The Early Bronze Age at Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath

Shai, Itzhaq; Uziel, Joe; Chadwick, Jeffrey R.; Maeir, Aren M.

doi:10.5615/neareastarch.80.4.0247

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Tell eṡ-Ṡâfi/Gath (Fig 1) is one such settlement. It is located at the western edge of the shephelah (Judean foothills) and overlooks the southern coastal plain of Israel [32][33][34][35][36][37]. It was occupied intermittently from the Chalcolithic (5 th -4 th mill.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…All the material remains within this stratum appear to be related to domestic household consumption of food and other goods. The pottery remains used in this analysis derive from the final EB III occupation in this neighbourhood (i.e., Stratum E5) that was continuously occupied over a 100-year period dating from c. 2700-2600 BCE, based on stratigraphic analysis and the pottery assemblage [35,41,42]. The regional positioning, size, layout, fortifications, and evidence for administrative activities [41,43], suggest that Tell eṡ-Ṡâfi/Gath is an urban centre during this period and arguably home to a local city-state.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fingerprint evidence for the division of labour and learning pottery-making at Early Bronze Age Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath, Israel

et al. 2020

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The organization of craft production has long been a marker for broader social, economic and political changes that accompanied urbanism. The identity of producers who comprised production groups, communities, or workshops is out of reach using conventional archaeological data. There has been some success using epidermal prints on artefacts to identify the age and sex of producers. However, forensic research indicates that a combination of ridge breadth and ridge density would best identify the age and sex of individuals. To this end, we combine mean ridge breadth (MRB) and mean ridge density (MRD) to distinguish the age and sex of 112 fingerprints on Early Bronze Age (EB) III pottery from the early urban neighbourhood at Tell eṡ-Ṡ â fi/Gath, Israel, dating to a 100 year time span. Our analysis accounts for the shrinkage of calcareous fabrics used to make six type of vessels, applies a modified version of the Kamp et al. regression equation to the MRB for each individual print, and infers sex by correlating MRD data to appropriate modern reference populations. When the results are combined, our analyses indicate that most fingerprints were made by adult and young males and the remainder by adult and young females. Children's prints are in evidence but only occur on handles. Multiple prints of different age and sex on the same vessels suggest they were impressed during the training of young potters. Production appears dominated by adult and young males working alone, together, and in cooperation with adult and/or young females. Vessels with prints exclusively by females of any age are rare. This male dominant cooperative labour pattern contrasts recent studies showing that adult women primarily made Neolithic figurines in Anatolia, and more females than males were making pottery prior to the rise of city-states in northern Mesopotamia.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fingerprint evidence for the division of labour and learning pottery-making at Early Bronze Age Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath, Israel

et al. 2020

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“…Generally, the buildings appear to be non-elite/lower-stratum domestic residences. All material remains within the Stratum E5a-c and underlying strata are related to the household consumption of food or daily refuse and contain a variety of everyday items, including both mundane and exotic trade goods [ 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 84 ].…”

Section: Materials and Results—evidence For Ritual In The Eb At Tell ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Excavation on the eastern slope (Area E) focused on the exposure of a late EB III neighbourhood ( Figure 4 ), with significant exposure of remains belonging to Strata E5a, E5b, and E5c ( Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 , Figure 8 , Figure 9 and Figure 10 ) [ 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 ]. The rich pottery assemblage from the E5 strata is chronologically diagnostic of the EB IIIC repertoire, and radiocarbon dating for the termination of the final EB phase indicates a date range of ca.…”

Section: Material—the Eb At Tell Eṣ-ṣâfi/gathmentioning

confidence: 99%

Household Rituals and Merchant Caravanners: The Phenomenon of Early Bronze Age Donkey Burials from Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath, Israel

Greenfield

Ross

Greenfield

et al. 2022

Animals

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Most studies of ritual and symbolism in early complex societies of the Near East have focused on elite and/or public behavioural domains. However, the vast bulk of the population would not have been able to fully participate in such public displays. This paper explores the zooarchaeological and associated archaeological evidence for household rituals in lower-stratum residences in the Early Bronze Age (EB) of the southern Levant. Data from the EB III (c. 2850–2550 BCE) deposits excavated at the site of Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath, Israel, are illustrative of the difficulty in identifying the nature of household rituals. An integrated analytical approach to the architecture, figurines, foundation deposits, and domestic donkey burials found in lower-stratum domestic residences provides insights into the nature of household rituals. This integrated contextual perspective allows the sacred and symbolic role(s) of each to be understood and their importance for EB urban society to be evaluated.

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Agricultural subsistence, land use and long-distance mobility within the Early Bronze Age southern Levant: Archaeobotanical evidence from the urban site of Tell eṣ-Ṣâfī/Gath

Frumin

Melamed

Maeir

et al. 2021

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

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The Early Bronze Age at Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath

Cited by 6 publications

References 8 publications

Fingerprint evidence for the division of labour and learning pottery-making at Early Bronze Age Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath, Israel

Fingerprint evidence for the division of labour and learning pottery-making at Early Bronze Age Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath, Israel

Household Rituals and Merchant Caravanners: The Phenomenon of Early Bronze Age Donkey Burials from Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath, Israel

Agricultural subsistence, land use and long-distance mobility within the Early Bronze Age southern Levant: Archaeobotanical evidence from the urban site of Tell eṣ-Ṣâfī/Gath

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