First chronometric results for ‘works of the old men’: late prehistoric ‘wheels’ near Wisad Pools, Black Desert, Jordan

Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating has provided the first absolute dates for the prehistoric stone arrangements known as ‘wheels’, found in Jordan's Black Desert region. These sub-circular enclosures are one form of a series of enigmatic structures known as ‘works of the old men’. Over 1000 ‘wheels’ have been identified in the basalt fields of eastern Jordan and Syria, but their original purpose is unclear. They are divided into irregular sections, and often contain a number of burial cairns. OSL analysis has been carried out on samples from two wheels in the Wisad region: one dated broadly to the Late Neolithic period, and the second to the Late Chalcolithic–Early Bronze Age transition.