List of archaeological periods (Levant)
The following is a refined listing of Levantive archeological periods, expanded from the basic three-age system with finer subdivisions and extension into the modern historical period. The particular dates selected as the boundary between ages, as well as the period names for the historical era, are specific to Levantine archaeology and therefore are most accurate in that context. Beginning and ending dates of prehistoric ages are based on the introduction and prevalence of certain technologies, which varied from culture to culture (note: "BP" = "Before Present"); similarly, historical eras are named after cultures in whose sphere of influence the Levant was included. However, archaeologists studying other regions have sometimes found it useful to apply the same or similar eras to their fields of research (particularly prehistoric eras), and thus this list represents the most common interpretation of broad archaeological periods.
| Stone Age (2,000,000 BP – 3300 BCE) |
Paleolithic (2,000,000 BP – 8300 BCE) |
Lower Paleolithic | 2,000,000 BP – 300,000 BP |
| Middle Paleolithic | 300,000 BP – 30,000 BP | ||
| Upper Paleolithic | 30,000 BP – 12,000 BP | ||
| Epipaleolithic | 12,000 BP – 8300 BCE | ||
| Neolithic (8300 BCE – 4500 BCE) |
Pre-pottery Neolithic | 8300 BCE – 5500 BCE | |
| Pottery Neolithic | 5500 BCE – 4500 BCE | ||
| Chalcolithic (4500 BCE – 3300 BCE) |
Early Chalcolithic | 4500 BCE – 4000 BCE | |
| Late Chalcolithic (Ghassulian) | 4000 BCE – 3300 BCE | ||
| Bronze Age (3300 BCE – 1200 BCE) |
Early Bronze Age (3300 BCE – 2000 BCE) |
Early Bronze Age I | 3300 BCE – 3000 BCE |
| Early Bronze Age II | 3000 BCE – 2700 BCE | ||
| Early Bronze Age III | 2700 BCE – 2200 BCE | ||
| Early Bronze Age IV | 2200 BCE – 2000 BCE | ||
| Middle Bronze Age (2000 BCE – 1550 BCE) |
Middle Bronze Age I | 2000 BCE – 1750 BCE | |
| Middle Bronze Age II | 1750 BCE – 1650 BCE | ||
| Middle Bronze Age III | 1650 BCE – 1550 BCE | ||
| Late Bronze Age (1550 BCE – 1200 BCE) |
Late Bronze Age I | 1550 BCE – 1400 BCE | |
| Late Bronze Age II A | 1400 BCE – 1300 BCE | ||
| Late Bronze Age II B | 1300 BCE – 1200 BCE | ||
| Iron Age (1200 BCE – 586 BCE) |
Iron Age I (1200 BCE – 1000 BCE) |
Iron Age I A | 1200 BCE – 1150 BCE |
| Iron Age I B | 1150 BCE – 1000 BCE | ||
| Iron Age II (1000 BCE – 586 BCE) |
Iron Age II A | 1000 BCE – 900 BCE | |
| Iron Age II B | 900 BCE – 700 BCE | ||
| Iron Age II C | 700 BCE – 586 BCE | ||
| Historical periods (586 BCE – present) |
Babylonian and Persian periods | 586 BCE – 332 BCE | |
| Hellenistic period (332 BCE – 37 BCE) |
Early Hellenistic | 332 BCE – 167 BCE | |
| Late Hellenistic | 167 BCE – 37 BCE | ||
| Roman period (37 BCE – 324 CE) |
Early Roman | 37 BCE – 132 CE | |
| Late Roman | 132 CE – 324 | ||
| Byzantine period | 324 – 638 | ||
| Early Arab period (Umayyad and Abbasid) | 638 – 1099 | ||
| Crusader and Ayyubid periods | 1099 – 1291 | ||
| Late Arab period (Fatimid and Mamluk) | 1291 – 1516 | ||
| Ottoman period | 1516 – 1917 | ||
| Modern period | 1917 – current | ||
See also
- List of archaeological periods - parent page
References
- "BAESL Archaeological Period Codes". Stewart Library at Weber State University; adapted from The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations In the Holy Land (Jerusalem and New York, 1993). Retrieved August 6, 2005.
- "Chronology of the Wadi Arabah". Wadi Arabah Project. Retrieved November 2, 2005.