ABSTRACT
The first highland settlers were on bad terms with the centralized Egyptio-Canaanite system of the lowland; their relations can be characterized as hierarchical or asymmetrical. As the settlement process continued, the highland settlers became 'segregated' from the lowland centers, initially as a result of the Egyptian policy, and later because of the collapse of the entire urban system, which left a sort of vacuum in terms of political authority. This segregation process was accompanied by the settlement of more sites in the highlands. The two processes caused a change in the nature of the relations that characterized the settlers in the twelfth century. Gradually circumstances changed again, and following economic and social developments, these villages became more and more interconnected. During the later part of the Iron Age I, when the highlands came under strong pressure from the Philistines, the inhabitants of the small villages resisted the threat and moved to larger, central sites.
