Burials are a major source of knowledge regarding the Early Bronze Age. The most common practice in this period was to place several generations of a family in the same cave or tomb with a variety of offerings, such as ceramic vessels, jewelry, and metal objects. In most cases, disarticulated skeletal remains were found with the skulls separated from the bodies. For example, at Tell Asawir the bones were packaged in ceramic jars; in Azor there are traces of cremation; and at Jericho the skulls were separated and arranged in rows (Mazar 1990). Shaft graves have been found at some sites, such as the large cemetery at Bab edhDhra', where Phase I of the Early Bronze Age includes several thousand shaft graves. Since no settlement was established in this phase, the cemetery may have belonged to semi-nomadic shepherds. This idea is supported by the burial method: no more than six or seven individuals were found in each cave; each of these was disarticulated: the long bones arranged in a pile and the skulls arranged in a row (Mazar 1990). The meat was probably extracted from the bones by boiling, a practice that would have adapted to the semi-nomadic lifestyle of those who may have preserved the bones of the deceased in tombs or temporary shelters until they could be brought to final burial in a more central location. or sacred cemetery (Mazar 1990). Multiple cave burials continued into the Early Bronze Age II-III. This phase at Bab edh-Dhra' includes rectangular burial chambers (Mazar 1990). Most cemeteries found in the southern Levant during the Early Bronze Age IV are composed of shaft graves. The details differ from site to site and sometimes within the same site (e.g. Jericho). At some sites, such as those near......the center of the map......n Canaan. However, another explanation, in addition to the mere availability of bedrock, must be sought for the presence of constructed tombs. This explanation could be related to cultural factors, as these are the largest tombs and required the most effort to build. One of the shaft burials is probably associated with one of the chamber tombs, the shaft probably comprising the original access to the chamber tomb. When the massive earth embankment was deposited over the remains of the previous occupation and the grave shaft, a new shaft was dug. The question is whether the burials date back to the shallow, pre-levee well, or to the deeper, post-levee well. At least four individuals with grave goods were buried here; the upper one was flexed and relatively intact. The configuration of the flexed position and the kit excludes simple waste disposal (Ilan 1995).