BASOR - Bulletin of ASOR

04/03/2024

𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞

BASOR 388 (Nov 2022), 153–179

Gilad Itach, Dor Golan, and Shirly Ben Dor Evian

“An Elite Middle Bronze IIA Warrior Tomb from Yehud, Central Coastal Plain, Israel”

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/721809

A salvage excavation held at the city of Yehud (Israel) revealed an unusual burial of the Middle Bronze (MB) IIA period. The grave was isolated from other MB burials in the Yehud area and was exceptionally large and rich in terms of the types and diversity of burial offerings, which included pottery vessels, metal objects, and animal bones. An outstanding find among the burial goods was an anthropomorphic jug whose neck was shaped in the form of a seated figure supporting its head with the right hand, evoking the image of Rodin’s “Le Penseur.” This paper presents the grave and offerings uncovered in the excavation and an interpretation of these finds, along with a discussion of the grave within the wider context of Middle Bronze Age burials in Yehud and beyond, suggesting it was associated with an elite warrior, who served most likely as a local leader.

26/02/2024

𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞

BASOR 388 (Nov 2022), 133–152

Caroline Sauvage

“Note on a White Lustrous Wheel-made Ware Spindle Bottle from Ras Shamra”

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/721037

This study discusses the archaeological and chronological context of a small White Lustrous Wheel-made Ware (WLW-mW) spindle bottle excavated in Ras Shamra by Claude F.-A. Schaeffer in 1933. This spindle bottle is the first of its kind to be positively identified in the Minet el-Beida/Ugarit region, but others could be also identified from Schaeffer’s publications. This spindle bottle belongs to a group of now four similar small WLW-mW examples found in the eastern Mediterranean, which should probably be added to the classification of this ware as a Type IIb. More generally this article reviews the chronology of WLW-mW in the eastern Mediterranean and argues for a broad Late Bronze IB date (1550–1450 b.c.e.) for the ware.

19/02/2024

𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞

BASOR 388 (Nov 2022), 113–132

Piotr Bienkowski

“The Formation of Edom: An Archaeological Critique of the “Early Edom” Hypothesis”

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/720775

According to the Early Edom hypothesis, the late Iron II kingdom of Edom in southern Jordan emerged from the complex copper-producing society of early Iron II Faynan. A review of the archaeological evidence from the final publication of the Faynan excavations demonstrates that the hypothesis is untenable. There was a chronological gap of 50 to 100+ years between the end of settlement at Faynan, at the end of the 9th century b.c.e., and the earliest settlement in the Edom Highlands; evidence of decreasing social and political complexity at Faynan; no continuity in the scale or technology of copper production at Faynan between early and late Iron II; and completely different settlement patterns at early Iron II Faynan and in the late Iron II highlands, indicating a different economic and social basis. The evidence suggests that early Iron II Faynan was short-lived and linked to the contemporary society in the Negev Highlands, through administration, economy, and workforce. The kingdom of Edom and late Iron II settlement developed in the late 8th century b.c.e. under Assyrian stimulus, which had a direct impact on the expansion of settlement and agriculture, the production of pottery and other goods, and the Arabian trade across the Negev.

12/02/2024

𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞

BASOR 388 (Nov 2022), 91-111

Alice Mandell

“Lachish “Letter” 2 (BM 125702): A Polite Letter, an Accreditation Pass, or a Text Used to Teach Letter Writing?”

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/720868

Lachish 2 is typically described as an enigmatic letter, one that consists mainly of the protocol language used in letter introductions. However, past studies have wrestled with Lines 5–6 of this letter, and noted the linguistic crux posed by the verb ybkr. The present study argues that while Lachish 2 looks like a letter, it plays a different role than letters are traditionally conceived to do (as written communication media that articulate the words of a sender to a recipient). This text’s form, organization, and focus on formulae, and its lack of clear message suggest that Lachish 2 was used as an instructional tool that outlines a letter’s organization and sample epistolary formulae, serving perhaps as a template. This ostracon offers insight into both the practice of letter writing as seen from the internal perspective of a writer, and into education in the process of letter writing in the later days of the Judean monarchy.

