The Transition from the Chalcolithic to the Early Bronze Age of the Southern Levant in socioeconomic context
Open accessAbstract
The transition from the Chalcolithic to the Early Bronze Age in the Southern Levant (ca 3800-3600 BC) had multiple aspects. While often the term transition is used to describe material culture remains of both periods, the aim of this paper is to characterize the changes in the socio-economic reality during the two centuries or so during which the transition took place. Degrees of change were uneven and happened in different ways in different regions. Socio-economic systems went from predominantly agropastoral communities during the Chalcolithic, with relatively developed secondary production branches, to an urban revolution towards the end of Early Bronze (EB) I. In spite of continuity in several traditions such as the manufacture of pottery, fl int tools, basalt vessels, changes occurred in both technology and organization of production and distribution. Agricultural and pastoral activities also changed but more slowly. Means of transportation were radically transformed with the domestication of the donkey. Circulation of commodities, albeit in a somewhat limited way, increased from the Chalcolithic to the EB I. Architectural concepts changed from the very beginning of the EB I, while burial practices as well as iconographic expressions related to religious beliefs and society, were drastically altered. This paper explores this transition taking into consideration those socio-economic changes and their probable political and cultural implications.
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The archaeological record is marked by dramatic changes in settlement patterns, large-scale abandonment of sites, many fewer items with symbolic meaning, and shifts in burial practices, including the disappearance of secondary burial in ossuaries.
“aspects of the archeological record marked by dramatic changes in settlement patterns43, large-scale abandonment of sites52–55, many fewer items with symbolic meaning, and shifts in burial practices, including the disappearance of secondary burial in ossuaries56–59.”
From Ancient DNA from Chalcolithic Israel reveals the role of population mixture in cultural transformation (2018) · cites this paper as [58]
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“However, since the Chalcolithic/Bronze Age transition was characterized by changes to technological and transportation (Milevski, 2013), the possibility of long-distance trading in olive products and local cannot be ruled out.”
BackgroundNigro, L. (2014) · Vicino Oriente · doi:10.53131/vo2724-587x2014_5 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Badreshany, K., Philip, G., & Kennedy, M. A. (2019) · Levant · doi:10.1080/00758914.2019.1641009 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Shtienberg, G., Gadol, O., Levy, T. E., et al. (2021) · Quaternary Research · doi:10.1017/qua.2021.30 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
“…(Natufian; Bar-Yosef, 1998) to settled farming communities (Pre-Pottery Neolithic – Neolithic; Kuijt and Goring-Morris, 2002; Goring-Morris and Belfer-Cohen, 2011) to the transition to complex urban societies (Bronze and Iron ages; Milevski, 2013) and later classical and recent historical periods.”
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Notroff, J., Schmidt, K. H., Siegel, U., et al. (2014) · Levant · doi:10.1179/0075891414z.00000000044 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
“The chronology of the Chalcolithic to Early Bronze Age transition, in particular, is not well understood (e.g. Milevski 2013), though with the research conducted by the ASEYM project at Tells Hujayrat al-Ghuzlan and al-Magass, there are now two sites with the potential to shed new light on…”
BackgroundHruby, K., & Rosenberg, D. (2023) · Journal of Anthropological Archaeology · doi:10.1016/j.jaa.2023.101549 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Sapir‐Hen, L., Fulton, D. N., Adams, M. J., et al. (2022) · Bulletin of the American Society of Overseas Research · doi:10.1086/718777 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
“Zooarchaeological studies of animal economy practices in the EB in the southern Levant generally show continuity in animal economy practices with the earlier Chalcolithic period (Milevski 2013).”
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Rosen, S. A. (2019) · Chungara · doi:10.4067/s0717-73562019005000401 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
“In Jordan, the large size of some of these quarries has led some researchers to suggest an industrial scale to this exchange (e.g., Abe 2008; Müller-Neuhof 2013; Quintero et al. 2002), although the date of these quarries has not been well established and probably well post-dates the PPNC.”
BackgroundThe Concept of Burial Modes as a Research Tool in the Late Prehistory of the Southern Levant
Milevski, I. (2023) · Interdisciplinary Contributions to Archaeology/Interdisciplinary contributions to archaeology · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-27330-8_6 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Self-citationEynaud, F., Verdin, F., Mary, Y., et al. (2021) · Quaternary International · doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2021.09.018 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Beyond urbanization, regional settlement pattern in south-eastern Levant during the Early Bronze Age
Nicolle, C. (2023) · Levant · doi:10.1080/00758914.2022.2151225 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“The increased number and capacity of storage facilities in EB I (Milevski 2013: 199), or the large storage units discovered at some EB III sites, such as Khirbat es-Zeraqon, Tel Yarmouth or Beth Yerah, point to an evolution in storage methods, which cannot, unreservedly, be attributed to either…”
BackgroundHruby, K., Cendrowska, M., Chasan, R., et al. (2021) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0252535 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
A numbers game: analyzing pottery usage patterns of 4th millennium BCE sites in the southern Levant
Paz, Y., & Elad, I. (2023) · Levant · doi:10.1080/00758914.2022.2163093 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“During this period, far-reaching specialized ceramic industries spread their products through trade routes in both the northern and southern regions (see Greenberg 2019; Greenberg and Iserlis 2014; Greenberg and Porat 1996; Milevski 2005; Paz and Iserlis 2009).”
BackgroundFrom Chalcolithic to Early Bronze Age: A view from Abu Hof Cave 22 (Israel)
Holl, A. F. C., & Dawson, L. (2023) · International Journal of Modern Anthropology · doi:10.4314/ijma.v2i19.2
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Jaruf, P. (2013) · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas)
Jaruf, P. (2018) · Revista del Instituto de Historia Antigua Oriental · doi:10.34096/rihao.n19.5419
Smith, P., Faerman, M., & Horwitz, L. K. (2023) · Interdisciplinary Contributions to Archaeology/Interdisciplinary contributions to archaeology · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-27330-8_13
Early to mid-Holocene climate oscillations and cultural shifts in the eastern Mediterranean
Shtienberg, G., Norris, R. D., Rittenour, T. M., et al. (2026) · Quaternary Science Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2026.110028
Reconstructing the Spread of Investment Casting in Chalcolithic West Asia Using Innovation Theory
Rose, T. (2026) · Revista del Museo de Antropología · doi:10.31048/h6gce190
- Authors
- Milevski, I.
- Corresponding author
- Milevski, Ianir
- ORCID
- Milevski, Ianir
- Venue
- Paléorient
- Publisher
- PERSEE Program
- Published
- 2013
- Volume
- 39
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 193-208
- ISSN
- 0153-9345 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2209985092
- Cited by
- 21
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 3 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 2 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 9.42
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- fr
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Locations
- Paléorient (publishedVersion)
- Périodiques Scientifiques en Édition Électronique (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Archeology › Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Archeology › Archaeological and Geological Studies
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Archaeology and ancient environmental studies
- Keywords
- Chalcolithic, Early Bronze Age, Southern Levant, socio-economic change, urbanization, agropastoralism, secondary production, transportation, commodity circulation, pottery, flint tools, architectural transformation, funerary practices, iconography, political transition
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