Material Culture and the Social, Economic, Architectural, and Religious Transformations of Palestine during the Neolithic and Chalcolithic Periods: A Comprehensive Overview

On December 15, 2025, Salah Hussein Al-Houdalieh published a new study in the Journal Arab Journal of Sciences & Research Publishing (AJSRP) Vol 11, Issue 4: 58 – 40, titled "Material Culture and the Social, Economic, Architectural, and Religious Transformations of Palestine during the Neolithic and Chalcolithic Periods: A Comprehensive Overview." https://doi.org/10.26389/AJSRP.D151025. This study examines the archaeology of Palestine during the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods, concentrating on the impact of environmental changes on human settlement patterns. The research seeks to evaluate the principal intellectual, technological, and material advancements that characterized each of the two periods, providing a comprehensive understanding of the transformative processes that transpired during these pivotal phases of human history. The study employs an integrated descriptive and analytical technique, utilizing a comprehensive corpus of scholarly literature and synthesizing findings from various archaeological and anthropological field studies conducted in Palestine over the past two centuries. The data indicates that the comparatively warm and stable environment during these periods significantly contributed to the shift from nomadic to sedentary lifestyles, enabling the development of permanent agricultural communities and specialized craft production. These transformations are analyzed concerning wider alterations in social structures, religious customs, economic frameworks, and technology advancements. The research argues that Neolithic and Chalcolithic societies in Palestine were pivotal in initiating developments—such as architectural techniques, subsistence practices, and symbolic representations—that established the groundwork for later civilizations in the region and beyond. This research enhances understanding of how early human societies adjusted to environmental and socio-cultural transformations, providing significant insights into the long-term progression of human development. 

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