The Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages of Southern Canaan

The Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages of Southern Canaan Unauthenticated Download Date | 7/15/19 9:26 PM Archaeology of the Biblical Worlds Edited by Aren M. Maeir and Haim Goldfus Volume 2 Unauthenticated Download Date | 7/15/19 9:26 PM The Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages of Southern Canaan Edited by Aren M. Maeir, Itzhaq Shai and Chris McKinny Unauthenticated Download Date | 7/15/19 9:26 PM Advisory Board: Benjamin Arubas, Hebrew University Jerusalem, Israel Angelika Berlejung, University of Leipzig, Germany Leah Di Segni, Hebrew University Jerusalem, Israel Moshe Fisher, Tel Aviv University, Israel Isaac Gilead, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel Shuichi Hasegawa, Rikkyo University, Japan Tom Levy, University of California, San Diego, USA Steve Mason, University of Groningen, Netherlands Ami Mazar, Hebrew University Jerusalem, Israel Stefan Münger, University of Berne, Switzerland David Schloen, University of Chicago, USA Bill Schneidewind, University of California, Los Angeles, USA Wolfgang Zwickel, University of Mainz, Germany ISBN 978-3-11-062670-4 e-ISBN (PDF) 978-3-11-062837-1 e-ISBN (EPUB) 978-3-11-062805-0 ISSN 2569-1910 Library of Congress Control Number: 2019933090 Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data are available in the Internet at http://dnb.dnb.de. © 2019 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston Typesetting: Integra Software Services Pvt. Ltd. Printing and binding: CPI books GmbH, Leck Photograph and image processing: Pavel Shargo, the Sonia and Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology, Tel Aviv University. © the Lautenschlaeger Azekah Expedition. Used with permission. www.degruyter.com Unauthenticated Download Date | 7/15/19 9:26 PM Foreword During the years 2014–2015, the Ackerman Family from South Africa, provided a generous donation to the Tell es-Safi/Gath Archaeological Project (directed by A.M.M.), on the basis of which the project was renamed the “Ackerman Family Bar-Ilan University Expedition to Gath” for that period. In addition to providing funding for the research activities of the project, the Ackerman Family’s support included two other important aspects – funding for stipends to college students from throughout the world (from 6 continents!) to join the excavation team, and a professional meeting dealing with biblical archaeology. And in fact, on WednesdayThursday, April 15th–16th, 2015, the “Ackerman Family Workshop in Biblical Archaeology” took place, which included a first day of lectures at Bar-Ilan University (Fig. 1), followed by a field trip to archaeological sites in the Shephelah (Judean Foothills) and Philistia. Approximately 50 scholars from Israel and abroad participated in the workshop. Fig. 1: Participants of the Ackerman Family workshop at Bar-Ilan University, April 15th, 2015. The topic chosen for the workshop was the Late Bronze Age in Canaan and its vicinity. Recent excavations, particularly in southern Israel, but in other regions both in Israel and neighboring countries, have provided a wealth of new and exciting discoveries relating to the Late Bronze Age (ca. late 16th to early 12th centuries BCE). This workshop provided a unique opportunity to bring together a rather large group https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110628371-201 Unauthenticated Download Date | 7/15/19 9:26 PM VI Foreword of scholars working on this period, including those currently active in relevant excavations and research, as well as those who had dealt with this period in the last decade or two. The 15 lectures presented on the first day, and the lively discussion that developed, both between the lectures and on the following day, demonstrated the vitality and ongoing developments on a broad range of issues relating to the Late Bronze of the Southern Levant. In the current volume, there are 14 papers. Most of them are by those who presented at the original meeting. In addition to this, there are three invited papers (by Pfoh, Uziel et al., and Wimmer), whose topics nicely add to the general theme of this volume. The volume opens with two papers on the Late Bronze Age remains at Tell esSafi/Gath. Starting with a general overview by Maeir (co-editor of the volume) et al., on the LB remains at the site and how this can be understood against the background of LB Canaan, Frumin, Melamid and Weiss present a review of the archaeobotanical evidence from Tell es-Safi/Gath and other sites in the LB Shephelah, and their implications. Following this is a chapter by Kleiman et al. on the LB remains from the relatively recent excavations at Tel Azekah, with important, and what might even be considered somewhat surprising finds. Of particular interest is the dramatic remains of the destruction of the Canaanite city of Azekah (whose name during the LB is not clear) during the mid/late-12th cent. BCE. Ortiz and Wolff then present a timely summary of the LB remains from their excavations at Gezer, and in fact summarize the relevant results as their ten-year project winds down. This includes not only some very unique finds, but impressive remains of the destruction of the site towards the end of the LB, most probably at the hands of Pharaoh Merneptah. Not only recent excavations are covered in this volume. Mazar and PanitzCohen present a retrospective of the LB remains found in the excavations at Tel Batash, which were both excavated and published in previous decades. These results, which provide an excellent sequence for the entire LB, are reviewed in light of