- Petrographic Analysis of Ceramics, Ancient Israelites, Cypriot Archaeology, Cypriot Pottery, LA-ICP-MS, SEM/EDS, and 75 moreHistory of wine, Ugarit & Tell Kazel (Syria), Late Bronze Age Ceramics, Phoenician ceramics, Wine and Olive Oil Production, Amphorae, Trade, Antic Technology, Wine Making,fermentation of Beer Wine and Liquor, Ancient wine making, Mediterranean Arcaeology, Hala Sultan Tekke - Cyprus - Excavation - Late Bronze Age - Urbanism - Architecture, Tell Tweini, Philistines, Ceramic Analysis (Archaeology), Ceramic Technology, Tel Dor, Ancient History, Archaeology, Iron Age, Ancient color terminology, Egyptian Archaeology, Egypt, Pottery (Archaeology), Archaeological Science, Egyptian Art and Archaeology, Aegean Bronze Age (Bronze Age Archaeology), Bronze and Iron Ages in the Near East and East Mediterranean, Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Megiddo, Archaeology of the Levant, Levantine Archaeology, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Early Iron Age, Late Bronze Age archaeology, Late Bronze Age, Early Iron Age, Late Bronze Age, Ancient Egyptian History, Ancient Egypt, Phoenician trade, Maritime Archaeology, Maritime History, Maritime Piracy and Transnational Criminal Organizations, Maritime trade, Near Eastern Archaeology, Material Culture Studies, Iron Age pottery, Provenance studies of archaeological material, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Ancient Near East, Ceramic Petrography, 3) Petrography and Manufacturing Technology of Ancient Ceramics, Ancient Trade & Commerce (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Carthage (Archaeology), Ceramica fenicio-punica, The use of oil and wine in Ugaritic rituals and cermonies, Investigacion relación Ugarit y fenicios con Israel, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Phoenicians, Ancient Mediterranean ports, Ancient Harbours, Lebanon, Syria, Israel and Palestine (History and Archaeology), ancient Israelite religion, Ceramics (Archaeology), Maritime Trade Ceramics (Archaeology), Petrography and Diagenesis, Prehistoric Archaeology, Tyrian purple, Murex, Ancient Pottery Analysis, Pottery technology and function, Pottery kilns, Amphorae (Archaeology), and Levantine ceramicsedit
- https://en-humanities.tau.ac.il/petro_labhttps://www.levantineceramics.org/contributors/212-paula-waiman-barakhttp://dor.huji.ac.il/PW.htmledit
Petrographic analysis of ceramics allows for the high-resolution distinction between locally-produced ceramics and imports and provides a more comprehensive understanding of ancient production and exchange patterns. This paper analyses... more
Petrographic analysis of ceramics allows for the high-resolution distinction between locally-produced ceramics and imports and provides a more comprehensive understanding of ancient production and exchange patterns. This paper analyses Cypriot-produced tablewares of the Late Bronze Age at Hala Sultan Tekke, a major trading hub in the eastern Mediterranean, focusing on the transition from Late Cypriot (LC) IIC to LC IIIA (c. 13th to mid-12th century BCE). In this study, a wide range of tablewares were analysed, with a particular focus on Cypriot-produced plain ware (Plain White Hand- and Wheel-Made; PWHM/PWWM) and painted wheel-made fineware (White Painted Wheel-Made Ware; WPWM), using petrography to determine their mineralogical composition, production technique, and provenance. In addition, reference samples were collected and experimentally fired to identify potential raw materials in the Circum-Troodos Sedimentary Succession region, with additional basaltic soil samples collected from the slopes of the Troodos.
The results show that there was a local production at Hala Sultan Tekke of Aegean-type painted and unpainted finewares in LC IIC. The adaptation of Aegean technologies, shapes and decoration patterns, sometimes in combination with traditional Cypriot characteristics, became prevalent in the local production of tableware in LC IIIA until the city was abandoned around the mid-12th century BCE. Evidence for coastal imports, e.g. from the wider Larnaca Bay region, the Famagusta Bay and western Cyprus, particularly painted wheel-made fineware bowls from LC IIIA, reveal new economic patterns and supply chains that emerged after the decline of interregional trade in the eastern Mediterranean around 1200 BCE.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2023.104038
The results show that there was a local production at Hala Sultan Tekke of Aegean-type painted and unpainted finewares in LC IIC. The adaptation of Aegean technologies, shapes and decoration patterns, sometimes in combination with traditional Cypriot characteristics, became prevalent in the local production of tableware in LC IIIA until the city was abandoned around the mid-12th century BCE. Evidence for coastal imports, e.g. from the wider Larnaca Bay region, the Famagusta Bay and western Cyprus, particularly painted wheel-made fineware bowls from LC IIIA, reveal new economic patterns and supply chains that emerged after the decline of interregional trade in the eastern Mediterranean around 1200 BCE.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2023.104038
Research Interests:
Phoenician site on the northern coast of Israel, produced one of the most varied and best-stratified assemblages of Cypriot Iron Age ceramics ever found outside Cyprus. A long-term investigation of the nature of socioeconomic liaisons... more
Phoenician site on the northern coast of Israel, produced one of the most varied and best-stratified assemblages of Cypriot Iron Age ceramics ever found outside Cyprus. A long-term investigation of the nature of socioeconomic liaisons between Dor and Cyprus, inter alia, by identifying through ceramic typology and petrography the specific Cypriot production centres that sent their products to Dor is currently in progress. This paper focuses on the analytical identification of production centres first suggested by macroscopic observations; temporal trajectories and cultural implications are addressed only preliminarily. The results indicate that the Cypriot vessels that reached Dor were only produced at Salamis, Kition, Amathus and Paphos, and that the vista of imports at Dor keeps changing throughout the period under consideration. This is the most comprehensive analytical study of Cypriot Iron Age ceramic fabrics to date. It has the potential to build a foundation for provenance studies of Cypriot Iron Age ceramic fabrics and the interconnections they embody. It is constrained, however, by the fact it was mainly production centres represented at Dor that were studied.
