ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the survey of some of the key Chalcolithic sites mostly settlements and a few tombs all of which may represent a somewhat later phase of the period. During the latter half of the fifth millennium BC settlement began to expand southward as people established new communities deeper into the northern Negev. This survey of sites is by no means meant to be exhaustive and as one of our primary aims is to study copper production we will revisit some of these sites for an even closer look later on in the discussion. Abu Matar is a small mound located in the Beer Sheva Valley 1.5 km southeast of the Old City section of modern Beer Sheva. The site is situated on the loess and sandy loams of a 200 m stretch of undulating hills rising 12 m above the wadi floodplain.
