Peter James | University of Birmingham (original) (raw)
Ancient Near East: Late Bronze-Iron Age chronology by Peter James
The discovery of a new inscription of the Neo-Hittite “Great King” Hartapu has renewed the long-s... more The discovery of a new inscription of the Neo-Hittite “Great King” Hartapu has renewed the long-standing controversy over his date. He has been variously dated as early as the 13th century BC, because of the Imperial Hittite style of some of his inscriptions, and as late as the 8th century BC because of the Assyrian influenced representation of Hartapu on his rock carving at Kızıldağ in the Tabal region. A midway compromise date is offered here. A date for Hartapu in the early 9th century BC would suit both the historical circumstances and the art historical considerations: it accounts for his reference to the Muški, known to have been near Tabal at that time, and also for the iconography. There remains tension, however, with the standard dates of the Hittite Empire, a problem that has constantly recurred in the chronological studies of the early Neo-Hittite monuments and inscriptions of southern Anatolia and Syria.
The question of Kassite chronology was greatly complicated when, in 1982, Veysel Donbaz published... more The question of Kassite chronology was greatly complicated when, in 1982, Veysel Donbaz published a clay tablet (A. 1998 = Bab 39031) from the Istanbul Museum, which refers to business matters “from the accession year of Kadashman-Enlil to the twelfth year of Kadashman-Turgu, king”. The order of the two kings seems to flatly contradict that of the
pair Kadašman-Turgu and Kadašman-Enlil, known from a letter of Hattusili III of Hatti (13th century BC).
Beth-Shean has always been a complicated, somewhat problem site, in terms of its stratigraphy and... more Beth-Shean has always been a complicated, somewhat problem site, in terms of its stratigraphy and history. Though the Roman–Byzantine city of Scythopolis at the foot of the mound was excavated from 1984 onwards, the only previous extensive work on the tell itself — aside from a brief season by the Hebrew University in 1983 — was by the University of Pennsylvania Museum in the 1920s and 1930s. The early work, which suffered long publication delays, left many questions about the site unanswered, making the new reports, from the 1989–1996 excavations of the Hebrew University, more than welcome.
P. James & P. van der Veen (eds), Solomon and Shishak: Current Perspectives from Archaeology, Epigraphy, History and Chronology. Proceedings of the Third BICANE Colloquium held at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge 26-27 March, 2011 (BAR International Series 2732), Oxford: Archaeopress, 236-257, 2018
Egyptian texts are notorious for not referring to enemy or subject kings by name, to the extent o... more Egyptian texts are notorious for not referring to enemy or subject kings by name, to the extent of sometimes not mentioning the existence of such rulers. Yet it has become increasingly clear – from a range of evidence including results from recent art-historical analyses – that the Egyptian New Kingdom ‘empire’ in Syro-Palestine was largely controlled through a system of vassal rulers. Archaeological evidence can be used to posit the existence of a local dynasty based at Jerusalem during the time of the late 19th and early 20th Dynasties, c. 1200 BC on conventional dating. The monumental architecture there shows that there was an organised state, while connections with Egypt are shown by the fragments of an apparent Egyptianising building (palace or tomb?) and other Egyptian objects. If we allow this hypothetical dynasty to have ruled a wider territory, including Megiddo and the Jordan Valley then a surprising series of parallels appears with the activities of the Davidic dynasty. It is acknowledged that the plan and furnishing of Solomon’s Temple belong to a Late Bronze tradition. Are the figures of David and Solomon based on memories of a Late Bronze dynasty centred on Jerusalem of is there something fundamentally wrong with the archaeological dating based on Egyptian chronology?
Centuries of Darkness website: Internet Notes and Papers C, https://www.centuries.co.uk/replies.htm
This paper begins with a historiographic survey of the treatment of Ramesses III’s claimed war ca... more This paper begins with a historiographic survey of the treatment of Ramesses III’s claimed war campaigns in the Levant. Inevitably this involves questions regarding the so-called “Sea Peoples.” There have been extraordinary fluctuations in attitudes towards Ramesses III’s war records over the last century or more – briefly reviewed and assessed here. His lists of Levantine toponyms also pose considerable problems of interpretation. A more systematic approach to their analysis is offered, concentrating on the “Great Asiatic List” from the Medinet Habu temple and its parallels with a list from Ramesses II. A middle way between “minimalist” and “maximalist” views of the extent of Ramesses III’s campaigns is explored. This results in some new identifications which throw light not only on the geography of Ramesses III’s campaigns but also his date.