Research Interests:
Levantine “Phoenician” transport-jars developed from the 9th through 7th century BCE distinct morphological features which allow for typological definitions of high resolution. In contrast, contemporary ceramics produced in the Southern... more
Levantine “Phoenician” transport-jars developed from the 9th through 7th century BCE distinct morphological features which allow for typological definitions of high resolution. In contrast, contemporary ceramics produced in the Southern Levant are often characterized by continuation and a lack of distinction. The exceptional high research and excavation density in the Southern Levant in tandem with the available historical records are applied here to reconstruct the chronological development of the transport-jars with a relative high resolution. During the same period, the “Phoenician” expansion reached the entire Mediterranean as well as vast continental areas in the Ancient Near East, rendering the proposed
chronological conclusions of significant importance beyond the Southern Levant.
chronological conclusions of significant importance beyond the Southern Levant.
Research Interests:
Maritime commodity trade from the Near East to the Mycenaean heartland: Canaanite Jars in final palatial Tiryns. Canaanite jars from the palatial site of Tiryns in mainland Greece are shown to have been producedat a number of centres on... more
Maritime commodity trade from the Near East to the Mycenaean heartland: Canaanite Jars in final palatial Tiryns.
Canaanite jars from the palatial site of Tiryns in mainland Greece are shown to have been producedat a number of centres on the Levantine coast, emphasising the key role of the Argive coastal citadelin trade with the eastern Mediterranean at the end of the 13th century BCE. The analytical study ofthis assemblage draws on a detailed examination of key deposits connected to the last phase of thepalace at the site and its destruction, and combines thin section petrography and chemical analysis(NAA), providing major new insights into the specific production locations of these containers alongthe Levantine coast. Based on comparative material from other Aegean sites and especially theharbour of Kommos in southern Crete, typological, epigraphic and analytical data are combined todemonstrate that, towards the end of the 13th century BCE, Tiryns was interacting with differentLevantine centres than did Kommos roughly 100 years earlier. This diachronic shift in the source ofCanaanite jars reaching the Aegean has much to tell us about changing centres of political power,the emergence of regular commodity trade and even diplomatic problems, all at a time whencontainer shipment takes off and the demand for commodities starts to dominate relations betweenthe states surrounding the seaways of the eastern Mediterranean at the end of the Late Bronze Age.
Canaanite jars from the palatial site of Tiryns in mainland Greece are shown to have been producedat a number of centres on the Levantine coast, emphasising the key role of the Argive coastal citadelin trade with the eastern Mediterranean at the end of the 13th century BCE. The analytical study ofthis assemblage draws on a detailed examination of key deposits connected to the last phase of thepalace at the site and its destruction, and combines thin section petrography and chemical analysis(NAA), providing major new insights into the specific production locations of these containers alongthe Levantine coast. Based on comparative material from other Aegean sites and especially theharbour of Kommos in southern Crete, typological, epigraphic and analytical data are combined todemonstrate that, towards the end of the 13th century BCE, Tiryns was interacting with differentLevantine centres than did Kommos roughly 100 years earlier. This diachronic shift in the source ofCanaanite jars reaching the Aegean has much to tell us about changing centres of political power,the emergence of regular commodity trade and even diplomatic problems, all at a time whencontainer shipment takes off and the demand for commodities starts to dominate relations betweenthe states surrounding the seaways of the eastern Mediterranean at the end of the Late Bronze Age.
Research Interests: Pottery (Archaeology), Mediterranean prehistory, Levantine Archaeology, Archaeometry, Aegean Bronze Age (Bronze Age Archaeology), and 9 moreCeramic Analysis (Archaeology), Aegean Egyptian Interrelatlations, Mycenaean era archaeology, Late Bronze Age archaeology, Aegean Archaeology, Maritime Trade Ceramics (Archaeology), Amphorae (Archaeology), Ceramic Petrography, and Minoan and Mycenaean economy and administration
In the course of the Swedish excavations at Hala Sultan Tekke, Cyprus, table ware and domestic pottery of unknown provenance were discovered in offering pits dating to the 13th century BCE. These vessels comprise six handmade and black... more
In the course of the Swedish excavations at Hala Sultan Tekke, Cyprus, table ware and domestic pottery of unknown provenance were discovered in offering pits dating to the 13th century BCE. These vessels comprise six handmade and black burnished vessels, all of which have close typological parallels in the Nuragic culture of Sardinia. Comparative petrographic investigation confirmed their Sardinian provenance. Other archaeometric analyses include FTIR on the Cypriot and Sardinian material, and NAA on the Sardinian vessels from Hala Sultan Tekke. These vessels further extend the nature of intercultural relations of the site, which comprise a vast area including the Aegean, Anatolia, the Levant and Egypt. The paper presents the archaeometric results and briefly discusses their implication for Cypro-Sardinian connections in the Late Bronze Age.
Research Interests:
The recent excavations at Ḥorvat Tevet and the finding of ca. 260 Late Iron IIA cylindrical holemouth jars provided an unparalleled opportunity to study these relatively unknown vessels. This article offers a comprehensive analysis of... more
The recent excavations at Ḥorvat Tevet and the finding of ca. 260 Late Iron IIA cylindrical holemouth jars provided an unparalleled opportunity to study these relatively unknown vessels. This article offers a comprehensive analysis of cylindrical holemouth jars and includes a study of typology and morphology, alongside the analysis of provenance and distribution patterns. By shedding new light on these vessels, this paper provides the opportunity to understand and illustrate the economy of early monarchic Israel in a new and innovative way.
Research Interests:
A study of pithoi production technology at the Middle Bronze Age Canaanite palace at Tel Kabri, Israel, utilized experimental and analytical methods. Pithoi from two phases of the palace were produced using local alluvial raw material, by... more
A study of pithoi production technology at the Middle Bronze Age Canaanite palace at Tel Kabri, Israel, utilized experimental and analytical methods. Pithoi from two phases of the palace were produced using local alluvial raw material, by coil/slab technique, and finished on a slow wheel. Firing at c. 600°C for a short duration seems to be related to the potters’ knowledge of the limitations of the raw material used, further indicating no significant environmental effect despite growing palatial demand. Differences in pithos rims, sizes and contexts may relate to various consumption patterns in the earlier and later phases of activity at the palace.
