The Early Bronze IV Period in South-Central Transjordan: Reconsidering Chronology Through Ceramic Technology

The Early Bronze IV period of the Southern Levant (2300-2000 BC) is characterized by a number of sub-regional cultural units. That of southern Transjordan has usually been considered the earliest on a morpho-stylistic basis. Recent research has provided new stratigraphic and ceramic sequences, and radiocarbon dates, which enable a reconsideration of chronology. New theoretical approaches to ceramic assemblages allow the issue of regionalism to be viewed in terms of the socio-economic activities of different cultural groups within a region. Building on these insights, it is now possible to revaluate the historical, chronological and socio-economic significance of the so-called Transjordan Family, of EB IV ceramics.