05/02/2024

𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞

BASOR 388 (Nov 2022), 73–89

Uroš Matić

“Why Were the Leaders of the Sea Peoples Called ʿȝ.w and Not wr.w? On the Size and Raiding Character of the Sea Peoples’ Groups”

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/720556

This paper discusses the use of the terms ʿȝ and wr for the designation of enemy leaders in ancient Egyptian texts of the Ramesside period. Focus is placed on the choice of the term for leaders of the various Sea Peoples’ groups in the texts of the Medinet Habu temple of Ramesses III. The leaders of the Sea Peoples and Shasu are referred to as ʿȝ.w, whereas the leaders of other groups are referred to as wr.w. The terms used for different enemy leaders are indicative of the ancient Egyptian perception of the social organization of the enemy. Focusing on their social organization can provide us with a more stable ground for understanding the Sea Peoples. Several features indicate that they were warrior groups similar to pirates or mercenaries conducting raids, rather than large groups of migrants: 1) the choice of the term for their leaders during the reign of Ramesses III, 2) the relatively small numbers of their captives in the lists of spoils of war of Merneptah, and 3) the fact that no women and children are ever mentioned in these lists, although they are accompanying one of the Sea Peoples’ groups in a single scene from Medinet Habu.

29/01/2024

𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞

BASOR 388 (Nov 2022), 51–72

Eli Itkin

“Post-Destruction Squatter Phases in the Iron Age IIB–C Southern Levant”

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/720559

The destructions caused by the military campaigns of the Neo-Assyrian empire in the southern Levant during the Iron Age IIB and IIC (8th–7th centuries b.c.e.) led to mass deportations of local populations and a forced displacement of refugees. Although several studies in recent years have focused their attention on displacement and refugees in the ancient Near East during the period in question, they often deal with large scale processes, while generally neglecting more localized phenomena. Such phenomena include, among others, post-destruction squatter phases. These frequently overlooked strata reflect the resettlement of a site following its destruction by local individuals who were forced, to some degree, to leave their homes for an unknown period. This paper attempts to define some of these post-destruction squatter phases in the archaeological record during the Iron IIB–C through the analysis of nine case studies, and to examine this phenomenon from a refugee standpoint.

22/01/2024

𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞

BASOR 388 (Nov 2022), 31–49

Esther Eshel, Tania Notarius, Amit Dagan, Maria Eniukhina, Vanessa Workman, and Aren M. Maeir

“Two Iron Age Alphabetic Inscriptions from Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath, Israel”

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/721690

This paper presents two brief alphabetic inscriptions from Area D in the lower city of Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath, both deriving from Iron Age IIA contexts. The first is written in an Early Alphabetic script similar to an inscription previously published from the site (Maeir et al. 2008) and is interpreted as being related to the storage of wine. The second, written in later, “formalized” alphabetic script, is quite fragmentary and difficult to decipher, for which several possible interpretations are suggested. These two new inscriptions join the relatively large number of alphabetic inscriptions from Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi/Gath, second only in number to contemporaneous Tel Rehov, and provide additional evidence to the outstanding role of the site during the early Iron Age.

14/01/2024

𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞
BASOR 388 (Nov 2022), 1–29
Bérangère Redon and Thomas Faucher
“Recent Discoveries of BE Arrowheads and Joppa Coins in the Eastern Desert of Egypt: In the Footsteps of the Ptolemaic Army”

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/720951

The article presents recent discoveries made by the French Archaeological Mission to the Eastern Desert of Egypt in two Ptolemaic forts occupied in the second half of the 3rd century b.c., Bir Samut and Abbad, located along the road leading from Edfu to Berenike on the Red Sea Coast at the southern fringes of the Ptolemaic Empire. These artifacts, three copper-alloy arrowheads marked with the monogram BE and four Ptolemaic coins minted in Joppa, were recovered in contexts securely dated to the last decades of the 3rd century b.c. Due to the sealed stratigraphy and the discovery of thousands of ostraca and dozens of coins in the same deposits, it is clear that the forts and these objects were abandoned on the eve of the Great Theban Revolt in Egypt, around 207–206 b.c. These discoveries offer an occasion to reassess the corpus of similar arrowheads and coins found in the Eastern Mediterranean. The catalog presented here includes 45 BE arrowheads and 18 Joppa coins and a careful reassessment of the corpus suggests that they were probably produced by the Ptolemaic regime in direct association with the Fourth Syrian War, which ended with the Battle of Raphia in 217 b.c. The geographic distribution of the arrowheads and coins discussed in the article demonstrates the mobility of the Ptolemaic troops after this intense period of conflict.

