steps towards 
pastoral nomadism during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) 
period (Cauvin, 2000). 
We have studied the density of ancient corrals, animal pens, on 
the mountain and their site catchment areas by using GIS. The 
studies and analyses illustrate the radius of the movements of 
pastoralists during their grazing around these pens. The pens 
appeared to be strikingly numerous in the highest areas of the 
mountain where also satellite image cluster analyses revealed 
the greenest surroundings for grazing. Interestingly not many 
permanent dwelling structures were found in association with 
the pens which indicates to the possible existence of huts or 
tents — and thus not permanent housing. Therefore, the grazing 
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