A closely controlled radiocarbon sequence for the EB I–III, compiled over six seasons of
excavations at Tel Bet Yerah, Israel, provides new information on the EB I–II and II–III
transitions. These dates support the possibility of a decades-long overlap between some
late EB I and early EB II sites and indicate a mid-to late 29th-century cal BC date for the
introduction of Khirbet Kerak Ware in the southern Levant. South Levantine EB II is shown to
co-extend neatly with the First Dynasty of Egypt.

Tel Bet Yerah is one of the classic sites in research on the Early Bronze Age in Israel. As a
major urban center, with paved streets, silos, fortifications, and other features associated
with the rise of urbanism, it has played a significant role in our understanding of the rise of
early cities in the Levant (eg, Esse 1991; Bet Yerah I). Given this background, analysis of the
lithic material from the site is also important, as it can be tied directly to other aspects of the
archaeology of Tel Bet Yerah. This chapter encompasses the lithic materials from the�…