Abstract

Excavations at Tell Rakan (WZ120) in Wadi Ziqlab, Jordan have revealed a stratified sequence of Pre-Pottery Neolithic B, Late Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age remains. This level of occupational continuity is rare in the Levant and Tell Rakan offers an important opportunity to study the ceramic development at a single site. Evidence suggests that Tell Rakan was occupied for the duration of the Chalcolithic, offering an excellent opportunity to identify the transition into and out of the period. Our analysis of the ceramic sequence addresses developments from the Neolithic, through these transitions, into the Early Bronze Age. In addition, we address how the sequence relates to finds from other sites in the region. The significance of the pottery sequence and occupational continuity of Tell Rakan is discussed at both the local and regional level.