Some 1400 sq m were exposed in the IAA excavations of the protohistoric site of Qiryat Ata. The study of the paleogeography reveals this location was an optimal area for exploitation of natural resources, including alluvial valleys, coastal habitats and forests, with stable water sources and extensive available farmland. The site yielded a wealth of stratified, well-dated architecture in a chronological sequence within the Early Bronze Age, illustrating the development from EB IB curvilinear structures, to late EB IB rectilinear forms with rounded corners, and finally EB II angular-cornered rectilinear buildings in a large, dense, urbanized town. The rich pottery, flint, groundstone and small-find assemblages are typical of the northern Israel EB I–EB II culture.