21/08/2022

𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞

BASOR 387 (May 2022), 31–53

Ayelet Gilboa

“The Southern Levantine Roots of the Phoenician Mercantile Phenomenon”

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/718892 #

I propose here a new way to look at the process through which, following the Bronze Age collapse and culminating in the second half of the 9th century b.c.e., polities in south Lebanon became the most important Levantine commercial hubs in the Mediterranean and the main patrons of the so-called Phoenician expansion. My approach differs from others dealing with the Phoenician question in that its definitions are not projected from a yet-to-happen “Phoenician” phenomenon in the West. It is an archaeological bottom-up diachronic approach and considers the entire Levantine coast and not Lebanon only, which is traditionally considered the Phoenician homeland. I argue that what may be termed the earliest Phoenician mercantile maritime ventures, in the early Iron Age, were launched mainly from the Carmel Coast and were directed mainly toward Egypt. Gradually this phenomenon expanded geographically, a process that can be followed closely. It was stimulated and conditioned mainly by the effects of Egypt’s withdrawal from Canaan, by the Late Cypriot IIIA collapse, by the slow recovery of the Syrian coast in the early Iron Age, and by environmental factors. The paper synthesizes several decades of research on Mediterranean issues, mainly in connection to Tel Dor on Israel’s Carmel Coast.

13/08/2022

𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞

BASOR 387 (May 2022), 1–30

Eythan Levy, Israel Finkelstein, Mario A. S. Martin, and Eli Piasetzky

“The Date of Appearance of Philistine Pottery at Megiddo: A Computational Approach”

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/epdf/10.1086/719048

This paper addresses the question of the date of appearance of Philistine Bichrome pottery at Megiddo through a new computational approach, using recently developed chronology software. Based on historical dates, we obtain a terminus post quem of 1183 b.c.e. for the start of Philistine Bichrome at Megiddo using a broad model, and a terminus post quem of 1124 b.c.e. under stronger chronological hypotheses. Adding radiocarbon results at 68.2% confidence level to the model yields a narrow range of 1111–1086 b.c.e. for the appearance of Bichrome (1128—1079 b.c.e. for 95.4%). The paper also presents results suggesting that Stratum VIIB ended during, or only slightly before, the reign of Ramesses III (1184–1153 b.c.e.).

02/05/2022

New Issue!

Happy May 1st! Check out the May 2022 issue of BASOR. This issue includes the following articles: The Date of Appearance of Philistine Pottery at Megiddo: A Computational Approach; The Southern Levantine Roots of the Phoenician Mercantile Phenomenon; Ḥorvat Tefen: A Hasmonean Fortress in the Hinterland of ʿAkko-Ptolemais; and more! Check out the table of contents here: https://buff.ly/3vtGCl5

20/03/2022

𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞

BASOR 386 (November 2021), 237–282

Itamar Taxel, Avraham (Avi) Sasson, Moshe Fischer, and Nitzan Amitai-Preiss

“The Archaeology of Regional Muslim Pilgrimage Reevaluated: The Site of Nabi Rubin (Israel) as a Case Study”

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/716611

This research constitutes a first attempt to discuss a Muslim pilgrimage site from a holistic, in-depth archaeological perspective. Our case study is Nabi Rubin, on the southern coastal plain of Israel, which was active from at least the early 15th century until the late British Mandate period and was one of the major foci of Muslim pilgrimage in historical Palestine. Pilgrimage to Nabi Rubin was characterized by a one-month-long organized celebration that took place every summer and attracted masses of pilgrims from Jaffa in the north to Gaza in the south. The research uses the site’s architectural and other human-created and natural landscape features—including historical trees and the rich material culture remnants left behind by pilgrims and other visitors, in addition to the written and photographic historical evidence related to Nabi Rubin—in order to draw additional information that can assist in interpreting the mute physical elements. The study provides a synthesis and interpretation of the site’s chronology, material culture, the activities and behaviors that took place there during festival periods, and methodological aspects of the interpretation of historical trees. The results highlight the uniqueness of Nabi Rubin compared to other Muslim pilgrimage sites in Palestine, and its significant potential for an archaeological research of Muslim pilgrimage in the region.

