Shiqmim II: The phase II excavations at a Chalcolithic settlement center in the northern Negev desert, Israel (1987-1993)

The Chalcolithic period (ca. 4500-3600 BCE) in the southern Levant represents the rise of regional polities, the metallurgical revolution, and a set of other significant socio-economic changes that distinguish it from the preceding Pottery Neolithic period. Central to these issues are the Phase II (1987-1989, 1993) excavations at Shiqmim, a large Chalcolithic settlement center in Israel's northern Negev desert.The first phase of excavations at Shiqmim took place between 1979 and 1984 and we...