Cambridge Archaeological Journal, 1991
An invited paper written to coincide with the publication of Centuries of Darkness. Our paper was... more An invited paper written to coincide with the publication of Centuries of Darkness. Our paper was published as part of a Review Feature (pp. 227-253) together with these responses: Kenneth Kitchen: "Egyptian Chronology: Problem or Solution? (pp. 235-239); Barry Kemp: "Examining Ancient Crises" (pp. 239-244); Nicholas Postgate: "The Chronology of Assyria - An Insurmountable Obstacle" (pp. 244-246); Anthony Snodgrass: "The Aegean Angle" (pp. 246-247); Andrew and Susan Sherratt: "Urnfield Reflections" (pp. 247-250).
The presently accepted ceramic chronology places the earliest episodes of Greek colonisation in L... more The presently accepted ceramic chronology places the earliest episodes of Greek colonisation in Libya some three to four decades earlier than the traditional historical dates. A similar offset between the archaeological and historical chronologies can be seen at Naukratis and other Archaic Greek sites. A review of ‘fixed points’ for Archaic dating shows that the balance of evidence now strongly favours a reduction of late seventh to early sixth century BC Greek ceramic chronology by three to four decades. Such a reduction would bring harmony between the archaeological and historical pictures for the founding of the Cyrenaican colonies, restoring confidence in the account given by Herodotus.
The dating of the short-lived settlement at Meẓad Ḥashavyahu near the coast of southern Palestine... more The dating of the short-lived settlement at Meẓad Ḥashavyahu near the coast of southern Palestine has long been the subject of controversy. Because of the Greek pottery finds there it became embroiled in sometimes circular arguments over the chronology of Early Corinthian and related Archaic pottery styles. These issues and the related question of the fall of pre-Persian Ashkelon are reviewed and a lower dating offered for the site (as allowed by John Holladay as early as 1976) in the early 6th rather than late 7th century BC. The site was almost certainly a small fortress housing a garrison of Greek mercenaries, placed strategically to support the nearby harbour-town of Yavneh-Yam – both being under Egyptian control. The question is raised as to which historical circumstances would best suit the construction of Meẓad Ḥashavyahu by the 26th Dynasty pharaohs. It is argued from a number of lines of evidence that the fortress was constructed as part of the ambitious maritime policy of Apries (589-570 BC) and that it was abandoned near the end of his reign when the Babylonians advanced towards Egypt.
A fresh approach is offered to the tangled arguments that surround the dating of late Iron Age Ek... more A fresh approach is offered to the tangled arguments that surround the dating of late Iron Age Ekron (Tel Miqne). The only firm historical peg for dating the late Iron strata is provided by the temple inscription of Ikausu, an Ekronite ruler mentioned in Assyrian records in the second quarter of the seventh century BCE. From this evidence, somewhat lower dates than those of the excavators are argued for Strata IC to IA. The lower chronology suggested here should resolve the differences between various scholars regarding the character and historical associations of Ekron’s final Iron Age strata. Ramifications for the related debate over the dating of Greek Archaic pottery are considered.
The discovery of a new inscription of the Neo-Hittite “Great King” Hartapu has renewed the long-s... more The discovery of a new inscription of the Neo-Hittite “Great King” Hartapu has renewed the long-standing controversy over his date. He has been variously dated as early as the 13th century BC, because of the Imperial Hittite style of some of his inscriptions, and as late as the 8th century BC because of the Assyrian influenced representation of Hartapu on his rock carving at Kızıldağ in the Tabal region. A midway compromise date is offered here. A date for Hartapu in the early 9th century BC would suit both the historical circumstances and the art historical considerations: it accounts for his reference to the Muški, known to have been near Tabal at that time, and also for the iconography. There remains tension, however, with the standard dates of the Hittite Empire, a problem that has constantly recurred in the chronological studies of the early Neo-Hittite monuments and inscriptions of southern Anatolia and Syria.
The question of Kassite chronology was greatly complicated when, in 1982, Veysel Donbaz published... more The question of Kassite chronology was greatly complicated when, in 1982, Veysel Donbaz published a clay tablet (A. 1998 = Bab 39031) from the Istanbul Museum, which refers to business matters “from the accession year of Kadashman-Enlil to the twelfth year of Kadashman-Turgu, king”. The order of the two kings seems to flatly contradict that of the
pair Kadašman-Turgu and Kadašman-Enlil, known from a letter of Hattusili III of Hatti (13th century BC).
