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The socio-economic formation of the Ghassulian Chalcolithic in the southern Levant

Ianir Milevski (Israel Antiquities Authority, Prehistoric Branch)

In this lecture we will analyze the different interpretations proposed by scholars about the social structure of the Chalcolithic period of the southern Levant, particularly the Ghassulian culture. It is considered that previous interpretations fail to account for the characteristics of the society and economy of the period. We analyze the technological, economic, social and cultic developments vis-à-vis the previous Neolithic and the posterior Early Bronze periods. It is suggested that what prevailed during the southern Levantine Chalcolithic was a socio-economic formation of agro-pastoral collectives with relatively developed craft manufactures, dominated by local communal elites.

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OREA Seminarraum, Hollandstraße 11–13, 1020 Wien