Social, economic, political, and commercial connotations through the burial customs in the Middle Bronze II (1800-1650 BC) in Bethlehem: the case of the Hindaza Tomb

The study of Middle Bronze Age burial rituals in Bethlehem is one of the distinctive themes. On the one hand, it deals with the culture of the Middle Bronze Age in Bethlehem; on the other hand, it deals with an important issue, namely the economic, social and religious conditions that prevailed. The importance of this study lies in the fact that it presents the characteristics of the Middle Bronze Age in Bethlehem and its elements in relation to the archaeological findings of the two sites of Hindaza and Teqoa, which are among the most important recently sites discovered in Bethlehem dating back to this phase, and ones of the few sites that have not been the subject of previous studies. Therefore, the archaeological discoveries in these two sites play a vital role in understanding a new vision of the life of the local population and allow us to confront things as they were originally. This study contributes greatly to preventing the looting and destruction of archaeological sites and the illegal trade in archaeological materials. It will focus on reviewing the main features of Middle Bronze Age burial rituals in Bethlehem and analysing the cultural, social, economic, religious and political dimensions through the presentation of archaeological discoveries and finds and the accurate and descriptive analysis of the data.