Beyond Dimorphic chiefdom. An alternative view of the site distribution during Early Iron Age in Southern Levant

Spatial studies on Southern Levant region propose a settlement distribution model organized through small groups, around the end of the 2nd millennium BC. This layout, recognized on almost the whole area and characterized by the concentration of several settlements around a pivotal site, is usually associated to the presence of more organized societies, known as dimorphic or complex chiefdoms. A renewed territorial analysis, however, carried out through this paper, recently indicated a different aligned distribution that follows the wadis fluvial articulation. This analysis is supported both by a multidisciplinary approach integrating the latest records from archaeological surveys and a functional settlements study obtained by a comprehensive exam of finds. This paper focuses on the newfound pattern and aims at investigating possible reasons and environmental variables that led to its formation. It, furthermore, examines the potential outcomes deriving from the adoption of this distribution trend, such as the increase of the regional interconnections and the establishing of a new inner organization.