Abstract
The Nahal Mishmar hoard of copper and arsenical bronze artifacts, dated to the Palestinian Chalcolithic, mid-fourth millennium B.C., has been discussed in previous studies as a collection of objects fortuitously placed in a cave in the Judean Desert. This paper argues that the hoard should be closely associated with the transhumant pastoralists who occupied the cave, and reflects the skill of itinerants specializing in a variety of livelihoods, including metallurgy.