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- Bronze Age trade, Biblical Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Levantine Archaeology, Cypriot Archaeology, Anatolian Archaeology, and 47 moreMesopotamian Archaeology, Egyptian Archaeology, Aegean Archaeology, Late Bronze Age archaeology, Aegean Bronze Age (Bronze Age Archaeology), Bronze Age Collapse, Aegean Prehistory (Archaeology), Aegeo-Egyptian relations, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Mycenaean era archaeology, Aegean Egyptian Interrelatlations, Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Mediterranean archaeology, Ancient History, Archaeology of the Levant, History and Archaeology of Canaan, Mediterranean prehistory, International Trade, Hittite archaeology, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Ancient Greek History, Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Ancient Near East, Megiddo, Ancient Egyptian History, Hittite, Philistines, Archaeology, Sea Peoples, Minoan Archaeology, Aegean Late Bronze Age, Ancient Israel, Middle Bronze Age, Egypt and Canaan, Bronze Age (Archaeology), Troy Studies, Ancient Trade & Commerce (Archaeology), Aegean Prehistory, Minoan art and archaeology, Ancient Near Eastern History, 1) cultural interconnections and trade (Egypt and Levant), Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Ancient economies (Archaeology), Assyrian archaeology, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Trojan Horse, and Amenhotep III(Mesopotamian Archaeology, Egyptian Archaeology, Aegean Archaeology, Late Bronze Age archaeology, Aegean Bronze Age (Bronze Age Archaeology), Bronze Age Collapse, Aegean Prehistory (Archaeology), Aegeo-Egyptian relations, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Mycenaean era archaeology, Aegean Egyptian Interrelatlations, Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Mediterranean archaeology, Ancient History, Archaeology of the Levant, History and Archaeology of Canaan, Mediterranean prehistory, International Trade, Hittite archaeology, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Ancient Greek History, Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Ancient Near East, Megiddo, Ancient Egyptian History, Hittite, Philistines, Archaeology, Sea Peoples, Minoan Archaeology, Aegean Late Bronze Age, Ancient Israel, Middle Bronze Age, Egypt and Canaan, Bronze Age (Archaeology), Troy Studies, Ancient Trade & Commerce (Archaeology), Aegean Prehistory, Minoan art and archaeology, Ancient Near Eastern History, 1) cultural interconnections and trade (Egypt and Levant), Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Ancient economies (Archaeology), Assyrian archaeology, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Trojan Horse, and Amenhotep III)edit
- Eric H. Cline is Professor of Classics and Anthropology, the former Chair of the Department of Classical and Near Eas... moreEric H. Cline is Professor of Classics and Anthropology, the former Chair of the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, and the current Director of the Capitol Archaeological Institute at The George Washington University. A Fulbright scholar, National Geographic Explorer, Getty Scholar, and NEH Public Scholar with degrees from Dartmouth, Yale, and the University of Pennsylvania, he is an active field archaeologist with more than 30 seasons of excavation and survey experience in Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Cyprus, Greece, Crete, and the United States, including ten seasons at the site of Megiddo (biblical Armageddon) in Israel, from which he retired after serving as Co-Director with Israel Finkelstein of TAU, and ten seasons at Tel Kabri, where he is currently Co-Director with Assaf Yasur-Landau of the University of Haifa. A two-time winner (2014 and 2018) of the "Nancy Lapp Best Popular Book" Award from the American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR) and three-time winner of the Biblical Archaeology Society's "Best Popular Book on Archaeology" Award (2001, 2009, and 2011), he and his two co-editors were recently (2019) awarded the G. Ernest Wright Book Award for best edited volume from the American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR). He is the author, co-author, editor, or co-editor of 22 books, including "The Battles of Armageddon: Megiddo and the Jezreel Valley from the Bronze Age to the Nuclear Age" (2000), "Jerusalem Besieged: From Ancient Canaan to Modern Israel" (2004), "From Eden to Exile: Unraveling Mysteries of the Bible" (2007), "Biblical Archaeology: A Very Short Introduction" (2009), "The Trojan War: A Very Short Introduction" (2013), "1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed" (2014; revised and updated 2021), "Three Stones Make a Wall: The Story of Archaeology" (2017), and "Digging Up Armageddon: The Search for the Lost City of Solomon" (2020), all written for the general public, and "Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea: International Trade and the Late Bronze Age Aegean (1994; 2009), "Amenhotep III: New Perspectives on His Reign" (1998), "Thutmose III: A New Biography" (2006), "Oxford Handbook of the Bronze Age Aegean" (2010), "Ancient Empires" (2011), "The Ahhiyawa Texts" (2011), "Ramesses III: The Life and Times of Egypt's Last Hero" (2012), and "The Social Archaeology of the Levant" (2019), all intended for scholarly audiences. He has also published more than 100 articles and reviews in scholarly journals, books, and festschriften, and recently served for six years as the co-editor, with Christopher Rollston, of the Bulletin of the American Society of Overseas Research (BASOR). One of his lectures based on "1177 BC" has been viewed more than six million times on YouTube; see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRcu-ysocX4&t=3084s.(Eric H. Cline is Professor of Classics and Anthropology, the former Chair of the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, and the current Director of the Capitol Archaeological Institute at The George Washington University. A Fulbright scholar, National Geographic Explorer, Getty Scholar, and NEH Public Scholar with degrees from Dartmouth, Yale, and the University of Pennsylvania, he is an active field archaeologist with more than 30 seasons of excavation and survey experience in Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Cyprus, Greece, Crete, and the United States, including ten seasons at the site of Megiddo (biblical Armageddon) in Israel, from which he retired after serving as Co-Director with Israel Finkelstein of TAU, and ten seasons at Tel Kabri, where he is currently Co-Director with Assaf Yasur-Landau of the University of Haifa. A two-time winner (2014 and 2018) of the "Nancy Lapp Best Popular Book" Award from the American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR) and three-time winner of the Biblical Archaeology Society's "Best Popular Book on Archaeology" Award (2001, 2009, and 2011), he and his two co-editors were recently (2019) awarded the G. Ernest Wright Book Award for best edited volume from the American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR). He is the author, co-author, editor, or co-editor of 22 books, including "The Battles of Armageddon: Megiddo and the Jezreel Valley from the Bronze Age to the Nuclear Age" (2000), "Jerusalem Besieged: From Ancient Canaan to Modern Israel" (2004), "From Eden to Exile: Unraveling Mysteries of the Bible" (2007), "Biblical Archaeology: A Very Short Introduction" (2009), "The Trojan War: A Very Short Introduction" (2013), "1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed" (2014; revised and updated 2021), "Three Stones Make a Wall: The Story of Archaeology" (2017), and "Digging Up Armageddon: The Search for the Lost City of Solomon" (2020), all written for the general public, and "Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea: International Trade and the Late Bronze Age Aegean (1994; 2009), "Amenhotep III: New Perspectives on His Reign" (1998), "Thutmose III: A New Biography" (2006), "Oxford Handbook of the Bronze Age Aegean" (2010), "Ancient Empires" (2011), "The Ahhiyawa Texts" (2011), "Ramesses III: The Life and Times of Egypt's Last Hero" (2012), and "The Social Archaeology of the Levant" (2019), all intended for scholarly audiences. He has also published more than 100 articles and reviews in scholarly journals, books, and festschriften, and recently served for six years as the co-editor, with Christopher Rollston, of the Bulletin of the American Society of Overseas Research (BASOR). One of his lectures based on "1177 BC" has been viewed more than six million times on YouTube; see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRcu-ysocX4&t=3084s.)edit