Research Interests: Experimental Psychology, Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Sedimentology, Pottery (Archaeology), and 13 moreCeramic Technology, Archaeological Method & Theory, FTIR spectroscopy, Ceramic Analysis (Archaeology), Ancient Near East, Sedimentary provenance, Ceramics (Archaeology), Middle Bronze Age, Provenance studies of archaeological material, Ceramic Petrography, Middle Bronze Age Syria, Palaces, and Tel Kabri
Our research focuses on Phoenician containers at Tel Achziv from two periods: Ir1|2-Ir2a and Ir2c and on some Phoenician production and consumption customs. Two primary assemblages of the most typical ceramic containers circulating within... more
Our research focuses on Phoenician containers at Tel Achziv from two periods: Ir1|2-Ir2a and Ir2c and on some Phoenician production and consumption customs. Two primary assemblages of the most typical ceramic containers circulating within Phoenicia and distributed elsewhere throughout the Iron Age were selected for technological and provenance analysis using Optical Mineralogy analysis (ceramic petrography). During the Ir1|2-Ir2a the main circulating containers were small decorated flasks and Phoenician Bichrome jugs. In Ir2c the prevailing circulating containers were entirely different: carinated-shoulders transport jars were the prevalent commercial ceramic containers of the maritime markets of the Eastern Mediterranean. At Achziv, in both periods, vessels of two main production centers were identified: the local production of the coast of Western Galilee and imports from the Southern Lebanese Coast. Technological observation of production show the use of a variety of clay recipes as well as different firing temperatures applied. We offer here a snapshot of maritime commercial containers specifically produced to accommodate different commodities within the complex Phoenician exchange systems.
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Ceramic Technology, Phoenicians, Ceramic Analysis (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), and 8 moreMediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Amphorae (Archaeology), Iron Age, Ceramic Petrography, 3) Petrography and Manufacturing Technology of Ancient Ceramics, and Merchant Shipping/Maritime Economics/shipbuilding/Mediterranean/Shipowners/Maritime Trade
Excavations at Kommos in Crete have unearthed hundreds of fragments of Iron Age Levantine transport jars—an unusual phenomenon in the Iron Age Mediterranean. Though usually termed ‘Phoenician’, their origin has never been demonstrated by... more
Excavations at Kommos in Crete have unearthed hundreds of fragments of Iron Age Levantine transport jars—an unusual phenomenon in the Iron Age Mediterranean. Though usually termed ‘Phoenician’, their origin has never been demonstrated by fabric analysis. This paper presents such an analysis, employing petrography and chemistry. To a large extent, this is a rather unexplored domain since fabric analyses of Phoenician Iron Age ceramics overseas are surprisingly few. The compositional data indicates that most of the jars are indeed from Lebanon, specifically from its southern coast. In order to place these results in a diachronic and regional perspective we discuss the chronology of these finds and then compare the production centers identified to those defined in other provenience studies of Levantine containers overseas. This illustrates the growing importance of southern Lebanese polities in Iron Age Mediterranean networks at the expense of the Syrian littoral on the one hand and the coast of the Southern Levant on the other.
Research Interests:
This study presents new evidence about a class of Early Islamic ceramics that have been largely overlooked; namely, crude handmade ware, sometimes previously referred to as 'Negebite' Ware, typical of the southern portions of what is now... more
This study presents new evidence about a class of Early Islamic ceramics that have been largely overlooked; namely, crude handmade ware, sometimes previously referred to as 'Negebite' Ware, typical of the southern portions of what is now modern-day Israel and Jordan. A large array of handmade vessels retrieved in excavations of an Early Islamic settlement in the Yotvata oasis of the 'Arabah Valley, Israel and comparative material from neighbouring sites, provide a basis for new perceptions. These consist of a typo-chronology of Early Islamic crude handmade wares, clarification of previously unrecognized production techniques (including ones based on evidence from textile impressions), and the results of initial petrographic analysis. We also explore chronological and cultural links between this family of ceramics and other endemic Islamic-period handmade wares that are known from the region.
Research Interests:
The engineering marvel of Sebastos, or Portus Augusti as it was called in Late Antiquity (284–638 CE), dominated Caesarea’s harbor center along modern Israel’s central coast but it was only one part of a larger maritime complex. The... more
The engineering marvel of Sebastos, or Portus Augusti as it was called in Late
Antiquity (284–638 CE), dominated Caesarea’s harbor center along modern Israel’s central
coast but it was only one part of a larger maritime complex. The Southern Anchorage
provides a case study as one portion of the Caesarea complex, as well as a node within the
regional network of anchorages and small harbors. Ceramics recovered from here show a
high percentage of locally, and provincially, produced storage jars engaged in maritime
trade. The ceramic evidence points towards an intensified regional trade or cabotage rather
than favouring long distance trade from large port to port. Working out of these small
harbors, opportunities arose for greater flexibility in specialization of commodities and
materials passing through the network of subsidiary ports, contributing to a more diversified
market economy. This analysis provides another example in the growing focus on
how these simple and semi-modified anchorages in the Eastern Mediterranean were often
the predominant economic networks connecting hinterland and coastal trade.
Antiquity (284–638 CE), dominated Caesarea’s harbor center along modern Israel’s central
coast but it was only one part of a larger maritime complex. The Southern Anchorage
provides a case study as one portion of the Caesarea complex, as well as a node within the
regional network of anchorages and small harbors. Ceramics recovered from here show a
high percentage of locally, and provincially, produced storage jars engaged in maritime
trade. The ceramic evidence points towards an intensified regional trade or cabotage rather
than favouring long distance trade from large port to port. Working out of these small
harbors, opportunities arose for greater flexibility in specialization of commodities and
materials passing through the network of subsidiary ports, contributing to a more diversified
market economy. This analysis provides another example in the growing focus on
how these simple and semi-modified anchorages in the Eastern Mediterranean were often
the predominant economic networks connecting hinterland and coastal trade.
