Palmahim (North) is a large Chalcolithic burial and cult site of a type previously unknown in the central coastal plain of Israel. The well-planned cemetery comprises circular or rectangular single-chamber burial structures, built upon or hewn into the kurkar bedrock. Within the burial structures, secondary interments were made in a variety of receptacles, including small cists, chain-burial cells, stone and clay ossuaries, and burial jars. Most of the tombs had rectangular, trapezoidal or ovoid orthostats attached to one of their sides within a recess. The pottery assemblage is small, consisting mainly of simple types very common in the Ghassulian Chalcolithic culture.