Overview

The Chalcolithic period (ca. 4500-3600 BCE) in the southern Levant represents the rise of regional polities, the metallurgical revolution, and a set of other significant socio-economic changes that distinguish it from the preceding Pottery Neolithic period. Central to these issues are the Phase II (1987-1989, 1993) excavations at Shiqmim, a large Chalcolithic settlement center in Israel's northern Negev desert. The first phase of excavations at Shiqmim took place between 1979 and 1984 and were described in Shiqmim I, Parts i and ii (BAR Publishing, 1987). Shiqmim II reports on the second phase of excavations at this complex site and contributes to a greater understanding of its Chalcolithic stratigraphy, architecture, and chronology. It includes the project research design and history framed in an anthropological archaeology perspective, primary excavation data, and a Bayesian analysis of radiocarbon dates from Shiqmim presented in comparison with dates from contemporary regional sites.

Full Product Details

Author:   Margie M. Burton ,  Thomas E. Levy ,  Yorke M. Rowan
Publisher:   BAR Publishing
Imprint:   BAR Publishing
ISBN:  

9781407360591

ISBN 10:   1407360590
Pages:   220
Publication Date:   29 September 2023
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Available To Order  
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Table of Contents

1. Personal Reflections on a Desert Chiefdom - The History and Research Design of the Phase II Excavations at Shiqmim Thomas E. Levy 1.1. History of research 1.1.1. In the beginning 1.1.2. Mapping Shiqmim 1.1.3. Desert chiefdom 1.1.4. Chiefdom model under attack 1.2. Shiqmim II research design 1.2.1. The 1987 season 1.2.2. The 1988 season 1.2.3. The 1989 season 1.2.4. The 1993 season 1.3. Summary 1.4. Concluding remarks 1.5. Acknowledgments 1.6. References 2. The Settlement Center: Phase II Excavations in the Shiqmim Village-Stratigraphy, Architecture, and Social Change Thomas E. Levy, Yorke M. Rowan, James D. Anderson, Morag M. Kersel, Margie M. Burton, and Anthony T. Tamberino 2.1. Introduction 2.2. Methodology 2.3. Notes on subterranean systems 2.3.1. Notes on terminology 2.3.2. Subterranean site formation processes 2.3.3. Excavation 2.4. North Trench (1987) 2.4.1. Overview 2.4.2. Stratum I 2.4.3. Stratum II 2.5. South Trench (1987) 2.5.1. Overview 2.5.2. Stratum I 2.5.3. Stratum II 2.6. Area P (1988) 2.6.1. Overview 2.6.2. Stratum I 2.6.3. Stratum II 2.6.4. Stratum III 2.7. Area Y (1988-89) 2.7.1. Overview 2.7.2. Stratum I 2.7.3. Stratum II 2.7.4. Stratum III 2.7.5. Vessel clusters: Strata I-III 2.8. Area J (1989) 2.8.1. Overview 2.8.2. Stratum I copper-smelting contexts (CS1, CS2, CS3) 2.8.3. Subterranean systems and phases 2.8.2. Relative dating of Subterranean Systems 1 and 2 2.9. Area D (1988-1989, 1993) 2.9.1. Overview 2.9.2. Stratum I 2.9.3. Stratum II 2.9.4. Stratum III 2.10. Area X (1993) 2.10.1. Overview 2.10.2. Area X-West 2.10.3. Area X-East 2.11. Area E (1993) 2.11.1. Overview 2.11.2. Stratum I 2.11.3. Stratum II 2.12. Area Z (1993) 2.12.1. Overview 2.12.2. Stratum I 2.12.3. Stratum II 2.13. Summary 2.13.1. Stratum III 2.13.2. Stratum II 2.13.3. Stratum I 2.13.4. Subterranean complexes 2.14. References 3. Radiocarbon Dating of the Shiqmim Settlement Parke Funderburk, Thomas E. Levy, and Margie M. Burton 3.1. Introduction 3.2. Methods 3.3. Results and discussion 3.4. Conclusion 3.5. Acknowledgements 3.6. References Appendix 2.1 Appendix 2.2 Appendix 3.1: can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.30861/9781407360591-Appendix3.1

Reviews

'This book will be an invaluable resource to students of the Chalcolithic.' Dr Sandra Scham, University of Maryland 'Given that Shiqmim is one of the largest and most complex Chalcolithic sites in the Levant, its final publication is of utmost importance to the scholarly community.' Dr Uri Davidovich, The Hebrew University

'This book will be an invaluable resource to students of the Chalcolithic.' Dr Sandra Scham, University of Maryland 'Given that Shiqmim is one of the largest and most complex Chalcolithic sites in the Levant, its final publication is of utmost importance to the scholarly community.' Dr Uri Davidovich, The Hebrew University  

Author Information

Thomas E. Levy is Distinguished Professor and inaugural holder of the Norma Kershaw Chair in the Archaeology of Ancient Israel and Neighboring Lands at the University of California San Diego. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and he received an honorary doctorate from Charles University, Czech Republic. Yorke M. Rowan is an anthropological archaeologist and Research Professor at the University of Chicago. His research focuses on later prehistory, particularly the Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic (7th-4th millennium BCE) in southwest Asia. Margie M. Burton is an archaeologist and Research Associate in the Anthropology Department at the University of California San Diego. Her research focuses on prehistoric ceramic technology and its relationship to socioeconomic organization. She has worked on archaeological projects in the southern Levant and southern California. Contributors: James D. Anderson, Parke Funderburk, Morag M. Kersel, and Anthony T. Tamberino

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