Research Interests:
1. Category A: Key Sites and Contexts.
2. Category B: Other Sites
2. Category B: Other Sites
Research Interests:
This report presents the architecture of the storage rooms found during the 2013 and 2015 excavations within the Middle Bronze Age Canaanite palace at Tel Kabri in present-day Israel, as well as the ceramic finds within them, and the... more
This report presents the architecture of the storage rooms found during the 2013 and 2015 excavations within the Middle Bronze Age Canaanite palace at Tel Kabri in present-day Israel, as well as the ceramic finds within them, and the initial results of the petrographic and organic residue analyses. We hope that this detailed preliminary report can supply some insights into a few of the activities conducted within this Canaanite palace during the early second millennium B.C.E.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Pottery (Archaeology), Mediterranean prehistory, Levantine Archaeology, Archaeometry, Aegean Bronze Age (Bronze Age Archaeology), and 9 moreCeramic Analysis (Archaeology), Aegean Egyptian Interrelatlations, Mycenaean era archaeology, Late Bronze Age archaeology, Aegean Archaeology, Maritime Trade Ceramics (Archaeology), Amphorae (Archaeology), Ceramic Petrography, and Minoan and Mycenaean economy and administration
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The Wine Storage Complex at the Middle Bronze II Palace of Tel Kabri: Results of the 2013 and 2015 Seasons
Research Interests:
In the course of the Swedish excavations at Hala Sultan Tekke, Cyprus, table ware and domestic pottery of unknown provenance were discovered in offering pits dating to the 13th century BCE. These vessels comprise six handmade and black... more
In the course of the Swedish excavations at Hala Sultan Tekke, Cyprus, table ware and domestic pottery of unknown provenance were discovered in offering pits dating to the 13th century BCE. These vessels comprise six handmade and black burnished vessels, all of which have close typological parallels in the Nuragic culture of Sardinia. Comparative petrographic investigation confirmed their Sardinian provenance. Other archaeometric analyses include FTIR on the Cypriot and Sardinian material, and NAA on the Sardinian vessels from Hala Sultan Tekke. These vessels further extend the nature of intercultural relations of the site, which comprise a vast area including the Aegean, Anatolia, the Levant and Egypt. The paper presents the archaeometric results and briefly discusses their implication for Cypro-Sardinian connections in the Late Bronze Age.
In the course of the Swedish excavations at Hala Sultan Tekke, Cyprus, table ware and domestic pottery of unknown provenance were discovered in offering pits dating to the 13th century BCE. These vessels comprise six handmade and black... more
In the course of the Swedish excavations at Hala Sultan Tekke, Cyprus, table ware and domestic pottery of unknown provenance were discovered in offering pits dating to the 13th century BCE. These vessels comprise six handmade and black burnished vessels, all of which have close typological parallels in the Nuragic culture of Sardinia. Comparative petrographic investigation confirmed their Sardinian provenance. Other archaeometric analyses include FTIR on the Cypriot and Sardinian material, and NAA on the Sardinian vessels from Hala Sultan Tekke. These vessels further extend the nature of intercultural relations of the site, which comprise a vast area including the Aegean, Anatolia, the Levant and Egypt. The paper presents the archaeometric results and briefly discusses their implication for Cypro-Sardinian connections in the Late Bronze Age.
Research Interests:
In the course of the Swedish excavations at Hala Sultan Tekke, Cyprus, table ware and domestic pottery of unknown provenance were discovered in offering pits dating to the 13th century BCE. These vessels comprise six hand-made and black... more
In the course of the Swedish excavations at Hala Sultan Tekke, Cyprus, table ware and domestic pottery of unknown provenance were discovered in offering pits dating to the 13th century BCE. These vessels comprise six hand-made and black burnished vessels, all of which have close typological parallels in the Nuragic culture of Sardinia. Comparative petrographic investigation confirmed their Sardinian provenance. Other archaeometric analyses include FTIR on the Cypriot and Sardinian material, and NAA on the Sardinian vessels from Hala Sultan Tekke. These vessels further extend the nature of intercultural relations of the site, which comprise a vast area including the Aegean, Anatolia, the Levant and Egypt. The paper presents the archaeometric results and briefly discusses their implication for Cypro-Sardinian connections in the Late Bronze Age.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
A Petrographic Analysis of Iron I–IIA Decorated Phoenician Containers and a Cypriot Flask. In A. Mazar and N. Panitz-Cohen (editors), The Excavations at Tel Rehov, 1997-2012. Volumes I –V (Qedem Monographs Series) Jerusalem: The Institute of Archaeology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem.Chapter 26C.more
Research Interests: Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Phoenicians, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Ceramic Analysis (Archaeology), and 9 moreCeramics (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), Bronze And Iron Age In Mediterrarranean (Archaeology), Ceramic Petrography, Early Iron Age, Petrography and Diagenesis, Phoenician trade, Phoenician ceramics, and Tel Rehov
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Pottery (Archaeology), Phoenicians, Ceramic Analysis (Archaeology), Biblical Archaeology, and 24 moreCeramics (Archaeology), Maritime Trade Ceramics (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Ancient Trade & Commerce (Archaeology), Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Provenance studies of archaeological material, Iron Age, Ceramic Petrography, Petrographic Analysis of Ceramics, Early Iron Age, Ceramics, Pottery technology and function, 3) Petrography and Manufacturing Technology of Ancient Ceramics, Petrography, Iron Age pottery, Petrographic analysis, Tel Dan, Thin Section Petrography, Early Iron Age Pottery, Phoenician trade, Phoenician pottery, and Phoenician Pottery, Mediterranean archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Iron Age
Research Interests: Maritime Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Phoenicians, Ceramic Analysis (Archaeology), Biblical Archaeology, and 17 moreAncient Near East, Ceramics (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Amphorae (Archaeology), Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Ceramic Petrography, Early Iron Age, Petrography, Merchant Shipping/Maritime Economics/shipbuilding/Mediterranean/Shipowners/Maritime Trade, Early Iron Age, Late Iron Age, Roman period, Late Antiquity, typology, chronology, distribution, function, fibulae, weapons, tools, harness, metal vessels, writing equipment, balances and weights, small finds, Phoenician trade, Canaanite jars, and Ceramics Typology
Kleiman, A., Waiman-Barak, P. and Finkelstein, I. 2018. A Cypro-Archaic I Amphora from Megiddo. In: Shai, I., Chadwick, J.R., Hitchcock, L. Dagan, A., McKinny, C. and Uziel, J., eds. Tell it in Gath. Studies in the History and Archaeology of Israel (Ägypten und Altes Testament 90). Münster: 696–708.more
The paper presents a unique basket-handled amphora, which was discovered during recent excavations of an Iron Age IIB residential quarter at Megiddo. The well-defined context of the vessel illuminates the date of introduction of the... more
The paper presents a unique basket-handled amphora, which was discovered during recent excavations of an Iron Age IIB residential quarter at Megiddo. The well-defined context of the vessel illuminates the date of introduction of the basket-handled amphora into the Levant. It also highlights the social-status of the residents of Megiddo, who were evidently engaged in long-distance trade relations with Cyprus.
