Pot sealing practice in the late fourth and third millennia BC: the Northern Levant between connectivity and regionalism

Abstract

The Early Bronze Age practice of impressing vessels with seals before firing is remarkably well-represented in the Northern Levant by the repertories of Ebla, Ḥama and several other sites. The re-evaluation of this evidence in light of recent studies on the local periodization and the synchronization among the regional chronologies of the Syro-Palestinian area, together with the integration of fresh datasets, allows us to set the Northern Levant within the broader context of several regional trends with specific chronological and geographical features. From this overview, the role of the Northern Levant as a bridge among the surrounding areas emerges, crossed by networks that facilitated the exchange of objects and the circulation of ideas.