ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the ground stone and related artifact assemblage from Gilat, one of the larger components of material culture found at the site. These objects encompass a wide diversity of forms, functions and materials ranging from domestic grinding implements to finely crafted mace heads and palettes. These tools, vessels and decorative objects epitomize the versatility of craftsmanship for which the Chalcolithic has become known throughout the southern Levant. A total of 2,038 artifacts are included in this study, representing the largest published southern Levantine ground stone assemblage from the Chalcolithic period (cf. Commenge in press; Gilead 1995; Lee 1973). Three primary objectives were the focus of this research; description, quantification and comparison to other late prehistoric assemblages. Though the function of many of these artifact classes is an intriguing question, and one about which we occasionally suggest hypotheses, no use-wear or residue analyses were attempted, and thus the function of many artifact types is not examined in a critical fashion. Included within this discussion are also some non-stone artifacts (e.g. shell, ivory, bone, ceramic) which belong to larger artifact classes primarily made of stone such as beads, pendants and other decorative objects.