12/03/2022

𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞

BASOR 386 (November 2021), 221–236

Karin Sowada, Mary Ownby, and Miroslav Bárta

“The Origin of Imported Jars from 6th Dynasty Abusir: New Light on Early Bronze Age Egyptian-Levantine Relations”

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/715651

Thin-section petrography on imported Combed jars from the 6th Dynasty Abusir tomb complex of Qar and his family identified the central Levant, between Beirut and Tripoli, as the production zone of the vessels. Dating to the reign of 6th Dynasty king Pepy II (ca. 2278–2184 b.c.), the jars were made of the same mixed Cretaceous clay type used for imports of the early Old Kingdom. None of the Abusir material was an Egyptian imitation, contrary to previous assessments. The petrography demonstrates the long continuity of exchange networks with a specific area of the central Levant for over 350 years. During the Old Kingdom from the early 4th Dynasty to the late 6th Dynasty, exchange networks with the region intensified, confirming long-held understandings based on fragmentary archaeological data and the slender textual record.

27/02/2022

𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞

BASOR 386 (November 2021), 209–220

Aren Maeir

“Identity Creation and Resource Controlling Strategies: Thoughts on Edomite Ethnogenesis and Development”

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/714573

In this paper I suggest that the evolution of the control of natural resources and trade routes in the Arabah Valley and its environs was the basis for the formation of Edomite identity in the early Iron Age. Building on insights on ethnogenesis in Southeast Asia in the studies of Joseph Scott and James Warren, I attempt to align this with recent discussions on early Edom, and the role that this group played in the regional economic web of the Iron Age.

In this paper I suggest that the evolution of the control of natural resources and trade routes in the Arabah Valley and its environs was the basis for the formation of Edomite identity in the early Iron Age. Building on insights on ethnogenesis in Southeast Asia in the studies of Joseph Scott and J...

15/02/2022

𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞

BASOR 386 (November 2021), 177–207

Edwin Cornelis Martinus van den Brink, Rivka Chasan, and Danny Rosenberg

“Sifting Through: The Characteristics and Significance of Ceramic Strainer-Vessels in the Chalcolithic Period of the Southern Levant”

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/715578

A strainer is an autonomous utensil (sieve or colander) or an integral part (filter) of a utensil designed to separate mixtures based on grain size. In the southern Levant, strainer vessels made of clay are known since the Early Chalcolithic period, albeit few in number. The onset of the Late Chalcolithic period reflects a significant increase in the numbers and distribution of these particular vessels even though their numbers per site remain relatively low. This paper surveys foremost Late Chalcolithic strainer vessels from the southern Levant, discussing their morphology, significance and possible role as straining and sifting devices for liquids (e.g., olive or other oils, herbal or botanical mixtures, and alcoholic beverages) and solid substances (e.g., fats and flour). While results from our ongoing organic residue analysis concerning this and other types of Late Chalcolithic vessels are yet to come, we can already suggest that these vessels entail a variety of tasks and that they were used in a number of different contexts based on the variability of strainer vessel types and the strainer morphology.

22/01/2022

𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞

BASOR 386 (November 2021), 133–175

Carol Meyer

“Islamic and Pre-Islamic Glass from Nippur”

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/715471

Excavation of Area WG at Nippur in 1989 yielded a large corpus of glass ranging in date from late Parthian to Islamic, mainly Abbasid. Islamic glass from Iraq is poorly studied and scrappily published, often concentrating on fancy, luxury vessels. This makes the large group of excavated, datable, domestic glassware from Nippur important for archaeologists dealing with the early Islamic period in Iraq and for those researching Abbasid glass. Further, I propose that Abbasid Levels III and II run later than suggested in the preliminary report, with Level II extending most likely into the early 10th century. This means that at least part of the site of Nippur remained occupied into the period when almost all of southern Iraq was severely depopulated. Finally, I raise the question of what can be gleaned from old, partial field records from a country devastated by decades of sanctions and war.

15/01/2022

𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞

BASOR 386 (November 2021), 113–132

Robert Wenning and Megan A. Perry

“Cybele, Atargatis, or Allāt? A Surprising Tomb Artifact from Petra’s North Ridge”

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/715154

The complex Nabataean “Götterwelt” incorporates deities from both their own tradition as well as imports from the larger Mediterranean and peninsular Arabian context. In 2014, a small naiskos depicting a possible imported deity was discovered in a tomb containing at minimum eight individuals, located on the northern edge of the ancient city of Petra. Geochemical investigation of the individuals buried in the tomb using strontium (87Sr/86Sr) and oxygen (δ18O) isotopes indicated only locally born individuals were interred within the tomb. The goddess depicted in the bas-relief sculpture is wearing a tunic and covered by a cloak and is flanked by two lions. Comparanda from the eastern Mediterranean showing similar iconography of the naiskos point to the goddess’s identity as Cybele, Atargatis, or Allāt, with most evidence suggesting Allāt. However, the emic perceptions of and ritual praxis involving this object and the goddess beyond its mortuary inclusion remain unclear. Therefore, regardless of the identification of the goddess it venerates, this portable naiskos served an important mortuary purpose for an individual locally born in the Petra region.

