In the previous version of this contribution (Philip 2001), I used the opportunity provided by the request to produce an overview of the evidence for the Early Bronze Age in Jordan to put forward an interpretation of the data which differed from the “city-states” model which has domi- nated the literature in recent decades (e.g. Ben-Tor 1992; Esse 1991; Mazar 1990; Richard 1987). It is encouraging to note that since that account was written other scholars have raised similar concerns regarding the appropriateness of the traditional approach (e.g. Greenberg 2002, 2003; Harrison and Savage 2003; Nicolle 1999). As a result, in the current version of this chapter, I have sought to take account both of the substantial amount of new evi- dence which has appeared since the late 1990s and shifts in scholarly approaches to the interpretation of small scale complex societies in the region. Once more, however, it is important to stress that this review should not be regarded as anything other than a framework that others may wish to critique, revise, develop, or even contradict.