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Monumentality in early urbanism: an Early Bronze Age South Levantine monument in context

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Abstract

This study focuses on Gal Yithro, a unique site located in the upper Galilee, Israel. The main feature of the site is a monumental lunate-shaped rujum/cairn, which was dated to the Early Bronze Age. The aim of this paper is to situate the site in its cultural and social context, emphasizing its unique nature. Our findings suggest that Gal Yithro was a prominent landmark within its natural landscape, serving to mark possession and to assert authority and rights over natural resources.

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Acknowledgements

This study was conducted at the Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and was supported by the Ruth Amiran Fund for Archaeological Research. I would like to thank A. Mazar and S. Zuckerman for their support and advice during this research, and G. Shelach and N. Panitz Cohen for reading the draft of this paper and assisting in its completion. I also thank R. Frankel and N. Getzov for permission to study the survey collection of EB sites of the Upper Galilee, and Y. Ben Michael and O. Sion from the Israel Antiquities Authority for their permission to study B. Ravany’s survey collection of the Lower Galilee. Similarly, I thank Y. Ben Efraim and M. Hartal for their permission to use aerial photos of the Golan enclosures. Special thanks to Yael Rotem and Uri Davidovich who helped with advice throughout the fieldwork and data processing. The plan and sections were prepared by A. Yamim. The 3D model of the cairn was prepared by A. Ben Nun at the GIS lab of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The pottery drawing was prepared by Ortal Harush at the 3D computerized lab at the Hebrew University.

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  1. Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University, Mt. Scopus, 91905, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

    Ido Wachtel

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Wachtel, I. Monumentality in early urbanism: an Early Bronze Age South Levantine monument in context. asian archaeol 1, 75–93 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41826-018-0003-6

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