Cairn fields and other megaliths as cultural markers in the southern Levantine deserts

Large cairn fields are outstanding features of the southern Levantine deserts, marking a shared set of burial practices in the proto-historic periods across the region spanning the Sinai Peninsula, the Negev, and the deserts of southern Jordan and north Arabia. Recent studies place the initial construction of the fields in the 6th millennium BCE, and stratigraphic excavation of the internal cists suggests continued use over the course of roughly two millennia. Interment practices are complex, including primary and secondary interments, and bone re-organization. Finds are scarce, but hint at changes in the nature of practice over this period. Comparison with other proto-historic mortuary traditions in the larger region, dolmens, nawamis and Tower Tombs, indicate culture/geographic and chronological variability. New data and new methods show great potential for expanding research questions.