more recent work on this period. The recent excavations at Lachish, and the very interesting LB remains that were discovered, including an additional LB temple at the site, are described in the paper by Garfinkel et al. As Lachish is one of the foundational blocks for the discussion of the LB in Canaan, these are important results for any further discussion of the period. Stephan Wimmer, whose paper was not included in the original meeting, presents another paper on Lachish, in which he reviews and discusses and interesting hieratic inscription and its interpretation. The exceptional LB finds from Tel Burna are presented by Chris McKinny, Itzhaq Shai (co-editors of the volume), and Aharon Tavger. These remains, most probably representing a hitherto unknown temple from a site that had previously not Unauthenticated Download Date | 7/15/19 9:26 PM Foreword VII been excavated and discussed regarding the LB period. This adds an important “point on the map” for this period. Yet another invited paper, not included in the original meeting, is by Uziel, Szanton and Baruch. Here, they summarize the LB remains in Jerusalem, based on both earlier finds and those from more recent excavations, including those conducted by the authors. Needless to say, understanding Jerusalem during the LB is of importance, due to its mention in the el-Amarna correspondence. The results of the American excavations by Hammond at Hebron, carried out in the 1960s, where never fully published, and Jeffrey Chadwick, who is currently in charge of their publication, presents an overview of the LB remains from the site. Giving that very little was previously known about Hebron during this period, this paper is of importance to anyone interested in the LB of Canaan. Peter Fischer’s paper provides an overview of the Jordan Valley during the LB with a particular focus on Tell Abu el-Kharaz. He discusses the question of whether or not there was a substantial Egyptian presence in the region at the time. The well-known Aegean and Aegeanizing pottery found at many LB sites in Canaan is discussed by Philipp Stockhammer. As in his previous publications on this topic, he attempts to go beyond the standard check lists of the presence or absence of the various types of this pottery, but rather, attempts to understand the social significance – and appropriation – of these imported items, in the local Canaanite milieu. The two final papers are more general overviews relating to the LB. Emanuel Pfoh presents his understanding of the power relations in Canaan during the period, both between Egypt and the local polities as well as between these local entities. The final paper, by Ido Koch, surveys the socio-political developments during the LB and the very early Iron Age, attempting to place them within their broader cultural and historical contexts. All told, the 14 papers in this volume provide a broad and variegated range of studies, views and new finds relating to the Late Bronze Age. The rich finds, their significance, and the new directions that are suggested in their interpretation, demonstrate how much the study of this period has advanced in recent years – and how much more work there is yet to be conducted in the future. The editors would like to thank the Ackerman Family for their support of the workshop, for the contributors for submitting their excellent papers, and to Haim Goldfuss, co-editor (with Aren Maeir) of the series “Archaeology of the Biblical Worlds”, an offshoot of the Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception (published by de Gruyter), for agreeing to accept this volume in this new series. Aren M. Maeir, Itzhaq Shai and Chris McKinny June 2018 Unauthenticated Download Date | 7/15/19 9:26 PM Unauthenticated Download Date | 7/15/19 9:26 PM Contents Foreword V Aren M. Maeir, Jeffrey R. Chadwick, Amit Dagan, Louise A. Hitchcock, Jill Katz, Itzhaq Shai and Joe Uziel The Late Bronze Age at Tell es-Safi/Gath and the site’s role in Southwestern Canaan 1 Suembikya I. Frumin, Yoel Melamed and Ehud Weiss The Wheat-People of Canaan 19 Sabine Kleiman, Ido Koch, Lyndelle Webster, Vanessa Linares, Karl Berendt, Omer Sergi, Manfred Oeming, Yuval Gadot and Oded Lipschits Late Bronze Age Azekah – an almost forgotten story 37 Steven Ortiz and Samuel Wolff A reevaluation of Gezer in the Late Bronze Age in light of renewed excavations and recent scholarship 62 Amihai Mazar and Nava Panitz-Cohen Tel Batash in the Late Bronze Age – a retrospect 86 Yosef Garfinkel, Igor Kreimerman, Michael G. Hasel and Martin G. Klingbeil First impression on the urban layout of the last Canaanite city of Lachish: a view from the northeast corner of the site 122 Stefan Jakob Wimmer Lachish is Lachish on the Lachish bowl: an object lesson for reading Hieratic, with little surprising results 136 Chris McKinny, Aharon Tavger and Itzhaq Shai Tel Burna in the Late Bronze – assessing the 13th century BCE landscape of the Shephelah 148 Joe Uziel, Yuval Baruch and Nahshon Szanton Jerusalem in the Late Bronze Age – The Glass Half Full 171 Unauthenticated Download Date | 7/15/19 9:26 PM X Contents Jeffrey R. Chadwick Hebron in the Late Bronze Age: Discoveries of the of the American expedition to Hebron (Tell er-Rumeide) 185 Peter M. Fischer The Transjordanian Jordan Valley in the Late Bronze Age: under Egyptian control? 217 Philipp W. Stockhammer Shifting meanings and values of Aegean-type pottery in the Late Bronze Age Southern Levant 233 Emanuel Pfoh Prestige and authority in the Southern Levant during the Amarna Age Ido Koch Southwestern Canaan and Egypt during the Late Bronze Age I-IIA Index 247 262 283 Unauthenticated Download Date | 7/15/19 9:26 PM