Research Interests:
This research deals with the economic and commercial Phoenician networks during the early Iron Age in the southern Levant. Optical Mineralogy (petrography) analysis was conducted on a large scale on three categories of early Iron Age... more
This research deals with the economic and commercial Phoenician networks during the early Iron Age in the southern Levant. Optical Mineralogy (petrography) analysis was conducted on a large scale on three categories of early Iron Age ceramic vessels. The first category includes transport and storage vessels, mainly pithoi, jars, and small lentoid flasks; the second category comprises Phoenician decorated ware, namely Phoenician Monochrome and Phoenician Bichrome; and the third category are open vessels of various types selected as a control group in order to better understand local fabrics and technological aspects of productions in the different sites. Lastly a unique assemblage of Egyptian imports from Tel Dor offer an addition view of relation of Egypt and Phoenicia during this period.
Vessels for analysis were collected from both Phoenician and non-Phoenician sites: the Phoenician sites include Tel Achziv, Tell Keisan and Tel Dor. Non-Phoenician sites include Tel Dan, Tel Rehov, Tel Megiddo ‛En-Haggit, Tell Qasile and Nahal Patish in the Negev; altogether, about 450 vessels.
In general, three main petro-fabric groups were identified that represent ceramic production centers on the Phoenician coast: petro-fabric group A is produced in sites along the coast between Haifa and Achziv; petro-fabric group B originated on the southern Lebanese coast between Tyre and Sidon; and petro-fabric group C represents the Carmel Coast.
Three main commercial circles of Phoenician involvement in trade were identified in the early Iron Age. The first one is the inner Phoenician circulation of ceramics between Phoenician sites along the sea routes of the Levantine coast. Movement of Phoenicians transport vessels of various types were identified up and down the coast: this includes mainly carinated jars and Phoenician decorated wares.
The second commercial circle is characterized by overland trade between the Phoenician coastal centers and sites that fall within their immediate hinterland. Vessels made in Phoenicia, especially small lentoid flasks and Phoenician decorated ware found deep inland and southwards in the land of Philistia. The Phoenician Carmel Coast shows a particular connection with the Jezreel Valley and the southern Lebanese coast shows ties to Rehov and Dan. The realization of this close connection is solidified in the local production of Phoenician Bichrome ware in the Jezreel Valley and Dan in the northern Hula Valley. In reciprocity, transport vessels, mainly oval jars of inland production travel to the Phoenician coast. In addition to that, jars of various types (but not carinated) were found to travel from Philistia and the Sharon Coast to Phoenician sites especially during the 10th century BCE; this is the first time this phenomenon is identified.
The third commercial circle is the traffic that existed between the Phoenician coastal cities and their old political master, now turned large consumer, Egypt. In the void left by retreating Egypt at the end of the 12th century, the Phoenician marinners step-in, building and negotiating a large multi-leveled commercial network, with themselves in the center. These networks in the so-called Dark Age of the 11th to early 9th centuries BCE mark the beginning of the Phoenician's market economy.
Vessels for analysis were collected from both Phoenician and non-Phoenician sites: the Phoenician sites include Tel Achziv, Tell Keisan and Tel Dor. Non-Phoenician sites include Tel Dan, Tel Rehov, Tel Megiddo ‛En-Haggit, Tell Qasile and Nahal Patish in the Negev; altogether, about 450 vessels.
In general, three main petro-fabric groups were identified that represent ceramic production centers on the Phoenician coast: petro-fabric group A is produced in sites along the coast between Haifa and Achziv; petro-fabric group B originated on the southern Lebanese coast between Tyre and Sidon; and petro-fabric group C represents the Carmel Coast.
Three main commercial circles of Phoenician involvement in trade were identified in the early Iron Age. The first one is the inner Phoenician circulation of ceramics between Phoenician sites along the sea routes of the Levantine coast. Movement of Phoenicians transport vessels of various types were identified up and down the coast: this includes mainly carinated jars and Phoenician decorated wares.
The second commercial circle is characterized by overland trade between the Phoenician coastal centers and sites that fall within their immediate hinterland. Vessels made in Phoenicia, especially small lentoid flasks and Phoenician decorated ware found deep inland and southwards in the land of Philistia. The Phoenician Carmel Coast shows a particular connection with the Jezreel Valley and the southern Lebanese coast shows ties to Rehov and Dan. The realization of this close connection is solidified in the local production of Phoenician Bichrome ware in the Jezreel Valley and Dan in the northern Hula Valley. In reciprocity, transport vessels, mainly oval jars of inland production travel to the Phoenician coast. In addition to that, jars of various types (but not carinated) were found to travel from Philistia and the Sharon Coast to Phoenician sites especially during the 10th century BCE; this is the first time this phenomenon is identified.
The third commercial circle is the traffic that existed between the Phoenician coastal cities and their old political master, now turned large consumer, Egypt. In the void left by retreating Egypt at the end of the 12th century, the Phoenician marinners step-in, building and negotiating a large multi-leveled commercial network, with themselves in the center. These networks in the so-called Dark Age of the 11th to early 9th centuries BCE mark the beginning of the Phoenician's market economy.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Maritime Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Phoenicians, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, and 18 moreEgyptian Archaeology, Ceramic Analysis (Archaeology), Ancient Near East, Late Bronze Age archaeology, Ceramics (Archaeology), Maritime Trade Ceramics (Archaeology), Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Third Intermediate Period, Bronze And Iron Age In Mediterrarranean (Archaeology), Iron Age, Ceramic Petrography, Early Iron Age, Ceramics, the Sea Peoples, XIX - XX Dynasty in Egypt, the Hittites, the Late Bronze Age in the Eastern Medittaranean, Petrography, Thin Section Petrography, Phoenician trade, and Maritime Civilizations
Tell Abu Hawam, an archaeological site on the outskirts of modern Haifa is situated between the Carmel Ridge and the Qishon River. Several studies on the site and its environment were conducted over the past 90 years, among which are Guy... more
Tell Abu Hawam, an archaeological site on the outskirts of modern Haifa is situated between the Carmel Ridge and the Qishon River. Several studies on the site and its environment were conducted over the past 90 years, among which are Guy & Fitzgerald 1922, Mayer & Makhouly 1930, Baramiky & Vilensky 1930, Hamilton 1932-33, Anati & Prausnitz 1952, Anati & Olami 1963, Balensi & Herrera 1984, Galanti & Raban 1988. Despite these efforts, the architectural and human nature of the site has not been conclusively determined. Questions regarding its size, the presence of the ancient anchorage or anchorages ore the paleogeography and environmental surrounding are still pending.
