Skeuomorphism, Boundary Objects and Socialization of the Chalcolithic Metallurgy in the Southern Levant

Abstract

Metalworking emerged in the southern Levant as a new ritual practice during the late phase of the Ghassulian culture, ca. 4300–3900 BC. Ghassulian metalworkers cast objects in both pure and alloyed copper. All the artifacts produced during this time span were ritual. The aim of the present paper is to discuss the socialization process of the Ghassulian metallurgy and its copper objects, by using the concepts of skeuomorphism and boundary objects. Ghassulian copper artifacts can be divided into two groups. The first group consists of artifacts, such as maceheads, chisels and axes, which were produced in stone before the Ghassulian metallurgy appeared. The second group consists of artifacts produced only in metal, including scepters, standards, “crowns” and horns, which were decorated by motifs found on various other early and late Ghassulian ritual artifacts. The artifacts of the first group are skeuomorphic objects, the morphology of which was widely recognized in early and late Ghassulian contexts. These were boundary objects, belonging both to the realm of the new social world of metallurgy and the preexisting world of Ghassulian ritual behavior. Their purpose was to introduce metallurgy to people, both in the Beer Sheva settlements and in other parts of the southern Levant, who did not practice it, as a technology firmly rooted in the Ghassulian tradition. The second group consists of more innovative objects that demonstrated the transformational potential of metallurgy and the superior control metalworkers had over the material world

On Chalcolithic maceheads and spinning implements

“…A main premise of Ben-Yosef et al .’s critique above is their assertion that all Late Chalcolithic metal artefacts “constituted an integral part of Ghassulian cultic practices” and that metal had no utilitarian function within the Ghassulian culture. This assumption, which draws heavily on recent works by Gošić, prompted Ben-Yosef et al .’s rejection of any mundane use of the Ashalim Cave object, and, consequently, of the Qina Cave shafts too, although the latter were not associated with metal finds (Gošić 2015; Gošić & Gilead 2015; see also Rowan & Golden 2009: 42). Such a monolithic view of Late Chalcolithic metallurgy as purely ritualistic in nature does not stand up, in our opinion, to scrutiny given the available data regarding the occurrences of metal artefacts and metallurgical remains in Ghassulian contexts (e.g.…”

Temples in the Ghassulian Culture: Terminology and social implications

“…Drabsch (2015a, 19-20) also sees the Area E Temple as a sign of increasing social complexity and suggests that the priestly lineage, whose members inhabited the houses with the wall paintings, acquired technological knowledge related to wall painting and metallurgy, which gave them legitimacy and established them as the social elite. However, even though metallurgy has been established as a ritual practice during the later phase of the Ghassulian culture (Gošić 2015;Gošić and Gilead 2015), there are no indications it should be related to priests of the Area E Temple. The Temple is dated to the early Ghassulian phase and features no finds suggesting Ghassulian metalworking was either practiced at the site or contemporary to it.…”

A Large Copper Artefacts Assemblage of Fazael, Jordan Valley

“…The chronology of the Late Chalcolithic is debated, but it seems that if we accept the Ghassulian as the main entity of this period then we can divided this time span into two phases (e.g., Gilead 2011;Go∏i≤ 2015): the earlier phase (c. 4500-4300/4200 cal BC) that consists of most strata at Teleilat Ghassul (and sites in the northwestern Negev such as Gilat, a few of the Nahal Besor sites, and Grar) and the later phase (c. 4300/4200-3900 cal BC) which is represented by sites along Nahal Beer Sheva (Gilead 2011;Go∏i≤ 2015). Most of the sites in the Fazael Basin may be attributed to this later phase (see below).…”

“…These Late Chalcolithic advances were unparalleled among other cultures in the area and those of the succeeding Early Bronze Age I. Furthermore, it seems that at least some of the copper objects were cultic paraphernalia that were integrated into the Late Chalcolithic cultic practices with little or no utilita-rian function (e.g., Bar-Adon 1980;Ben-Yosef et al 2016;Go∏i≤ 2015;Go∏i≤, Gilead 2015 and see Shalem 2015 for further discussion about the motifs depicted in copper artefacts).…”