Reconceptualizing the Early Bronze Age Southern Levant without Cities

Challenging the long-held belief that the Early Bronze Age (EBA) in the southern Levant marked the emergence of urban society, this study argues that EBA evidence does not meet standard definitions of urbanism. Key elements such as large-scale social differentiation, localized cultural diversity, and a rural-urban dichotomy are absent. Instead, the research suggests that EBA societies pursued a distinct societal project—characterized by population aggregation, fortified communities, agricultural intensification, water management innovations, and regionalized material culture—without undergoing urbanization. By analyzing mortuary practices at Jericho and Bab adh-Dhra`, the study highlights the lack of cultural coherence and social stratification, proposing a reconceptualization of EBA society based on its unique regional context.

Chesson, M. S. (2015). Reconceptualizing the Early Bronze Age Southern Levant without Cities. Journal of Mediterranean Archaeology, 28(1), 51–79. https://doi.org/10.1558/jmea.v28i1.27501