As the world faces multiple crises, lessons from humanity’s past can potentially suggest ways to decrease dis-ruptions and increase societal resilience. From 1200 to 1100 BCE, several advanced societies in the Eastern Mediterranean... more
As the world faces multiple crises, lessons from humanity’s past can potentially suggest ways to decrease dis-ruptions and increase societal resilience. From 1200 to 1100 BCE, several advanced societies in the Eastern Mediterranean suffered dramatic collapse. Though the causes of the Late Bronze Age Collapse are still debated, contributing factors may include a “perfect storm” of multiple stressors: social and economic upheaval, earth-quake clusters, climate change, and others. We examined how collapse might have propagated through the societies’ connections by modeling the Eastern Mediterranean Late Bronze Age trade and socio-political net-works. Our model shows that the Late Bronze Age societies made a robust network, where any single node’s collapse was insufficient to catalyze the regional collapse that historically transpired. However, modeled sce-narios indicate that some paired node disruptions could cause cascading failure within the network. Subse-quently, a holistic understanding of the region’s network incentive structures and feedback loops can help societies anticipate compounding risk conditions that might lead to widespread collapse and allow them to take appropriate actions to mitigate or adapt societal dependencies. Such network analyses may be able to provide insight as to how we can prevent a collapse of socio-political, economic and trade networks similar to what occurred at the end of the Late Bronze Age. Though such data-intensive analytics were unavailable to these Bronze Age regions, modern society may be able to leverage historical lessons in order to foster improved robustness and resilience to compounding threats. Our work shows that civilization collapses are preventable; we are not necessarily destined to collapse.
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Even after extensive research in the archives of the Oriental Institute (OI), the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), and the Rockefeller Foundation for my book Digging Up Armageddon (2020), a number of minor mysteries remained... more
Even after extensive research in the archives of the Oriental Institute (OI), the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), and the Rockefeller Foundation for my book Digging Up Armageddon (2020), a number of minor mysteries remained unresolved. Among them is the question of exactly what happened at Megiddo in mid-October 1925, when William F. Albright visited the site. Now, as a result of further research in two additional archives, the mystery has been partially solved, although questions still remain.
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The staff members from the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago who oversaw the excavations at Megiddo relied upon skilled Egyptian workmen (Quftis) as well as local labourers during their excavations from 1925-1939. However,... more
The staff members from the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago who oversaw the excavations at Megiddo relied upon skilled Egyptian workmen (Quftis) as well as local labourers during their excavations from 1925-1939. However, although there were more than fifty of these Egyptian workmen in all, only a few are mentioned in the preliminary and final publications produced by the project. They are what Stephen Quirke has called 'hidden hands' on excavations; an example of 'invisible labor', as discussed by anthropologists and sociologists. In any effort to reconstruct the lives and labours of these men, we are now at the mercy of what can be found in various archival sources. Data must be gleaned from, for example, requests for half-price railway vouchers for travel between Kantara and Haifa for specific workmen each season; field diary entries; black and white photographs; and occasional mentions in budgets or in passing within letters sent back and forth between Megiddo and Chicago. Still, from this fragmentary information, we can piece together a picture of these unsung members of the expedition, some of whom were present at Megiddo for more seasons than the ever-rotating members of the Chicago staff themselves.
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In 2021, a revised and updated version of 1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed was published, in order to include all the new data that had appeared in the intervening seven years. As noted there, we now have additional evidence for... more
In 2021, a revised and updated version of 1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed was published, in order to include all the new data that had appeared in the intervening seven years. As noted there, we now have additional evidence for drought and climate change around 1200 BCE, in regions stretching from Italy and Greece to Egypt, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Iran. There is also new textual evidence for both famine and invaders in Ugarit immediately prior to its destruction. As outlined in this essay, taken from arguments in the revised edition, I continue to believe that there was no single "smoking gun" that can explain the upheaval that ended the Bronze Age and that it took a "perfect storm" of catastrophes to bring the era to an end in these regions.
(Note that the responses to the article are not included here; they are by Guy Middleton, Raphael Greenberg, Norman Yoffee, Aren Maeir, and Louise Hitchcock, followed by my brief rejoinder.)
(Note that the responses to the article are not included here; they are by Guy Middleton, Raphael Greenberg, Norman Yoffee, Aren Maeir, and Louise Hitchcock, followed by my brief rejoinder.)
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In this chapter we apply the concepts of resilience theory and systemic risk to the Bronze Age Collapse. We contend that this was a case of synchronous failures driven by both long-term trends in interconnectedness and inequality, as well... more
In this chapter we apply the concepts of resilience theory and systemic risk to the Bronze Age Collapse. We contend that this was a case of synchronous failures driven by both long-term trends in interconnectedness and inequality, as well as external shocks such as climate change, warfare (including from hostile migration), rebellion, and earthquakes. This set off a chain reaction as the loss of key cities destabilised the trade-network and undermined state revenue, leading to further rebellion, migration, and warfare. Eventually, enough cities were destroyed to undermine the economic, cultural, and political fabric that held the Bronze Age together. Many states recovered and displayed resilience through the Bronze Age systems collapse. No two states were alike in their resilience. The Neo-Assyrians persisted by moving from a strategy of trade to conquest. The surviving Hittites in northern Syria, in contrast, relied on the modularity of their semi-feudal structure. Systemic risk and resilience are helpful lens for viewing the Bronze Age collapse and recovery, as well as taking lessons for the modern globalised world. It at least provides historical grounds for believing that synchronous failures can happen and can be lethal to states.
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In this brief paper, we consider and apply the concept of Panarchy and the Adaptive Cycle to a case study from the ancient world, specifically the Mycenaeans at the end of the second millennium BCE. We suggest that the collapse of elite... more
In this brief paper, we consider and apply the concept of Panarchy and the Adaptive Cycle to a case study from the ancient world, specifically the Mycenaeans at the end of the second millennium BCE. We suggest that the collapse of elite Mycenaean society can be conceptualized as a result of its over-reliance on a hypernetworked international system, whose disintegration brought about a cascading event upon the Aegean World. It may be useful to view the events in this area in terms of regional adaptive cycles and their engagement within and upon broader interconnected systems (Panarchy).
