Conflict in the Air

Today I am writing a chapter about the conflict landscapes of southern Jordan. In 1917 and 1918 a remarkable band of pilots flew reconnaissance missions from their airbase in Aqaba to Turkish targets along the Hejaz Railway. They included places such as Ma'an, Wadi Rutm and Uneiza.
This was one of  the first air wars and used aircraft that were slow and underpowered. Climbing over the mountains to the north of Aqaba meant that they had to ascend to 5000 feet which was at the limit of their performance. To gain adequate lift they had to take-off before the air temperatures rose too much and so most flights took off  before 5 am.
Some interesting ideas to get to grips with associated with the pilots engagements with landscape.

Glasgow Conference

I have just got home from a great conference at Glasgow University. It was good to meet so many other students engaged in both Battlefield and Conflict Archaeology. There were also signs that there is an increasing recognition that Conflict Archaeology is a broader, multi-disciplinary study that Battlefield Archaeology.  There is some great work being undertaken at Glasgow on Scottish battlefields and by applying Conflict Archaeology techniques to their study I am sure new narratives will emerge.