The existence of marked regionalism in the material culture of the southern Levant in the Early Bronze Age I is a long-established fact; however, the nature of the relationships between the different sub-regions is still a matter of debate. The paper analyses the EBI regionalism in the southern Levant from the perspective of cult and ritual in order to investigate the nature of the connections – or the lack thereof – between the various subregions also in comparison to the main Late Chalcolithic sanctuaries to have an overall look at the fourth millennium cultic habits. Architectural aspects of the main southern Levantine sanctuaries from this period are taken into account, as well as the material culture and ritual practices. New data from excavations at Jebel al-Mutawwaq, Jordan, will be included in the analysis. Through the examination of the archaeological data, the paper seeks to recognize differences due to isolation of the different sub-regions from one another and/or similarities which may suggest that there were contacts and connections between the different areas of the Southern Levant in the Early Bronze Age I.
Cult and ritual in Early Bronze Age I Southern Levant: fragmented or connected landscape?
Alessandra Caselli
2020
Abstract
The existence of marked regionalism in the material culture of the southern Levant in the Early Bronze Age I is a long-established fact; however, the nature of the relationships between the different sub-regions is still a matter of debate. The paper analyses the EBI regionalism in the southern Levant from the perspective of cult and ritual in order to investigate the nature of the connections – or the lack thereof – between the various subregions also in comparison to the main Late Chalcolithic sanctuaries to have an overall look at the fourth millennium cultic habits. Architectural aspects of the main southern Levantine sanctuaries from this period are taken into account, as well as the material culture and ritual practices. New data from excavations at Jebel al-Mutawwaq, Jordan, will be included in the analysis. Through the examination of the archaeological data, the paper seeks to recognize differences due to isolation of the different sub-regions from one another and/or similarities which may suggest that there were contacts and connections between the different areas of the Southern Levant in the Early Bronze Age I.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
