Craft specialization, production and exchange in the Chalcolithic of the southern Levant: Insights from the study of the basalt bowl assemblage from Namir Road, Tel Aviv

One of the hallmarks of the Late Chalcolithic of the southern Levant is the production and exchange of basalt bowls. It is commonly accepted that these vessels were produced by specialists in distinct and still unidentified basalt quarries and production sites in Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and/or Syria and were exchanged among local communities in the region, thus occurring at many Late Chalcolithic sites in the region. Some of these sites yielded notable amounts of basalt bowls, notwithstanding their sometimes considerable distance from potential basalt sources. This paper describes and discusses various aspects pertaining to the basalt bowl assemblage of Namir Road (Tel Aviv), one of the largest Late Chalcolithic basalt bowl assemblages in the southern Levant to date. This study touches upon aspects of Late Chalcolithic social and economic complexity and the specific patterns of production, decoration and distribution characterizing basalt bowl assemblages during this time span, arguably correlated with a demand for prestige objects, a demand that was part of a notable shift in the social and economic organization of Late Chalcolithic communities.