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The periods used in the article and their dates, alongside the terminology of different periods and their respective dates used in the survey maps of the Israeli archaeological survey_
| Date | Period used in the current article | Periods in Israeli archaeology | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 333–50 BCE | Hellenistic | 333–140 BCE | Hellenistic |
| 140–50 BCE | Hasmonean | ||
| 50 BCE – 325 CE | Early Roman | Pre 106 CE | Nabatean |
| 37 BCE – 70 CE | Herodian | ||
| 63 BCE – 325 CE | Roman | ||
| 325–636 CE | Late Roman | Byzantine | |
| 636-750/970/1099 CE | Early Islamica | Umayyad/Early Islamic/Islamic | |
A table comparing the trends of the available survey data, ancient texts, archaeological excavations and climate proxies_
| Survey and Salvege excavations | Historical and archaeological record | Climate |
|---|---|---|
| Increase in number of sites between Hellenistic and Early Roman periods | Increase in number of sites is not actually between the Hellenistic and Roman – increase after 106 CE | High rainfall until 150 CE |
| – | Continuous increase in number of sites throughout 2nd and 3rd c. CE | Low rainfall |
| Large increase in number of sites between Early Roman and Late Roman periods | Continuous increase in number of sites until a peak at the end of the 6th or beginning of the 7th c. CE | Contradicting data – low rainfall but increase in Dead Sea levels from 500 CE |
| Decline in number of sites from the 7th c. onwards | Decline and abandonment of many sites in 7th to 9th c. CE | Limited data but relatively low rainfall |