Too early or too late: The late Chalcolithic Canaanean blade assemblage of Fazael in the Jordan valley

Abstract

The circumstances and conditions surrounding the shift between the Late Chalcolithic- and Early Bronze Age transition in the southern Levant are still debated, with disagreements regarding the nature and pace of changes in various aspects of material culture still at the centre of discussions. One aspect of this transition that has gained an ever-growing interest in recent years is the appearance of ‘Canaanean blades’ at Late Chalcolithic-period sites and strata. The site of Fazael (dated to ca. 4200–3900 cal BC), located along the western margin of the Jordan Valley, is one of these sites, where excavations have revealed a large Canaanean blade assemblage in a clear Late Chalcolithic context. The current paper presents the Canaanean blade assemblage in detail and discusses its typological and technological characteristics. We discuss the significance of these findings in the context of the Late Chalcolithic-Early Bronze Age transition in the region and suggest this phenomenon should be dated to a late phase of the Late Chalcolithic period. Finally, we suggest that during the later phase of the Late Chalcolithic, flint knappers, probably specialists, began to produce Canaanean blade blanks using local raw materials but with adapted northern Mesopotamian technology. While it is unclear how this blank production technology reached the southern Levant (artisan traveling from the north to the southern Levant or knowledge transfer), it is clear that the advance modification of the blank was done using local Late Chalcolithic technology.