Hoards of the early and middle Bronze ages in the Levant

The presence of hoards in the Bronze Age Levant is a phenomenon that has been largely overlooked. Although less striking than European hoards and concentrated on, rather than away from, settlements, their very existence requires comment. The current article moves away from previous discussions of object‐typology and date, and attempts to show that apparently dissimilar groups of material represent different facets of a single phenomenon. A marked overlap between hoard material and that of contemporary graves is observed, and an attempt is made to set hoards in a socio‐economic context, connected with wealth, and with the production, circulation and consumption of valuable materials. Possible ways in which hoards connected with metallurgical processes can be separated from other hoards are suggested. Reasons for changes in the composition of hoards through time are considered.