04 July 2026

An interesting NOVA program on "desert kites"


This one is many months old, because I save them to a DVR and watch whenever.  I believe what I've embedded above is full-length rather than a teaser trailer.

I didn't watch it when it came out because I thought the "desert kites" were quite obviously the terrestrial equivalent of fish weirs in coastal environments.  The interesting reveal to me was that the ancient people constructing these were able to create "death pits" using walls of just the right height so that an antelope's vision wouldn't see the presence of the pit, which was lined with smooth stones to prevent escape.  Basically like creating a "head-smashed-in buffalo jump" where there were no natural cliffs.  And these were very early people from the Neolithic era.

The video also takes advantage of modern computer image generation and drone photography in rather effective ways.  NOVA programs have always been of the highest quality.

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