Understanding Temporal Patterns of Occupation at Small Sites: The case of early Neolithic al-Khayran, west-central Jordan

Summary

Beyond their identification and recording during survey, small sites have only occasionally and sporadically been the object of significant research in archaeology. Yet, such sites can be of great significance when trying to understand a wide variety of social systems and practices. While the potential practices associated with small sites in the past are virtually limitless, some patterns are commonly found within specific forms of settlement systems. Within autonomous village-based settlement systems, such sites can often play central roles in subsistence production and the exercise of land tenure. One aspect of the occupations at small sites within such systems, which is especially important, is the temporal dimension. Typically, small sites within autonomous village-based settlement systems are only occupied during a portion of the annual cycle. However, understanding the temporal patterns of occupation at such sites is often quite difficult, given the frequent paucity of materials available for analysis. This paper examines evidence for temporal patterns of occupation at the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B small site of al-Khayran. Because al-Khayran is the first such site excavated from this time period, understanding the role of the site within broader settlement systems is potentially of great significance.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage