MCH Seminar: Jeremy Alexander Beller

Abstract 
The Early Bronze Age II-III (3000-2450 BC) of the southern Levant represents a pivotal period, as it potentially witnesses the rise of the region’s first complex societies. This transformation is marked by widespread urbanism, tiered and fortified settlements, and the establishment of elite institutions. In the absence of historical texts, however, the ways in which these communities provisioned themselves and acquired commodities and raw materials remain only partially understood. Advances in the scientific analysis of archaeological assemblages allow us to reconstruct patterns of resource movement and exchange networks with greater clarity and better resolution. A collated analysis of a constellation of material found at the archaeological site of Tell eṣ -Ṣ â fi/Gath is presented to cast light on these behavioural domains. Tell eṣ -Ṣ â fi/Gath was a large urban centre during the Early Bronze Age II-III, boasting an extensive domestic neighbourhood. The results suggest the neighbourhood occupants may have been merchants or well-connected individuals. They further raise questions of inter-settlement dependencies, especially in the face of impending societal collapse, which marks the end of the Early Bronze Age III