Abstract
The Chalcolithic Period in the southern Levant lasted some one thousand years (c. 4500–3500BC) during which society saw major changes. Economic change can be seen in the advent of copper metallurgy, the rise of craft specialization, and an increase in long-distance exchange networks. Important social developments during the Chalcolithic include the first extramural cemeteries and rich corporate cave tombs. New types of figurines and temple complexes may reflect new religious practices and beliefs. There is regional variation in material culture with regional sub-groups observed in the Wadi Grar, Beer Sheva region, the Golan, North Jordan Valley, and elsewhere. Chalcolithic culture seems to have developed directly out of local Neolithic traditions, with limited external influences (e.g., Syria). It is unclear why the Chalcolithic cultures collapsed, but many sites of the northern Negev and elsewhere were abandoned sometime in the first half of the fourth millennium.
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