The Near East before Borders: Recent Excavations at Ein el-Jarba (Israel) and the Cultural Interactions of the Sixth Millennium cal. B.C.E.

Abstract

During the 2015 excavation season at Ein el-Jarba, Israel, two Halaf sherds were uncovered in a domestic context dating to the Early Chalcolithic period. Ein el-Jarba was inhabited during the sixth millennium B.C.E. and has been regarded as part of the Wadi Rabah culture, which is known for its interactions with the northern Levant, as evidenced by intense obsidian trade. The Halaf culture was the dominant cultural group of upper Mesopotamia and eastern Anatolia at this time, and also influenced the northern Levantine littoral. The Halaf sherds from Ein el-Jarba currently represent the southernmost spread of Halaf ceramics. Here the author discusses the Halaf sherds, their archaeological context, and the implications of long-distance ties between the Halaf and Wadi Rabah cultures, shedding new light on the interregional connections of the Levant in the Early Chalcolithic period.