Prehistoric metalworking in the southern Levant: Archaeometallurgical and social perspectives

This paper examines some of the processes which may have led to the initial adoption of metallurgy during the Chalcolithic (ca. 4500–3200 BCE) period in ancient Palestine. An archaeometallurgical study of metal‐related finds from the Negev desert demonstrates the presence of two distinct metal industries during the Chalcolithic; one for the production of tools and the other for the manufacture of prestige/cultic metal objects. A social perspective is taken to examine the role of early metal technology in culture change during this formative period.