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For years there has been much speculation surrounding the abandonment of the Middle Bronze Age IIB palace of Tel Kabri, ca. 1700 BCE. There are no weapons, hoards of money and jewelry, or visible evidence for fire, which rules out hostile... more
For years there has been much speculation surrounding the abandonment of the Middle Bronze Age IIB palace of Tel Kabri, ca. 1700 BCE. There are no weapons, hoards of money and jewelry, or visible evidence for fire, which rules out hostile attack or conquest. There are also no indications of drought or environmental degradation that might have forced the inhabitants to vacate the site, nor mass graveyards to indicate a pandemic. The current study uses micro-geoarchaeological methods to show that the demise of the palace was rapid, with walls and ceilings collapsing at once prior to abandonment. Macroscopic data (stratigraphic and structural) from five excavation seasons were reexamined, showing that at least nine Potential Earthquake Archaeological Effects (PEAEs) are found and associated with the last occupation phase of the site's palace. All lines of evidence point to the possibility that an earthquake damaged the palace, possibly to a point where it was no longer economically viable to repair. This conclusion is compounded by the discovery of a 1-3 m wide trench that cuts through the palace for 30 m, which may be the result of ground shaking or liquefaction caused by an earthquake. This study shows the importance of combining macro-and micro-archaeological methods for the identification of ancient earthquakes, together with the need to evaluate alternative scenarios of climatic, environmental, and economic collapse, as well as human-induced destruction before a seismic event scenario can be proposed.
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In 1925, James Henry Breasted, famed Egyptologist and director of the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago, sent a team of archaeologists to the Holy Land to excavate the ancient site of Megiddo-Armageddon in the New... more
In 1925, James Henry Breasted, famed Egyptologist and director of the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago, sent a team of archaeologists to the Holy Land to excavate the ancient site of Megiddo-Armageddon in the New Testament-which the Bible says was fortified by King Solomon. Their excavations made headlines around the world and shed light on one of the most legendary cities of biblical times, yet little has been written about what happened behind the scenes. Digging Up Armageddon brings to life one of the most important archaeological expeditions ever undertaken, describing the site and what was found there, including discoveries of gold and ivory, and providing an up-close look at the internal workings of a dig in the early years of biblical archaeology. The Chicago team left behind a trove of writings and correspondence spanning more than three decades, from letters and cablegrams to cards, notes, and diaries. Eric Cline draws on these materials to paint a compelling portrait of a bygone age of archaeology. He masterfully sets the expedition against the backdrop of the Great Depression in America and the growing troubles and tensions in British Mandate Palestine. He gives readers an insider's perspective on the debates over what was uncovered at Megiddo, the infighting that roiled the expedition, and the stunning discoveries that transformed our understanding of the ancient world. Digging Up Armageddon is the enthralling story of an archaeological site in the interwar years and its remarkable place at the crossroads of history.
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Excerpt: Dig ging Up Armageddon Cour tesy of the Ori en tal Insti tute of the Uni ver si ty of Chicago. Few peo ple today real ize that Armaged don is a real place, but it cer tain ly is. The very word "Armaged don" comes from "Har Megid... more
Excerpt: Dig ging Up Armageddon Cour tesy of the Ori en tal Insti tute of the Uni ver si ty of Chicago. Few peo ple today real ize that Armaged don is a real place, but it cer tain ly is. The very word "Armaged don" comes from "Har Megid do"-Hebrew for the "mound" or "moun tain" (har) of Megid do. [1] By the Mid dle Ages, mul ti ple nation al i ties, languages , and cen turies had added an "n" and dropped the "h," trans form ing "Har Megid do" to "Har maged don" and thence to "Armaged don." The ancient site of Megid do, locat ed now in the Jezreel Val ley of mod ern Israel, is actu al ly men tioned a dozen times in the Hebrew Bible, and in a mul ti tude of oth er ancient texts, but it is espe cial ly well-known as the set ting in the New Tes ta ment for the penul ti mate bat tle between the forces of good and the forces of evil. We are told in Rev e la tion 16:16 that the two oppos ing armies will assem ble "at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon." Megid do has been at the cen ter of bib li cal archae ol o gy for more than a cen tu ry. It is par tic u lar famous for dis cov er ies such as "Solomon's Sta bles" (which are prob a bly not Solomon's and might not be sta bles), as well as the water tun nel, the Megid do ivories, the Sheshonq frag ment, and so on. Categories
This is the transcript of my Plenary Address given at the ASOR annual meetings in San Diego on 20 November 2019. The video is posted on YouTube and can be viewed at https://youtu.be/LvfU1YNf0L4 .
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This is the transcript of my Plenary Address given at the ASOR annual meetings in San Diego on 20 November 2019. The video is posted on YouTube and can be viewed at https://youtu.be/LvfU1YNf0L4 .
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... bb 1. history of research (james d. muhly),. /bb 2. chronology and terminology (sturt w. manning),. /bb section ii: chronology and geography -. /bb 3. neolithic antecedents (peter tomkins),. ... bb 41. kommos (joseph and maria shaw),.... more
... bb 1. history of research (james d. muhly),. /bb 2. chronology and terminology (sturt w. manning),. /bb section ii: chronology and geography -. /bb 3. neolithic antecedents (peter tomkins),. ... bb 41. kommos (joseph and maria shaw),. /bb 42. malia (jan driessen),. /bb 43. ...
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ABSTRACT
An investigation of the objects of probable Anatolian, Cypriot, Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and Syro-Palestinian origin found in Late Bronze Age contexts in the Aegean area reveals a surprisingly large number and variety of such imports. Some... more
An investigation of the objects of probable Anatolian, Cypriot, Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and Syro-Palestinian origin found in Late Bronze Age contexts in the Aegean area reveals a surprisingly large number and variety of such imports. Some 842 artifacts, including scarabs, ...
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© 2000 The Johns Hopkins University Press All rights reserved. Published 2000 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper Johns Hopkins Paperbacks edition, 2002 987654321 The Johns Hopkins University Press 2715 North... more
© 2000 The Johns Hopkins University Press All rights reserved. Published 2000 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper Johns Hopkins Paperbacks edition, 2002 987654321 The Johns Hopkins University Press 2715 North Charles Street Baltimore, Maryland ...
