The Early Bronze Age in the southern Levant is associated with the onset of urbanization processes, expressed through the emergence of walled, densely populated settlements. The local agro-pastoral economy faced new challenges regarding subsistence of the aggregated communities. We compare ground stone tool assemblages involved in food processing from rural, fortified non-urban, and urban settlements in an attempt to understand the impact of the urbanization process on foodways during that period. Additionally, we explore food processing technologies and preferences as indicators of social complexity and urban development. The results point to specialized production and wide distribution of high-quality, standardized grinding implements and, consequently, an intensification of staple food provision. We propose that this phenomenon is associated with a change of socio-economic priorities that comes with the onset of urbanism, causing a decline of the basalt bowl industry and reorganization of the food processing habitus within growing settlements. We also propose that the enhanced organization of food production concerned mainly the early urban centers, whereas villages display higher variability in modes of food processing and tendencies to utilize easily accessible materials. This indicates an opportunistic approach regarding food processing technologies and/or higher variability of local staple food resources in the rural peripheries.

黎凡特南部的早期青铜时代与城市化进程的开始有关，城市化进程的表现是出现了有围墙的、人口稠密的定居点。当地农牧经济面临群体生存的新挑战。我们比较了农村、非城市和城市住区食品加工中涉及的地面石器组合，试图了解该时期城市化进程对食品通道的影响。此外，我们探索食品加工技术和偏好作为社会复杂性和城市发展的指标。结果表明，高质量、标准化研磨工具的专业化生产和广泛销售，最终导致了主粮供应的集约化。我们认为，这种现象与城市化的开始所带来的社会经济优先事项的变化有关，导致玄武岩碗产业的衰落和不断增长的定居点内食品加工习惯的重组。我们还提出，粮食生产组织的加强主要涉及早期城市中心，而村庄在粮食加工模式和利用容易获得的材料的倾向方面表现出更大的可变性。这表明在食品加工技术和/或农村周边地区当地主食资源的较高变异性方面存在机会主义做法。