08/01/2022

𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞

BASOR 386 (November 2021), 95–112

Regine Hunziker-Rodewald and Khaled A. Douglas

“Performance Frozen in Time: A New Iron Age II Female Ceramic Figurine from Jneneh, North Central Jordan”

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/716546

To date, about 470 female ceramic figurines are known to originate from Iron Age sites across Jordan. This article sheds light on a distinct type by studying a recently discovered figurine from a newly excavated settlement at Jneneh, Wadi az-Zarqa, in north central Jordan.

To date, about 470 female ceramic figurines are known to originate from Iron Age sites across Jordan.1 This article sheds light on a distinct type by studying a recently discovered figurine from a newly excavated settlement at Jneneh, Wadi az-Zarqa, in north central Jordan.

03/12/2021

𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞

BASOR 386 (November 2021), 77–93

Yotam Asscher, Mario A. S. Martin, Daniel Master, and Elisabetta Boaretto

“A Radiocarbon Sequence for the Late Bronze to Iron Age Transition at Ashkelon: Timing Early Philistine Pottery”

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/714738

From 1985–2014, the Leon Levy Expedition to Ashkelon excavated a trench on the north side of Ashkelon’s central mound (Grid 38) exposing a Bronze and Iron Age sequence over an area of some 450 m2. By combining different radiocarbon sampling strategies used over the years of excavation, an absolute chrono-cultural scheme is constructed for the latter half of the 2nd millennium b.c.e. with a focus on the transition to the Iron Age. This chronology is then synchronized with several nearby sites.

28/11/2021

𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞
BASOR 386 (November 2021), 23–46
David Ben Shlomo and Lauren K. McCormick

“Judean Pillar Figurines and “Bed Models” from Tell en-Naṣbeh: Typology and Petrographic Analysis”

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/715040

The site yielded the highest number of these Iron Age II figurines after Jerusalem. Our study focuses on the significance of this distribution, the contexts in which the figurines were found at the site, as well as a compositional (petrographic) analysis of their clay. Fifteen anthropomorphic figurines as well as five “bed models” were analyzed by thin section petrography. The results indicate these objects were not made of the commonly used local clay and were probably not locally produced at Tell en-Naṣbeh, though other types of clay objects were. The possibility that the figurines were produced in Jerusalem is discussed, as well as the implications of these results.

13/11/2021

𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞

BASOR 386 (November 2021), 1–22
Silvia Ferrara, Barbara Montecchi, and Miguel Valério

( INSCRIBE - ERC Project )

“The Making of a Script: Cretan Hieroglyphic and the Quest for Its Origins”

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/716098

What is the origin of the earliest script in Europe? Is it invented locally or borrowed from an external template? How can we go about addressing this problem? A common view is that the script in question, Cretan Hieroglyphic, is locally created but externally inspired, probably through an influence from Egypt. But this appreciation should be the result of a full examination of the evidence, rather than a superficial appraisal of the script signs. This article reframes this approach, starting with generic assessments on origin and stimulus, and so opens a new avenue that takes into account the following aspects: 1) the establishment of a methodology for cross-comparisons between the Egyptian and Cretan scripts; 2) the situated context of the Egyptian and Cretan scripts in the mid-3rd to late 3rd millennium b.c.e.; 3) the local Cretan seal imagery; and 4) case studies of sign shapes, representing physical and immaterial referents across the Egyptian Hieroglyphic and Cretan repertoires. Only from this broad, multicentric framework, which has input from archaeology, epigraphy, iconography, and paleography, can we establish a solid method to address the origin of Cretan Hieroglyphic.

08/11/2021

BASOR 386 is out and here comes our first article of the week. Enjoy!

𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞

BASOR 386 (November 2021), 47-76

Hermann Genz and Alexander Ahrens

“Recent Early Bronze Age Glyptic Finds from Lebanon: The Evidence from Tell Fadous-Kfarabida”

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/716612

While Early Bronze Age glyptic finds from the southern Levant as well as from Syria have received considerable attention in the scholarly literature, unfortunately the same cannot be said about the glyptic material from Lebanon. For a long time, Byblos was the only site with a considerable number of Early Bronze Age glyptic finds, but the often unclear stratigraphic and contextual situation of the material hugely diminished its scientific value. Fortunately, in recent years more clearly stratified material has emerged from Sidon, Tell Arqa, and Tell Fadous-Kfarabida, which for the first time enables us to better define the glyptic styles in use in the central Levant during the 4th and 3rd millennia b.c.e. The paper presents the glyptic finds from Tell Fadous-Kfarabida, located on the Lebanese coast just 12 km north of Byblos, with a special emphasis on the iconography of the seals and seal impressions, as well as their contribution towards the external relations of the site.

08/11/2021

𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞

BASOR 386 (November 2021), 47-76

Hermann Genz and Alexander Ahrens

“Recent Early Bronze Age Glyptic Finds from Lebanon: The Evidence from Tell Fadous-Kfarabida”

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/716612

While Early Bronze Age glyptic finds from the southern Levant as well as from Syria have received considerable attention in the scholarly literature, unfortunately the same cannot be said about the glyptic material from Lebanon. For a long time, Byblos was the only site with a considerable number of Early Bronze Age glyptic finds, but the often unclear stratigraphic and contextual situation of the material hugely diminished its scientific value. Fortunately, in recent years more clearly stratified material has emerged from Sidon, Tell Arqa, and Tell Fadous-Kfarabida, which for the first time enables us to better define the glyptic styles in use in the central Levant during the 4th and 3rd millennia b.c.e. The paper presents the glyptic finds from Tell Fadous-Kfarabida, located on the Lebanese coast just 12 km north of Byblos, with a special emphasis on the iconography of the seals and seal impressions, as well as their contribution towards the external relations of the site.

22/08/2021

𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞

BASOR 385 (May 2021), 219–243

Lior Schwimer and Yuval Yekutieli

Intermediate Bronze Age Crescent-Headed Figures in the Negev Highlands

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/712920

This paper presents the discovery of a unique and widespread type of petroglyphs in the Western Negev Highlands, depicting human figures with crescent-shaped headgear, knee-high garments, and crescent pommel daggers. It proposes a methodology for dating this style and its historical context by: (1) analysis of presence or absence of specific animal species in the engraved scenes; (2) examination of the occurrence of particular attributes that appear in the scenes within dated contexts across the ancient Near East; and (3) study of the fit between the incised panels’ locations and the distribution of dated archaeological sites in the region and the routes connecting them. Based on this composite analysis, it is proposed that these petroglyphs are associated with groups participating in the copper trade that operated in the Sinai-Negev-Edom region during the Intermediate Bronze Age (ca. 2500–2000 b.c.e.).

15/08/2021

𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞

BASOR 385 (May 2021), 201–218

Christopher John Davey

Ancient Pot-Bellows: A Review Forty Years On

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/713352

After a brief introduction to pot-bellows, their corpus is reviewed, identifying objects and evidence that have emerged since the first paper about them was published by the author (Davey ). The propositions made in that paper are assessed and most are found to have stood the test of time. If anything, the new evidence has added complexity to this field of study, especially where the origin of the technology is concerned.

08/08/2021

𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞

BASOR 385 (May 2021), 171–200

Mariusz Gwiazda, Joanna Piątkowska-Małecka, Urszula Wicenciak, Piotr Makowski, and Tomasz Barański

The Sidon’s/Ṣaydā Northern Hinterland during the Early Byzantine–Early Islamic Transition

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/712931

The paper focuses on the archaeological evidence for settlement, cultural, and economic change in the Sidon’s (Ṣaydā) northern hinterland in the period of transition from early Byzantine to early Islamic times (7th–8th century c.e.). The changes were reconstructed based on the outcome of archaeological research at the sites of Porphyreon (modern Jiyeh) and Chhîm in the Sidon’s/Ṣaydā economic hinterland. The evidence confirms a continuity, although in reduced form, of occupation after the Arab conquest and a complete abandonment in the second half of the 7th or the beginning of the 8th century. The situation here bears similarity to other parts of Phoenicia, struck at the time with a settlement crisis that resulted in both a reduction of the population and a decline in the importance of cities, among others. These events were not sudden; they resulted from a process lasting several decades and impacting mainly the coastal area.