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Conclusions), B. deliberately considers only their actual use and final deposition rather than where they were made or the means by which they arrived in the Aegean. He does this 'to direct attention away from the... more
Conclusions), B. deliberately considers only their actual use and final deposition rather than where they were made or the means by which they arrived in the Aegean. He does this 'to direct attention away from the intention of the artist and the motivation of the merchant, toward the agency of the consumer'(p. 4). B. is completely dependent upon two catalogues in which such imported Egyptian and Near Eastern objects had been previously identified and compiled; one by the present author and one by C. Lambrou-Phillipson. B. admits he ...
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External Relations of Early Iron Age Crete, 1100-600 BC by Eric H. Cline by DONALD W. JONES. Archaeological Institute of America, Monographs New Series, vol. 4. Philadelphia: THE UNIVERSITY MUSEUM, 2000. Pp. x + 395, illus. $118.95.... more
External Relations of Early Iron Age Crete, 1100-600 BC by Eric H. Cline by DONALD W. JONES. Archaeological Institute of America, Monographs New Series, vol. 4. Philadelphia: THE UNIVERSITY MUSEUM, 2000. Pp. x + 395, illus. $118.95. [Distribut.
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Page 1. I ATHENA e visited DITED BY MARY R. LEFKOWITZ AMD CUV MACLEAN ROCERS Page 2. Page 3. BLACK ATHENA REVISITED Page 4. Page 5. BLACKATHENA REVISITED EDITED BY Mary R. Guy MacLean ...
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Tel Mor presents the results of a six-month excavation conducted nearly 50 years ago, in 1959/1960, by the late Moshe Dothan. Prior to the publication of this lengthy volume, the excavation results had only been available as a few... more
Tel Mor presents the results of a six-month excavation conducted nearly 50 years ago, in 1959/1960, by the late Moshe Dothan. Prior to the publication of this lengthy volume, the excavation results had only been available as a few preliminary two-and three-page notes published ...
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The Fight for Jerusalem is not written for academics but for a general audience. In it, Gold, a former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, argues that Jerusalem must remain under Israeli sovereignty and only then can" peace be... more
The Fight for Jerusalem is not written for academics but for a general audience. In it, Gold, a former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, argues that Jerusalem must remain under Israeli sovereignty and only then can" peace be safeguarded," for" Muslim Palestinians are looking to obliterate other faiths" from the city. The first two-thirds of the book contain historical material on the relationship between Jerusalem and Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, respectively, from antiquity through the Middle Ages and beyond, and then the ...
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"During the summer of 2011, a two-room monumental structure was found at the site of Tel Kabri in Israel. Designated as the “Orthostat Building” because of its extensive use of orthostats and paving slabs found still in situ, the... more
"During the summer of 2011, a two-room monumental structure was found at the site of
Tel Kabri in Israel. Designated as the “Orthostat Building” because of its extensive use
of orthostats and paving slabs found still in situ, the location, plan, and architectural features
of this building raise questions about its function and relation to the palace of Kabri
and its chronological phasing within the palace’s history. The use of orthostats and ashlar
paving stones, which is otherwise rather rare in Middle Bronze Age structures in Canaan,
calls for a reevaluation of the impact of Syrian and Aegean architecture on the Kabri palace,
in view of the already
established Aegean influence on the site. The building, with its
elaborate interior design and features, was erected at the same time that other great architectural
changes took place in the palace of Kabri, including a thickening of the palace
walls. These changes, although possibly simply functional, are also suggestive of deliberate
choices by the palace elite to exemplify their power to the local population while at the
same time attempting to follow the greater Mediterranean trends of their time."
This article made it to the : 10 Most Influential BASOR Articles, see link below
Tel Kabri in Israel. Designated as the “Orthostat Building” because of its extensive use
of orthostats and paving slabs found still in situ, the location, plan, and architectural features
of this building raise questions about its function and relation to the palace of Kabri
and its chronological phasing within the palace’s history. The use of orthostats and ashlar
paving stones, which is otherwise rather rare in Middle Bronze Age structures in Canaan,
calls for a reevaluation of the impact of Syrian and Aegean architecture on the Kabri palace,
in view of the already
established Aegean influence on the site. The building, with its
elaborate interior design and features, was erected at the same time that other great architectural
changes took place in the palace of Kabri, including a thickening of the palace
walls. These changes, although possibly simply functional, are also suggestive of deliberate
choices by the palace elite to exemplify their power to the local population while at the
same time attempting to follow the greater Mediterranean trends of their time."
This article made it to the : 10 Most Influential BASOR Articles, see link below
ABSTRACT
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ABSTRACT
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A number of articles have been written about monkeys and monkey representations in ancient Egypt, Anatolia and Mesopotamia.' A few additional articles and books have discussed monkeys in the Aegean area, primarily as... more
A number of articles have been written about monkeys and monkey representations in ancient Egypt, Anatolia and Mesopotamia.' A few additional articles and books have discussed monkeys in the Aegean area, primarily as an aside to other issues.2 Both Marinatos and Langdon ...
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Abstract: During the Middle Bronze Age (MB) II period (ca. 1750–1600 BC), Tel Kabri, located in the western Galilee, Israel, was the center of a thriving polity with economic and cultural connections to Egypt, Cyprus, and the Aegean.... more
Abstract: During the Middle Bronze Age (MB) II period (ca. 1750–1600 BC), Tel Kabri, located in the western Galilee, Israel, was the center of a thriving polity with economic and cultural connections to Egypt, Cyprus, and the Aegean. While Kabri and some neighboring sites have been partially excavated, the rise and fall of the polity has not been clearly understood. We present evidence from the Kabri Archaeological Project (KAP) to reconstruct shifting settlement patterns, demography, and aspects of trade in the Kabri hinterland from ...
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Two fragments of a faience plaque with the cartouche of Amenhotep III, found at Mycenae by Taylour in 1968 and 1969, are demonstrated to be fragments from one of at least six, and possibly as many as nine, Egyptian faience plaques found... more
Two fragments of a faience plaque with the cartouche of Amenhotep III, found at Mycenae by Taylour in 1968 and 1969, are demonstrated to be fragments from one of at least six, and possibly as many as nine, Egyptian faience plaques found at this site. Eleven such fragments have been unearthed at Mycenae since 1886, all in probable LH IIIB contexts. Taylour's fragments provide valuable information for a new reconstruction of all the Egyptian faience plaques found at this site. These plaques were originally rectangular, of white ...