In 2001 and 2002 a salvage excavation was carried out at Tell Abu Hawam under the direction of M. Artzy a combined project of the Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies and the Israel Antiquities Authority, aided by S. Yankelevich, U. Ad and A. Abu Hamid. The 2001 excavation took place in the northern edges of the tell, an area that had not been previously studied and thus has served to better address the landscape configuration and theories suggested by previous researchers.
In this M.A. thesis, data from salvage excavations in 2001 and 2002 is combined with previous archaeological and geomorphological data. A definitive flow chart of the stratigraphy of the latest excavations was prepared in an attempt of a better understanding of the layering and nature of the area. The results of these recent salvage excavations reinforce the presence of repeated marine and river flooding events, and changing sea-levels around the site, although the exact routes of the rivers continues to be unclear and the extent of sea level change uncertain.
The modern geographical setting of the site’s surrounding has changed dramatically over the last century due to urban development, starting already in the 19th century CE. Urban development was also the trigger for the 2001 salvage project. The squares excavated were not consecutive, placed in a rectangle, 30 meters from east to west and 10 meters from north to south from each other. Because of the random nature of the collected geographical data, starting with the early excavations, a digitized map and 3D model were prepared. The previous mapping of the area included a topographical map of the Bay of Haifa, prepared by J. Tridel, for the Jewish National Fund in the 1920’s. Balensi re-located the map and used it for her own studies in the 1980’s, anchoring her excavated areas as well as the previous studies unto it. Tridel’s, Hamilton’s and Balensi’s maps as are the geological trenches of Raban and Galanti are combined in this study as are the areas excavated in 2001 and 2002. The emphasis was put on the remains of the Late Bronze II period, namely Hamilton’s Level V.
Previous archaeological studies have concluded that in ancient times the shoreline was very close to the edges of the site. The city was an island located in the heart of the Qishon estuary. These studies suggested that the area has endured the reoccurrence of marine and river (Qishon and Salman) flooding. The question regarding the position of an anchorage or harboring area during the Late Bronze Age is addressed. The results of the 2001 excavation established four Late Bronze Age phases (designated Va-Vd), all representing shallow water environment, which were most likely adjacent to a primary anchorage area. The position of the site allowed some control of the Qishon estuary and roads leading inland. On the coastal landscape it is protected from prevalent southwesterly winds, thus providing natural shelter for fishermen and seaman. In addition, there were no great obstacles in the waters that would have interrupted ships from entering the estuary environs.
The research presented in this thesis examines and analyzes the archaeological data from the dig and presents a reconstruction of the Late Bronze Age site as understood from this additional data including stratigraphic data, mollusk presence and a partial ceramic analysis. The results indicate that the area examined represents the edge of the Late Bronze Age site and within the shallows of an adjacent anchorage. Evidence for this includes shallow waters mollusks and an abundance of imported pottery, ballast stones, and the remains of coastal industry dating to the 14th and first half of the 13th centuries B.C.E. The study further shows that the ancients battled the environs by the construction of retaining walls already in the Late Bronze II period, Hamilton’s Stratum V. These walls were discerned in some of the excavated areas on which similarly, Iron Age, Hamilton’s Stratum III, retaining walls are based. From the present study, it seems likely that segments of the site, assumed to have been robbed prior to Hamilton’s projects in the 1930’s, especially of the Level V defensive wall, did not have such a wall. However, this topic should be addressed in future studies. The changes of the natural landscape seemingly led to several architectural changes during the Late Bronze Age. During that same period, the city functioned as a commercial center, serving the Eastern Mediterranean.
In 2001 and 2002 a salvage excavation was carried out at Tell Abu Hawam under the direction of M. Artzy a combined project of the Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies and the Israel Antiquities Authority, aided by S. Yankelevich, U. Ad and A. Abu Hamid. The 2001 excavation took place in the northern edges of the tell, an area that had not been previously studied and thus has served to better address the landscape configuration and theories suggested by previous researchers.
In this M.A. thesis, data from salvage excavations in 2001 and 2002 is combined with previous archaeological and geomorphological data. A definitive flow chart of the stratigraphy of the latest excavations was prepared in an attempt of a better understanding of the layering and nature of the area. The results of these recent salvage excavations reinforce the presence of repeated marine and river flooding events, and changing sea-levels around the site, although the exact routes of the rivers continues to be unclear and the extent of sea level change uncertain.
The modern geographical setting of the site’s surrounding has changed dramatically over the last century due to urban development, starting already in the 19th century CE. Urban development was also the trigger for the 2001 salvage project. The squares excavated were not consecutive, placed in a rectangle, 30 meters from east to west and 10 meters from north to south from each other. Because of the random nature of the collected geographical data, starting with the early excavations, a digitized map and 3D model were prepared. The previous mapping of the area included a topographical map of the Bay of Haifa, prepared by J. Tridel, for the Jewish National Fund in the 1920’s. Balensi re-located the map and used it for her own studies in the 1980’s, anchoring her excavated areas as well as the previous studies unto it. Tridel’s, Hamilton’s and Balensi’s maps as are the geological trenches of Raban and Galanti are combined in this study as are the areas excavated in 2001 and 2002. The emphasis was put on the remains of the Late Bronze II period, namely Hamilton’s Level V.
