Piles and towers: Timnian mortuary monuments in the Negev desert of the 6th–3rd millennium BCE

Abstract

During the protohistoric period, a dominant burial practice in the deserts of the southern Levant involved above-ground, stone-built tombs, associated with the semi-nomadic Timnian cultural entity. This paper examines the characteristics of three distinct grave types from this period, highlighting regional and chronological variations between them. We present data from a newly excavated namus (singular of nawamis) stone-built tomb at the Ashalim site in the Negev Desert, offering an opportunity to explore connections between the Negev and neighboring populations. The Ashalim tomb reveals strong links with burial structures in Sinai to the south, while also reflecting the influence of a broader phenomenon common to the deserts further east—namely, the construction of grave markers.