The Early Bronze Age Societies of Tell Abu al-Kharaz, Central Jordan Valley

Abstract

Major settlements from the Early, Middle, and Late Bronze Ages and Iron Age were excavated by the team directed by the author in 14 seasons, between 1989 and 2010. The first settlement at Tell Abu al-Kharaz in the Central Transjordanian Jordan Valley, from which substantial architectural remains, including a town wall, derive, dates from the(conventional) Early Bronze Age IB, that is, Phases IA–B. Tell Abu al-Kharaz flourished during Phase IB (also Early Bronze Age IB) and Phases IIA–B (Early Bronze Age II) and was abandoned during or at the end of Early Bronze Age II (after Phase III). The site was reoccupied during the late Middle Bronze Age, namely, Phase IV/1, which corresponds to MB III, after an occupational lacuna of more than a millennium. There are a number of factors that have a great influence on peoples’ lives and standard of living regardless of the period: the general and local climate, the natural resources in relation to the number of people, the location of the settlement, the access to building and other raw materials, the preconditions for defense, the administration of the settlement, and the consequences of cultural exchange with their neighbors and other peoples—to mention some of the most important factors. In this article in honor of W. E. Rast and R. T. Schaub, these aspects will be discussed. It is hoped that this synthesis will contribute to a better understanding of living conditions in the Central Jordan Valley in general and in the Early Bronze Age walled town of Tell Abu al-Kharaz in particular.