Previous archaeological studies have concluded that in ancient times the shoreline was very close to the edges of the site. The city was an island located in the heart of the Qishon estuary. These studies suggested that the area has endured the reoccurrence of marine and river (Qishon and Salman) flooding. The question regarding the position of an anchorage or harboring area during the Late Bronze Age is addressed. The results of the 2001 excavation established four Late Bronze Age phases (designated Va-Vd), all representing shallow water environment, which were most likely adjacent to a primary anchorage area. The position of the site allowed some control of the Qishon estuary and roads leading inland. On the coastal landscape it is protected from prevalent southwesterly winds, thus providing natural shelter for fishermen and seaman. In addition, there were no great obstacles in the waters that would have interrupted ships from entering the estuary environs.
The research presented in this thesis examines and analyzes the archaeological data from the dig and presents a reconstruction of the Late Bronze Age site as understood from this additional data including stratigraphic data, mollusk presence and a partial ceramic analysis. The results indicate that the area examined represents the edge of the Late Bronze Age site and within the shallows of an adjacent anchorage. Evidence for this includes shallow waters mollusks and an abundance of imported pottery, ballast stones, and the remains of coastal industry dating to the 14th and first half of the 13th centuries B.C.E. The study further shows that the ancients battled the environs by the construction of retaining walls already in the Late Bronze II period, Hamilton’s Stratum V. These walls were discerned in some of the excavated areas on which similarly, Iron Age, Hamilton’s Stratum III, retaining walls are based. From the present study, it seems likely that segments of the site, assumed to have been robbed prior to Hamilton’s projects in the 1930’s, especially of the Level V defensive wall, did not have such a wall. However, this topic should be addressed in future studies. The changes of the natural landscape seemingly led to several architectural changes during the Late Bronze Age. During that same period, the city functioned as a commercial center, serving the Eastern Mediterranean.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Maritime Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Phoenicians, Ceramic Analysis (Archaeology), Ancient Near East, and 16 moreLate Bronze Age archaeology, Maritime Trade Ceramics (Archaeology), Egypt and Canaan, Mediterranean archaeology, Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Ceramic Petrography, Early Iron Age, Late Bronze Age, Early Iron Age, Canaanite, Petrography, Merchant Shipping/Maritime Economics/shipbuilding/Mediterranean/Shipowners/Maritime Trade, Phoenician trade, Applied petrography for cultural heritage, Petrografía De Cerámica Arqueológica, and Pottery and Ceramic Petrography
Research Interests: Archaeology, Egyptology, Maritime Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Near Eastern Studies, and 45 morePottery (Archaeology), Phoenicians, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Levantine Archaeology, Egyptian Archaeology, Hebrew Bible, Biblical Studies, Ancient economies (Archaeology), Ceramic Analysis (Archaeology), Biblical Archaeology, Ancient Near East, Maritime Trade Ceramics (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), Egyptian ceramics, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Third Intermediate Period, Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Bronze Age Near East (Archaeology), Provenance studies of archaeological material, Iron Age, Ceramic Petrography, Ancient Near Eastern History, Pottery, Ancient Near Eastern archaeology, Ancient Near Eastern Economy, Early Iron Age, Ancient Egypt, Late Bronze Age, Early Iron Age, Philistines, Pottery technology and function, 1) cultural interconnections and trade (Egypt and Levant), Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Iron Age pottery, Biblical Archeology, Mediterranean Archaeology; Iron Age Archaeology; pottery's study, Megiddo, Cyprus Archaeology, Archaeology of the Levant, Tell Qasile, Early Iron Age Pottery, Phoenician trade, Phoenician Pottery, Mediterranean archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Iron Age, Ceramica fenicio-punica, and Tel Dor
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Pottery (Archaeology), Ceramic Technology, Archaeological Science, Levantine Archaeology, Ceramic Analysis (Archaeology), and 14 moreCeramics (Archaeology), Ceramic Petrography, Pottery, Petrographic Analysis of Ceramics, Early Iron Age, Ceramics, Pottery technology and function, 3) Petrography and Manufacturing Technology of Ancient Ceramics, Petrography, Iron Age pottery, Thin Section Petrography, Optical Mineralogy, Archaeology of the Levant, and Early Iron Age Pottery
"This year's workshop presentation includes part of my PhD dissertation, namely the economic interactions of Phoenicia with her eastern and southern neighbors during the Iron Age I - Iron Age IIa from a petro-fabric perspective. This... more
"This year's workshop presentation includes part of my PhD dissertation, namely the economic interactions of Phoenicia with her eastern and southern neighbors during the Iron Age I - Iron Age IIa from a petro-fabric perspective. This extends the work already done by Gilboa and Goren on the Phoenician ceramics in Cyprus, as well as the accumulating typological parallels regarding Phoenician imports in Egypt. Both these regions were major buyers of Phoenician goods.
This presentation focuses on the provenance of 161 Phoenician-style flasks and jugs from both Phoenician and non-Phoenician sites in Israel. Three Phoenician sites –Dor, Achziv and Tell Keisan - were chosen for Analysis. From this Phoenician repertoire - three main petrofabric groups were uncovered all of which have sub-groups. Group A represents the ceramics manufactured in the Akko Bay up to Achziv (including Keisan); Group B represents the different variations found along the Lebanese coast; finally Group C typifies the ceramics produced along the Carmel coast.
The results from the non-Phoenician sites, such as Dan and Tell Qasile show that their assemblages of flasks and jugs contain a mixture of both local and Phoenician manufactured vessels.
These results also indicate that the Phoenicians traded these vessels between themselves (even the exact same ceramic types!), while also trading overland and along the maritime routes to non-Phoenician sites as far south as Nahal Patish.
"
This presentation focuses on the provenance of 161 Phoenician-style flasks and jugs from both Phoenician and non-Phoenician sites in Israel. Three Phoenician sites –Dor, Achziv and Tell Keisan - were chosen for Analysis. From this Phoenician repertoire - three main petrofabric groups were uncovered all of which have sub-groups. Group A represents the ceramics manufactured in the Akko Bay up to Achziv (including Keisan); Group B represents the different variations found along the Lebanese coast; finally Group C typifies the ceramics produced along the Carmel coast.
The results from the non-Phoenician sites, such as Dan and Tell Qasile show that their assemblages of flasks and jugs contain a mixture of both local and Phoenician manufactured vessels.