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Modern archaeology in the Near East has paid little attention to construction materials and techniques of monumental architecture within the forming cities of the Bronze Age. We present here a study of plastered surfaces in a Middle... more
Modern archaeology in the Near East has paid little attention to construction materials and techniques of monumental architecture within the forming cities of the Bronze Age. We present here a study of plastered surfaces in a Middle Bronze Age palace located at Tel Kabri, a Canaanite polity in the southern Levant that was connected to the Aegean world. Recent excavations uncovered many plastered surfaces within the palace and several satellite monumental structures. In order to identify the types of plaster used in construction and maintenance of the site, as well as understand spatiotemporal patterns associated with the use of plaster, we systematically sampled plaster floors and possible wall/ceiling plaster in more than ten room contexts within five monumental structures. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and polarized light microscopy (micromorphology) were used in tandem, demonstrating that two types of plasters exist at the site – geogenic, prepared from crushed/pul-verized chalk and pressed into flat surfaces, and pyrogenic lime plaster. Lime plaster appears to have been prepared using the cold manufacture technique, i.e., from aged lime putty, and was often applied as coats, indicating maintenance. A most surprising observation is the identification of lime plaster tempered by chaff. To our knowledge, such a technology has not been identified previously and is not reported ethnographically or historically. Spatial patterns reveal that lime plaster was applied in contexts of high distinction (e.g., ceremonial, ritual) while geogenic plaster underlined contexts of more domestic nature (e.g., residential, storage). Temporal changes in plaster technology have not been identified throughout the life span of the palace. The rather limited use of lime plaster may be related to craft specialization and/or environmental impact. Future research should focus on systematic studies in other monumental structures in order to allow understanding of technology transfer and interconnectedness in the ancient Near East.
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A recent set of radiocarbon dates, run by the Oxford laboratory, has returned results considerably higher than expected for several phases of the Middle Bronze Age Canaanite palace at Tel Kabri. The samples suggest a date that is at least... more
A recent set of radiocarbon dates, run by the Oxford laboratory, has returned results considerably higher than expected for several phases of the Middle Bronze Age Canaanite palace at Tel Kabri. The samples suggest a date that is at least a century earlier than expected, which would indicate that miniature frescoes were being painted at Kabri well before their appearance at Santorini. The dates also bring back into play a possible narrative of an artistic influence that traveled from east to west, rather than the opposite, just as Woolley originally suggested when excavating at Alalakh. However, the situation could conceivably also be much more complex and not nearly as linear in one direction or the other. Moreover, it remains to be seen if the radiocarbon dates are accurate; we will be retrieving more samples and dating them in coming seasons.
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ABSTRACT The second millennium BC palaces along the coast of the southern Levant served as political and ideological centers of small, seaside polities. The seeming lack of literate administration and the evidence for non-intensive... more
ABSTRACT The second millennium BC palaces along the coast of the southern Levant served as political and ideological centers of small, seaside polities. The seeming lack of literate administration and the evidence for non-intensive subsistence practices suggest, however, that a different political economic infrastructure lay at the foundation of these south Levantine peers to the palaces in Knossos and Mari. An analysis of the faunal remains from the Middle Bronze Age palace at Tel Kabri shows persistence of low-intensity traditional economy as the palace underwent a phase of territorial and cultural growth. Changes in butchery practices and culinary habits at that time resonate elite emulation of their peers across the sea, in resemblance to other fields of material culture. Our conclusion is that a palatial culture, complete with eastern Mediterranean elite trappings, could be grafted in the southern Levant to a stock of traditional and non-specialized economy with no literate administration.
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Before 3000 BC, when there was no unified Egyptian state that controlled the entirety of the Nile Valley, the various communities along the shores of the Nile were already trading with each other and with people further afield. Close ties... more
Before 3000 BC, when there was no unified Egyptian state that controlled the entirety of the Nile Valley, the various communities along the shores of the Nile were already trading with each other and with people further afield. Close ties with communities in Canaan, and through these with regions further to the north, are evident from the numerous Sumerian- and Elamite- inspired elements in Late Predynastic and Early Dynastic ruler iconography. From Dynasty 6 (ca. 2345–2181 BC) onward, Egyptian texts speak of “Byblos ships,” an indication of the growing importance of maritime trade, especially with the coastal city of Byblos (in modern- day Leba-non). Through this and other Levantine trading centers, Egypt was connected to the world beyond, including the Aegean littoral. Increasing numbers of imported materials, objects, ideas, and even foreign people attest to Egypt's ever- widening horizon until, at the beginning of the second millennium BC, an international age began that witnessed unprecedented contact between the various regions of the ancient Mediterranean.
This paper offers an overview of that age of intense connections, focusing especially on Egyptian interaction with the Aegean world during the Middle and Late Bronze Age.
This paper offers an overview of that age of intense connections, focusing especially on Egyptian interaction with the Aegean world during the Middle and Late Bronze Age.
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The mid- second millennium BC was a period of unprecedented contact between Egypt and the Aegean. It was long thought that most of the contact between these two regions was indirect and largely controlled by Cypriote and Levantine... more
The mid- second millennium BC was a period of unprecedented contact between Egypt and the Aegean. It was long thought that most of the contact between these two regions was indirect and largely controlled by Cypriote and Levantine middlemen. Recent discover-ies (for example, the Minoan- style frescoes at Tell el- Dab‘a and new interpretations of known material (such as the new reconstruction of the Gurob ship- cart model or the identification of Mycenaeans on a pictorial papyrus from Tell el- ‘Amarna have made this scenario increasingly tenuous; and evidence suggests that there was, in fact, significant direct contact between Egypt and the Aegean. The means by which this contact was maintained, however, still largely escape the archaeologist's gaze. Nonetheless, through analysis of contempo-rary texts and the archaeological record, it is possible to recon-struct some aspects of interstate contact, including the types of ships that were used and the people they may have carried, the sea routes traversed, and the persons and institutions that prompted the voyages across the “Great Green.”
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Research Interests:
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This is an interview to Professors E. Cline and C. Rollston from The George Washington University.
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While the study of material from the recent excavation seasons is still underway, it is the aim of this article to present an updated picture of the finds from the last phase of the palace, and to draw initial conclusions regarding room... more
While the study of material from the recent
excavation seasons is still underway, it is the aim
of this article to present an updated picture of the
finds from the last phase of the palace, and to draw
initial conclusions regarding room function that will
contribute to the understanding of life within such a
Mediterranean palace.
excavation seasons is still underway, it is the aim
of this article to present an updated picture of the
finds from the last phase of the palace, and to draw
initial conclusions regarding room function that will
contribute to the understanding of life within such a
Mediterranean palace.
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.
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ABSTRACT: Analysis of satellite imagery covering Egypt between 2002 and 2013 indicates a significant increase in looting and other damage to archaeological sites. Looting escalated dramatically from 2009 with the onset of the global... more
ABSTRACT: Analysis of satellite imagery covering Egypt between 2002 and 2013 indicates a significant increase in looting and other damage to archaeological sites. Looting escalated dramatically from 2009 with the onset of the global economic crisis, and intensified still further with the Arab Spring in 2011. This was mirrored by an increased volume of Egyptian artefacts sold at auction, suggesting that looting is driven by external demand as well as by internal economic pressures. Satellite analysis can be used to predict the type and period of antiquities entering the market, thereby providing valuable intelligence for international policing of the illicit antiquities trade.
