ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates patterns in the morphology of the 106 dolmens recorded along the Tell er-Ras ridge. It discusses that these dolmens are remarkably homogeneous in form and considers dolmen morphology in light of Early Bronze (EB) I mortuary practices elsewhere in the southern Levant. The chapter argues that the dolmens at Tell er-Ras probably housed the disarticulated remains of a number of individuals interred in multiple events. Following material about the relationship between mortuary remains and social organisation at EB I Bab edh-Dhra, it is argued that these synchronisms imply that the dolmen-building communities of the Wadi ar-Rayyan were probably similarly structured as heterarchically organised kin groups. The chapter considers the morphology of dolmens at Tell er-Ras in the light of early EB burial practices in the southern Levant. There are several points to stress concerning the mortuary practices associated with EB I burials in the southern Levant, and at Bab edh-Dhra in particular.
