Ghassulian sickle blade workshops: the case of Mitham C, Beer Sheva, Israel

The site of Mitḥam C is adjacent to the Beer Sheva city market and was excavated during the years 2004–2006. It is a stratified site that was settled during the Byzantine, Late Roman, Iron Age II and Chalcolithic periods. Ghassulian remains of the Chalcolithic period were uncovered on virgin soil at the western part of the excavated area under the Iron Age II and Late Roman-Byzantine remains. The Ghassulian remains consist of a living surface and refuse pits which were partially truncated and disturbed by walls and pits of the later occupations. The limited Chalcolithic remains include numerous flint artifacts, waste as well as tools, mostly products of a Ghassulian sickle blade industry. The techno-typological analyses of the artifacts indicate that these are remains of a specialized workshop. The close proximity of Mitḥam C to the already known Beit Eshel workshop site suggests that this locality was a center where specialized flint knappers were producing high quantities of sickle blades, probably for inhabitants of other sites such as the nearby Tel Abu Matar and Bir es-Safadi