Research Interests: Ancient History, Archaeology, Egyptology, Heritage Conservation, Satellite remote sensing, and 50 moreGraeco-Roman Egypt, Cultural Heritage Management, Middle Kingdom necropoleis (Egyptology), Ptolemaic (Egyptology), Illicit Antiquities Trade, Old Kingdom (Egyptology), Second Intermediate Period (Egyptology), New Kingdom (Archaeology), New Kingdom (Egyptology), Third Intermediate Period, Ptolemaic Period, Roman Egypt, Middle Kingdom, Protection of cultural heritage, Ptolemaic Egypt, Ancient Egypt, Cultural Property Law, Abydos, Google Earth, Middle Kingdom (Egyptology), Medieval Cairo, Archaeology; Looting, Medieval Egypt, First Intermediate Period, Protection of Cultural Heritage from Illicit Trafficking, Repatriation of Antiquities, Karnak, Abusir, Google Earth as a research tool, Giza, Arab Spring (Arab Revolts), Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt, Old Kingdom private tombs, Antiquities Looting, Dahshur, Late Period in ancient Egypt, Lisht, Sotheby Auction, Memphis necropolis, Karnak Temple, Antiquities Theft, Conservation of Antiquities and Works of Art, El Hibeh, Global Antiquities Market, Antiquities Dealers, Tell ed-Dab'a (Avaris), Tell ed-Daba (Avaris), GoogleEarth Pro, Middle East Antiquities, Peru Antiquities, and Cambodia Antiquities(Graeco-Roman Egypt, Cultural Heritage Management, Middle Kingdom necropoleis (Egyptology), Ptolemaic (Egyptology), Illicit Antiquities Trade, Old Kingdom (Egyptology), Second Intermediate Period (Egyptology), New Kingdom (Archaeology), New Kingdom (Egyptology), Third Intermediate Period, Ptolemaic Period, Roman Egypt, Middle Kingdom, Protection of cultural heritage, Ptolemaic Egypt, Ancient Egypt, Cultural Property Law, Abydos, Google Earth, Middle Kingdom (Egyptology), Medieval Cairo, Archaeology; Looting, Medieval Egypt, First Intermediate Period, Protection of Cultural Heritage from Illicit Trafficking, Repatriation of Antiquities, Karnak, Abusir, Google Earth as a research tool, Giza, Arab Spring (Arab Revolts), Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt, Old Kingdom private tombs, Antiquities Looting, Dahshur, Late Period in ancient Egypt, Lisht, Sotheby Auction, Memphis necropolis, Karnak Temple, Antiquities Theft, Conservation of Antiquities and Works of Art, El Hibeh, Global Antiquities Market, Antiquities Dealers, Tell ed-Dab'a (Avaris), Tell ed-Daba (Avaris), GoogleEarth Pro, Middle East Antiquities, Peru Antiquities, and Cambodia Antiquities)
(Graeco-Roman Egypt, Cultural Heritage Management, Middle Kingdom necropoleis (Egyptology), Ptolemaic (Egyptology), Illicit Antiquities Trade, Old Kingdom (Egyptology), Second Intermediate Period (Egyptology), New Kingdom (Archaeology), New Kingdom (Egyptology), Third Intermediate Period, Ptolemaic Period, Roman Egypt, Middle Kingdom, Protection of cultural heritage, Ptolemaic Egypt, Ancient Egypt, Cultural Property Law, Abydos, Google Earth, Middle Kingdom (Egyptology), Medieval Cairo, Archaeology; Looting, Medieval Egypt, First Intermediate Period, Protection of Cultural Heritage from Illicit Trafficking, Repatriation of Antiquities, Karnak, Abusir, Google Earth as a research tool, Giza, Arab Spring (Arab Revolts), Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt, Old Kingdom private tombs, Antiquities Looting, Dahshur, Late Period in ancient Egypt, Lisht, Sotheby Auction, Memphis necropolis, Karnak Temple, Antiquities Theft, Conservation of Antiquities and Works of Art, El Hibeh, Global Antiquities Market, Antiquities Dealers, Tell ed-Dab'a (Avaris), Tell ed-Daba (Avaris), GoogleEarth Pro, Middle East Antiquities, Peru Antiquities, and Cambodia Antiquities)
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Note that these are proofs and the page numbers are incorrect; the published version is pp. 209-219.
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, International Trade, Aegean Bronze Age (Bronze Age Archaeology), Aegean Prehistory (Archaeology), Late Bronze Age archaeology, and 6 moreAegean Archaeology, Bronze Age (Archaeology), Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Aegean Late Bronze Age, Aegean Prehistory, and Political and cultural history of Ancient Egypt, the contacts between the Mycenaean world and Egypt, history of religions of the Bronze Age Eastern Mediterranean(Aegean Archaeology, Bronze Age (Archaeology), Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Aegean Late Bronze Age, Aegean Prehistory, and Political and cultural history of Ancient Egypt, the contacts between the Mycenaean world and Egypt, history of religions of the Bronze Age Eastern Mediterranean)
(Aegean Archaeology, Bronze Age (Archaeology), Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Aegean Late Bronze Age, Aegean Prehistory, and Political and cultural history of Ancient Egypt, the contacts between the Mycenaean world and Egypt, history of religions of the Bronze Age Eastern Mediterranean)
A recent set of radiocarbon dates, run by the Oxford laboratory, has returned results considerably higher than expected for several phases of the Middle Bronze Age Canaanite palace at Tel Kabri. The samples suggest a date that is at least... more
A recent set of radiocarbon dates, run by the Oxford laboratory, has returned results considerably higher than expected for several phases of the Middle Bronze Age Canaanite palace at Tel Kabri. The samples suggest a date that is at least a century earlier than expected, which would indicate that miniature frescoes were being painted at Kabri well before their appearance at Santorini. The dates also bring back into play a possible narrative of an artistic influence that traveled from east to west, rather than the opposite, just as Woolley originally suggested when excavating at Alalakh. However, the situation could conceivably also be much more complex and not nearly as linear in one direction or the other. Moreover, it remains to be seen if the radiocarbon dates are accurate; we will be retrieving more samples and dating them in coming seasons.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This article presents new radiocarbon evidence from the Middle Bronze Age palatial site of Tel Kabri (Israel). The final phase of the palace (Phase III) can be dated to Middle Bronze Age II, with an end date around the transition from... more
This article presents new radiocarbon evidence from the Middle Bronze Age palatial site of Tel Kabri (Israel). The final phase of the palace (Phase III) can be dated to Middle Bronze Age II, with an end date around the transition from Middle Bronze II to III or very early in Middle Bronze III. According to our 14C data, the end of Tel Kabri Phase III (and thus the transition from Middle Bronze II to III) can be dated to ~1700 BC. This date is about 50–100 yr earlier than traditional chronological models for the Middle Bronze Age propose (~1650 BC according to the traditional chronology or ~1600 BC according to the low chronology). 14C data from Tel Kabri thus add additional evidence for a higher Middle Bronze Age chronology for the Levant, consistent with recent 14C evidence from Tell el-Dabca (Egypt), Tel Ifshar (Israel), and Tell el-Burak (Lebanon).