These results also indicate that the Phoenicians traded these vessels between themselves (even the exact same ceramic types!), while also trading overland and along the maritime routes to non-Phoenician sites as far south as Nahal Patish.
"
Research Interests: History, Archaeology, Maritime Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Near Eastern Studies, and 41 morePottery (Archaeology), Ceramic Technology, Phoenicians, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Levantine Archaeology, Hebrew Bible, Ancient economies (Archaeology), Ceramic Analysis (Archaeology), Ancient Near East, Ceramics (Archaeology), Maritime Trade Ceramics (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Ancient Trade & Commerce (Archaeology), Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Iron Age, Ceramic Petrography, Ancient Near Eastern History, Ancient Near Eastern archaeology, Petrographic Analysis of Ceramics, Ancient Near Eastern Economy, Early Iron Age, Late Bronze Age, Early Iron Age, Fenicios, Pottery technology and function, 3) Petrography and Manufacturing Technology of Ancient Ceramics, Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Petrography, Iron Age pottery, Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Sea Peoples, Thin Section Petrography, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Archaeology of the Levant, Early Iron Age Pottery, Phoenician trade, Phoenician Pottery, Mediterranean archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Iron Age, Ceramica fenicio-punica, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, and Maritime trade
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Ceramic Technology, Phoenicians, Ceramic Analysis (Archaeology), Phoenician, and 12 moreCeramics (Archaeology), Late Iron Age (Archaeology), Maritime Trade Ceramics (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), Iron Age, Ceramic Petrography, Iron Age pottery, Phoenician trade, Phoenician pottery, Phoenician Pottery, Mediterranean archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Iron Age, Late Iron Age, and Phoenician Pottery of the 7th Century BCE
"Philistine" and Aegean style wares from Tel Zeror; the Ohata excavations (1994-66 seasons). For Mr. T. Onozuka, Dr. Shuichi Hasegawa advised by Prof. H. Kuwabara, University of Tsukuba, Japan
Research Interests: History, Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Near Eastern Studies, Hebrew Bible, and 18 moreAncient economies (Archaeology), Ceramic Analysis (Archaeology), Biblical Archaeology, Ancient Near East, Ceramics (Archaeology), Maritime Trade Ceramics (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Iron Age, Ceramic Petrography, Ancient Near Eastern archaeology, History and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Ancient Near Eastern Economy, Early Iron Age, Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, and The Philistines and Sea Peoples Cultures
Research Interests: Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Pottery (Archaeology), Ceramic Technology, Phoenicians, and 14 moreArchaeological Method & Theory, Ceramic Analysis (Archaeology), Ancient Near East, Ceramics (Archaeology), Maritime Trade Ceramics (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Ceramic Petrography, Hellenistic Pottery, Ancient Near Eastern archaeology, Ancient Near Eastern Economy, Pottery technology and function, Phoenician trade, and Tel Dor
Research Interests: Egyptology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Ceramic Technology, Phoenicians, Egyptian Archaeology, and 18 moreAncient economies (Archaeology), Ceramic Analysis (Archaeology), Ancient Near East, Ceramics (Archaeology), Maritime Trade Ceramics (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Iron Age, Ceramic Petrography, Early Iron Age, Ancient Egypt, Ceramics, Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Phoenician trade, and Tel Dor
" The largest assemblage of 21st–22nd Dynasties Egyptian (not Egyptianizing…) pottery currently known outside Egypt has been uncovered at the Phoenician port city of Dor, in a detailed stratified sequence. It exemplifies a yet... more
"
The largest assemblage of 21st–22nd Dynasties Egyptian (not Egyptianizing…) pottery currently known outside Egypt has been uncovered at the Phoenician port city of Dor, in a detailed stratified sequence. It exemplifies a yet unparalleled phenomenon along the Levantine littoral and accords well with Dor's importance to the Egyptians, as narrated in the Wenamun report. The Egyptian pottery is accompanied by ample evidence of contacts with other regions, most significantly with Cyprus, but also with other Phoenician centers, and to a lesser extent—Philistia and Greece. This sequence is also anchored to an absolute timescale by a large body of radiocarbon dates. This paper is the first presentation of Dor's Egyptian assemblage. The assemblage consists of a wide range of types, mostly jars and a few bowls, some of them well known and others yet unknown from contemporaneous contexts in Egypt itself. Optical mineralogy analysis of the fabrics reveals almost an exclusive use of Nile silt—which generally would have been referred to by the Vienna system as Nile B2 (no marl clays wares have been identified). The importance of this assemblage is twofold. (a) It sheds light on the nature and extent of Egyptian relations with the Phoenician webs of commerce, which are more comprehensive and complex than previously suspected for this period, still widely referred to as a "Dark Age". (b) The presence of a variety of types in a well-stratified sequence should have a significant contribution to the study of the development of Third Intermediate Period pottery.
"
The largest assemblage of 21st–22nd Dynasties Egyptian (not Egyptianizing…) pottery currently known outside Egypt has been uncovered at the Phoenician port city of Dor, in a detailed stratified sequence. It exemplifies a yet unparalleled phenomenon along the Levantine littoral and accords well with Dor's importance to the Egyptians, as narrated in the Wenamun report. The Egyptian pottery is accompanied by ample evidence of contacts with other regions, most significantly with Cyprus, but also with other Phoenician centers, and to a lesser extent—Philistia and Greece. This sequence is also anchored to an absolute timescale by a large body of radiocarbon dates. This paper is the first presentation of Dor's Egyptian assemblage. The assemblage consists of a wide range of types, mostly jars and a few bowls, some of them well known and others yet unknown from contemporaneous contexts in Egypt itself. Optical mineralogy analysis of the fabrics reveals almost an exclusive use of Nile silt—which generally would have been referred to by the Vienna system as Nile B2 (no marl clays wares have been identified). The importance of this assemblage is twofold. (a) It sheds light on the nature and extent of Egyptian relations with the Phoenician webs of commerce, which are more comprehensive and complex than previously suspected for this period, still widely referred to as a "Dark Age". (b) The presence of a variety of types in a well-stratified sequence should have a significant contribution to the study of the development of Third Intermediate Period pottery.
"