Radiocarbon Assessment of Early Bronze Arad: The 20 Year Lifespan of Stratum II

The rich remains from the Early Bronze II at Tel Arad have been interpreted as representing several centuries of activity. According to conventional wisdom, after the destruction of Stratum III by fire, Stratum II endured for about 150 years. However, high precision dates obtained for Stratum II as well as a subsequent destruction event suggest that rapid reconstruction took place in the span of one or two decades. The results point to a short duration of the EB II occupation in Arad and these are in agreement with the south Levantine radiocarbon chronology for the Early Bronze Age. They suggest that the end of the EB II occupation was synchronous with the 1st Egyptian Dynasty ruler Qaʿa.