In a recently published book on urban development from late prehistory until the First Temple period, Ze’ev Herzog describes the Yarmukian era as “a major breakdown … The collapse is evident from the disintegration of all major settlements and the erection of small villages. The dominant dwelling form in this period is the circular house; in most cases these were only circular pits that formed the lower part of huts” (Ze’ev Herzog, Archaeology of the City [Tel Aviv: Tel Aviv University, Institute of Archaeology, 1997], p. 27).