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The debates about the Conquest of Israel have been long and drawn out affairs, from the days of Albrecht Alt and Martin Noth to the present decade. All other things aside, recent discoveries allow us to investigate again the specific... more
The debates about the Conquest of Israel have been long and drawn out affairs, from the days of Albrecht Alt and Martin Noth to the present decade. All other things aside, recent discoveries allow us to investigate again the specific reason why the Israelites and Philistines were able to establish a foothold in the land of Canaan, namely the power vacuum that was created by the collapse of the Late Bronze Age kingdoms and empires in the ancient Near East in the decades after 1200 BC. The following material is adapted from my recent book 1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed (© Princeton University Press, 2014).
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Here we explore aspects of Canaanite palatial economy through an analysis of finds from the Middle Bronze Age palace at Tel Kabri, a 34 ha site located in the western Galilee of modern day Israel. The palace was founded in the middle part... more
Here we explore aspects of Canaanite palatial economy through an analysis of finds from the Middle Bronze Age palace at Tel Kabri, a 34 ha site located in the western Galilee of modern day Israel. The palace was founded in the middle part of the MBA I period, and continued without interruption until an advanced part of the MBA II period. Despite the fact that the Kabri palace was vast (perhaps up to 6000 sq m), functioned as the center of a polity, and could commission wall and floor paintings in an Aegean style, there are no signs of literate administration, or even administrative use of sealings. Patterns of animal husbandry, textile production, pottery manufacture and consumption, and storage within the palace all provide evidence that the palace behaved economically much more like an estate than a redistributive center. Our hypothesis is that the palace had aspects of an Oikos economy, i.e., that it functioned as a large household—richer and more populous than other households of the period, but with minimal involvement in the economy of the private sector. This contrasts with the contemporary polities in Syria, such as Alalakh and Ebla, as well as possibly its neighbor to the east, Tel Hazor, which had literate administrations and redistributive economies during this same period.
Research Interests:
In this paper, we explore the cohesiveness of the social network that connected the Great Powers during the 14th century BCE, by concentrating on the archive found at Amarna. The evidence of the tablets implies that the Bronze Age rulers,... more
In this paper, we explore the cohesiveness of the social network that connected the Great Powers during the 14th century BCE, by concentrating on the archive found at Amarna. The evidence of the tablets implies that the Bronze Age rulers, vassal kings, merchants, and messengers of the day optimized the existing
diplomatic, mercantile, and communication networks for maximum efficiency. What we wish to emphasize is the very high quality of evidence that we have in these royal letters about the social relationships between individuals. Not only do we know who wrote to whom and how often, but we also have wonderfully
detailed evidence within the correspondence of efforts to be close to one another, as well as feelings of anger at each other or even tension and mistrust. All of it is their social world and it is clear from these letters that the Bronze Age Eastern Mediterranean was actually a measureable Small World, according to terminology
used by Social Network Analysis.
diplomatic, mercantile, and communication networks for maximum efficiency. What we wish to emphasize is the very high quality of evidence that we have in these royal letters about the social relationships between individuals. Not only do we know who wrote to whom and how often, but we also have wonderfully
detailed evidence within the correspondence of efforts to be close to one another, as well as feelings of anger at each other or even tension and mistrust. All of it is their social world and it is clear from these letters that the Bronze Age Eastern Mediterranean was actually a measureable Small World, according to terminology
used by Social Network Analysis.
Research Interests: Levantine Archaeology, Aegean Bronze Age (Bronze Age Archaeology), Social Network Analysis (SNA), Aegean Prehistory (Archaeology), Aegean Egyptian Interrelatlations, and 14 moreAmarna Letters, Late Bronze Age archaeology, Aegean Archaeology, Amarna Studies, Aegean Late Bronze Age, The Amarna Period, Amarna Egypt, Late Bronze Age, 1) cultural interconnections and trade (Egypt and Levant), Amarna, Late Bronze Age Levant and new kingdom Egypt, Archaeology of the Levant, Amarna Period, and Tell El-Amarna(Amarna Letters, Late Bronze Age archaeology, Aegean Archaeology, Amarna Studies, Aegean Late Bronze Age, The Amarna Period, Amarna Egypt, Late Bronze Age, 1) cultural interconnections and trade (Egypt and Levant), Amarna, Late Bronze Age Levant and new kingdom Egypt, Archaeology of the Levant, Amarna Period, and Tell El-Amarna)
(Amarna Letters, Late Bronze Age archaeology, Aegean Archaeology, Amarna Studies, Aegean Late Bronze Age, The Amarna Period, Amarna Egypt, Late Bronze Age, 1) cultural interconnections and trade (Egypt and Levant), Amarna, Late Bronze Age Levant and new kingdom Egypt, Archaeology of the Levant, Amarna Period, and Tell El-Amarna)
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Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The 2017 excavations at Tel Kabri, the capital of a Middle Bronze Age Canaanite kingdom located in the western Galilee region of modern Israel, lasted from 18 June to 27 July 2017. Highlights of the season included uncovering a courtyard... more
The 2017 excavations at Tel Kabri, the capital of a Middle Bronze Age Canaanite
kingdom located in the western Galilee region of modern Israel, lasted from 18 June to
27 July 2017. Highlights of the season included uncovering a courtyard of the palace
with rich material culture deposits; massive architecture belonging to phase 4 of the
palace ("the painted palace"); and additional data on the "northern complex" belonging
to both phase 4 and phase 3 ("the wine palace"). In addition, a solidly built Iron Age
structure was unexpectedly found, located above the MB palace courtyard.
kingdom located in the western Galilee region of modern Israel, lasted from 18 June to
27 July 2017. Highlights of the season included uncovering a courtyard of the palace
with rich material culture deposits; massive architecture belonging to phase 4 of the
palace ("the painted palace"); and additional data on the "northern complex" belonging
to both phase 4 and phase 3 ("the wine palace"). In addition, a solidly built Iron Age
structure was unexpectedly found, located above the MB palace courtyard.
