Conceiving the City

Abstract

Early Bronze Age urbanization and urbanism in the Levant have long been important themes in scholarly discussion, with both the nature of the process and its results being the subject of lively debate. We view Early Bronze II (EB II) south Levantine urbanism as a novel ideological construct grounded in heterarchical modes of social organization, rather than a direct development from earlier village-based lifestyles. In the current study we employ a phenomenological approach that enables us to identify an urban habitus and to discuss cognitive aspects of town life, rather than constraining the discussion to urban morphology. Tel Bet Yerah in northern Israel is a good place to approach these issues, as it presents a continuous, extensively excavated Early Bronze Age sequence. One of the most prominent elements of the EB II fortified city is a system of paved streets that constructed space in a clear geometric pattern. The investment in street planning and engineering, alongside other aspects of planning, no doubt played a key role in the inculcation of urban concepts at the site. As shared public spaces, the streets were experienced and modified through the everyday practices of the town’s inhabitants and visitors. It is the negotiation between planning, ideology and practice that makes the streets of Bet Yerah an exemplary case of the role of architecture in promoting and sustaining a new social order.

Resistance and Authority at the Beginning of Urbanism: The Case of Tel Bet Yerah Broken Maceheads

“…OXFORD JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY from the plaza originated in a midden containing large quantities of local (non-KKW) early EB III pottery (Greenberg et al 2017a, 197). Thus, while at first there may appear to be a clear association of the fragments with early EB III KKW deposits, they in fact track more closely within the outline of the plaza itself, the origins of which lie in EB II (Paz and Greenberg 2016;Greenberg et al 2017a, 169). Despite the vertical movement of fragments from strata associated with the plaza into those that intruded into them in much later eras, we are confident in assigning all the fragments to a late EB II/early EB III horizon associated specifically with the plaza.…”

“…2017a, 197). Thus, while at first there may appear to be a clear association of the fragments with early EB III KKW deposits, they in fact track more closely within the outline of the plaza itself, the origins of which lie in EB II (Paz and Greenberg 2016; Greenberg et al . 2017a, 169).…”

Fishing, fish consumption, urbanism and migrants at Tel Bet Yerah, 3200–2700 BC

“…Excavated intermittently since the 1930s, the 25ha mound contains the remains of a large Early Bronze I village that was rebuilt as an Early Bronze II walled town (for a review of earlier excavations, see Greenberg et al 2012). Detailed studies of Early Bronze II architecture and public spaces indicate that, although the town walls and basic plan were established from the outset, the imposition of urban discipline was a gradual process, resulting in a dense grid of streets and houses by the end of the period, c. 2850 BC (Greenberg & Paz 2014: 38-39;Paz & Greenberg 2016). During Early Bronze III, following a partial depopulation, Bet Yerah was the destination for incoming groups associated with the Kura-Araxes cultural tradition (Sagona 2017: 213-80).…”

Provisioning urbanism: a comparative urban-rural zooarchaeology of ancient Southwest Asia

“…Definitions of urbanism have shifted from a focus on specific attributes (such as size or the presence of walls) to the consideration of settlement function (e.g. Greenberg 2002; Cowgill 2004; Ur 2010; Chesson 2015; Paz & Greenberg 2016). Cities may be seen as centres for activities that are not performed in their rural hinterlands; for example, political control, economic organisation (such as markets) or ritual and religious practices (Smith 1976).…”