This study concerns Early Bronze Age burials excavated on the mound of Tell Bi'a (northern Syria). Following the introduction, the author discusses the material evidence, the theoretical basis, and the methods used for inferring the structure of a living society from funerary remains. This is followed by an overview of the chronological framework as well as a historical outline of the Syrian Bronze Age in accordance with the current state of epigraphic and archaeological research, and finally by a formulation of the questions raised in this study.