Research Interests:
The 2015 excavations at Tel Kabri, the capital of a Middle Bronze Age Canaanite kingdom located in the western Galilee region of modern Israel, lasted from 14 June to 9 July 2015. Highlights of the season included the discovery of three... more
The 2015 excavations at Tel Kabri, the capital of a Middle Bronze Age Canaanite kingdom located in the western Galilee region of modern Israel, lasted from 14 June to 9 July 2015. Highlights of the season included the discovery of three more rooms containing a minimum of 70 jars, connected to the original “wine cellar” (Room 2440) discovered in 2013. Combining these with the discoveries of the 2013 season, we can now confidently report that we have located a southern storage complex belonging to the palace, with at least 110 restorable jars still in situ within four storage rooms, as well as a different building complex with additional jars in what might be a fifth storage room located to the northwest. Organic Residue Analysis is currently being conducted on each jar, in order to determine the contents.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
In this intriguing series of lectures, prolific researcher, author, and George Washington University professor Eric H. Cline delves into the history of ancient Greece, frequently considered to be the founding nation of democracy in... more
In this intriguing series of lectures, prolific researcher, author, and George Washington University professor Eric H. Cline delves into the history of ancient Greece, frequently considered to be the founding nation of democracy in Western civilization. From the Minoans to the Mycenaeans to the Trojan War and the first Olympics, the history of this remarkable civilization abounds with momentous events and cultural landmarks that resonate through the millennia.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
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, Ceramic Technology, and 14 moreFTIR spectroscopy, Survey (Archaeological Method & Theory), Ancient Near East, Sedimentary provenance, Ceramics (Archaeology), Middle Bronze Age, Provenance studies of archaeological material, Ceramic Petrography, Levant, Middle Bronze Age Syria, Palaces, Ceramic Analysis Archaeology, Pottery Archaeology, and Tel Kabri(FTIR spectroscopy, Survey (Archaeological Method & Theory), Ancient Near East, Sedimentary provenance, Ceramics (Archaeology), Middle Bronze Age, Provenance studies of archaeological material, Ceramic Petrography, Levant, Middle Bronze Age Syria, Palaces, Ceramic Analysis Archaeology, Pottery Archaeology, and Tel Kabri)
(FTIR spectroscopy, Survey (Archaeological Method & Theory), Ancient Near East, Sedimentary provenance, Ceramics (Archaeology), Middle Bronze Age, Provenance studies of archaeological material, Ceramic Petrography, Levant, Middle Bronze Age Syria, Palaces, Ceramic Analysis Archaeology, Pottery Archaeology, and Tel Kabri)
Research Interests:
An investigation of the objects of probable Anatolian, Cypriot, Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and Syro-Palestinian origin found in Late Bronze Age contexts in the Aegean area reveals a surprisingly large number and variety of such imports. Some... more
An investigation of the objects of probable Anatolian, Cypriot, Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and Syro-Palestinian origin found in Late Bronze Age contexts in the Aegean area reveals a surprisingly large number and variety of such imports. Some 842 artifacts, including scarabs, ...
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During the 2017 excavation season at Tel Kabri, Iron Age remains were found cutting into the western part of the Middle Bronze Age palace. These remains consisted of a segment of a large structure and a series of sizable pits. Similar... more
During the 2017 excavation season at Tel Kabri, Iron Age remains
were found cutting into the western part of the Middle Bronze
Age palace. These remains consisted of a segment of a large
structure and a series of sizable pits. Similar Iron Age remains
were unearthed during previous soundings in Areas D and F of
the excavation and were loosely dated to the Iron Age II. The
ceramic assemblage from these soundings demonstrated a
disproportionate number of imports and cooking pots, which
prompted the excavators to suggest that the lower settlement
was engaged in the processing of agricultural products connected
to the nearby forts located elsewhere on the tell. A recent reexamination of the pottery from the previous excavations suggest
that the forts could have only existed during the Iron Age IIA and
IIC. Our examination of the pottery indicates that the imports can
be dated to the Iron Age IIA, while the large number of cooking
pots should mostly be dated to the Iron Age IIC. We would
therefore like to suggest a new interpretation for the function of
the lower settlement at Kabri during the Iron Age II in relation to
the forts and the political reality in the Galilee at that time.
were found cutting into the western part of the Middle Bronze
Age palace. These remains consisted of a segment of a large
structure and a series of sizable pits. Similar Iron Age remains
were unearthed during previous soundings in Areas D and F of
the excavation and were loosely dated to the Iron Age II. The
ceramic assemblage from these soundings demonstrated a
disproportionate number of imports and cooking pots, which
prompted the excavators to suggest that the lower settlement
was engaged in the processing of agricultural products connected
to the nearby forts located elsewhere on the tell. A recent reexamination of the pottery from the previous excavations suggest
that the forts could have only existed during the Iron Age IIA and
IIC. Our examination of the pottery indicates that the imports can
be dated to the Iron Age IIA, while the large number of cooking
pots should mostly be dated to the Iron Age IIC. We would
therefore like to suggest a new interpretation for the function of
the lower settlement at Kabri during the Iron Age II in relation to
the forts and the political reality in the Galilee at that time.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
ABSTRACT
Excavations at the site ofhartuv, in the Shephelah region ofisrael, have revealed a single-period site dating to the Early Bronze I. The major discovery is an architectural complex excavated at the center of the site. It includes a... more
Excavations at the site ofhartuv, in the Shephelah region ofisrael, have revealed a single-period site dating to the Early Bronze I. The major discovery is an architectural complex excavated at the center of the site. It includes a central courtyard surrounded by rooms on at least three ...
Research Interests: Biblical()
()
For years there has been much speculation surrounding the abandonment of the Middle Bronze Age IIB palace of Tel Kabri, ca. 1700 BCE. There are no weapons, hoards of money and jewelry, or visible evidence for fire, which rules out hostile... more
For years there has been much speculation surrounding the abandonment of the Middle Bronze Age IIB palace of Tel Kabri, ca. 1700 BCE. There are no weapons, hoards of money and jewelry, or visible evidence for fire, which rules out hostile attack or conquest. There are also no indications of drought or environmental degradation that might have forced the inhabitants to vacate the site, nor mass graveyards to indicate a pandemic. The current study uses micro-geoarchaeological methods to show that the demise of the palace was rapid, with walls and ceilings collapsing at once prior to abandonment. Macroscopic data (stratigraphic and structural) from five excavation seasons were reexamined, showing that at least nine Potential Earthquake Archaeological Effects (PEAEs) are found and associated with the last occupation phase of the site's palace. All lines of evidence point to the possibility that an earthquake damaged the palace, possibly to a point where it was no longer economically viable to repair. This conclusion is compounded by the discovery of a 1-3 m wide trench that cuts through the palace for 30 m, which may be the result of ground shaking or liquefaction caused by an earthquake. This study shows the importance of combining macro-and micro-archaeological methods for the identification of ancient earthquakes, together with the need to evaluate alternative scenarios of climatic, environmental, and economic collapse, as well as human-induced destruction before a seismic event scenario can be proposed.