2026/07/14 by Jeremy A. Beller, Haskel J. Greenfield, Sarah J. Richardson +2
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Arts and Humanities · #Archaeology and ancient environmental studies #Archaeology and Historical Studies #Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis
paper · pdf · doi:10.1080/00934690.2026.2696687
Among early urban societies of the southern Levant, the nature of commodity usage and house organization is relatively underexplored. Recent excavations at Tell eṣ-Ṣafi/Gath, Israel, have uncovered a large Early Bronze Age settlement with a domestic neighborhood containing multiple successive phases of occupation. These phases have yielded a combined groundstone assemblage with objects of a variety of types, lithologies, and conditions. We report a cross-reference evaluation of these variables, focusing on their patterns of secondary use (recycling) and disuse. The results indicate that many objects were recycled as part of the construction make-up of floors, installations, and walls. Disparities between the treatment of artifacts of local and non-local lithologies are highlighted, which reflect different attitudes towards their perceived utility and value. Recycling practices appear as part of an intertwined system of pragmatic solutions, resource management, and symbolic attachment.