Beth-Shean has always been a complicated, somewhat problem site, in terms of its stratigraphy and... more Beth-Shean has always been a complicated, somewhat problem site, in terms of its stratigraphy and history. Though the Roman–Byzantine city of Scythopolis at the foot of the mound was excavated from 1984 onwards, the only previous extensive work on the tell itself — aside from a brief season by the Hebrew University in 1983 — was by the University of Pennsylvania Museum in the 1920s and 1930s. The early work, which suffered long publication delays, left many questions about the site unanswered, making the new reports, from the 1989–1996 excavations of the Hebrew University, more than welcome.
P. James & P. van der Veen (eds), Solomon and Shishak: Current Perspectives from Archaeology, Epigraphy, History and Chronology. Proceedings of the Third BICANE Colloquium held at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge 26-27 March, 2011 (BAR International Series 2732), Oxford: Archaeopress, 236-257, 2018
Egyptian texts are notorious for not referring to enemy or subject kings by name, to the extent o... more Egyptian texts are notorious for not referring to enemy or subject kings by name, to the extent of sometimes not mentioning the existence of such rulers. Yet it has become increasingly clear – from a range of evidence including results from recent art-historical analyses – that the Egyptian New Kingdom ‘empire’ in Syro-Palestine was largely controlled through a system of vassal rulers. Archaeological evidence can be used to posit the existence of a local dynasty based at Jerusalem during the time of the late 19th and early 20th Dynasties, c. 1200 BC on conventional dating. The monumental architecture there shows that there was an organised state, while connections with Egypt are shown by the fragments of an apparent Egyptianising building (palace or tomb?) and other Egyptian objects. If we allow this hypothetical dynasty to have ruled a wider territory, including Megiddo and the Jordan Valley then a surprising series of parallels appears with the activities of the Davidic dynasty. It is acknowledged that the plan and furnishing of Solomon’s Temple belong to a Late Bronze tradition. Are the figures of David and Solomon based on memories of a Late Bronze dynasty centred on Jerusalem of is there something fundamentally wrong with the archaeological dating based on Egyptian chronology?
Centuries of Darkness website: Internet Notes and Papers C, https://www.centuries.co.uk/replies.htm
This paper begins with a historiographic survey of the treatment of Ramesses III’s claimed war ca... more This paper begins with a historiographic survey of the treatment of Ramesses III’s claimed war campaigns in the Levant. Inevitably this involves questions regarding the so-called “Sea Peoples.” There have been extraordinary fluctuations in attitudes towards Ramesses III’s war records over the last century or more – briefly reviewed and assessed here. His lists of Levantine toponyms also pose considerable problems of interpretation. A more systematic approach to their analysis is offered, concentrating on the “Great Asiatic List” from the Medinet Habu temple and its parallels with a list from Ramesses II. A middle way between “minimalist” and “maximalist” views of the extent of Ramesses III’s campaigns is explored. This results in some new identifications which throw light not only on the geography of Ramesses III’s campaigns but also his date.
Cambridge Archaeological Journal, 1991
An invited paper written to coincide with the publication of Centuries of Darkness. Our paper was... more An invited paper written to coincide with the publication of Centuries of Darkness. Our paper was published as part of a Review Feature (pp. 227-253) together with these responses: Kenneth Kitchen: "Egyptian Chronology: Problem or Solution? (pp. 235-239); Barry Kemp: "Examining Ancient Crises" (pp. 239-244); Nicholas Postgate: "The Chronology of Assyria - An Insurmountable Obstacle" (pp. 244-246); Anthony Snodgrass: "The Aegean Angle" (pp. 246-247); Andrew and Susan Sherratt: "Urnfield Reflections" (pp. 247-250).
The presently accepted ceramic chronology places the earliest episodes of Greek colonisation in L... more The presently accepted ceramic chronology places the earliest episodes of Greek colonisation in Libya some three to four decades earlier than the traditional historical dates. A similar offset between the archaeological and historical chronologies can be seen at Naukratis and other Archaic Greek sites. A review of ‘fixed points’ for Archaic dating shows that the balance of evidence now strongly favours a reduction of late seventh to early sixth century BC Greek ceramic chronology by three to four decades. Such a reduction would bring harmony between the archaeological and historical pictures for the founding of the Cyrenaican colonies, restoring confidence in the account given by Herodotus.
The dating of the short-lived settlement at Meẓad Ḥashavyahu near the coast of southern Palestine... more The dating of the short-lived settlement at Meẓad Ḥashavyahu near the coast of southern Palestine has long been the subject of controversy. Because of the Greek pottery finds there it became embroiled in sometimes circular arguments over the chronology of Early Corinthian and related Archaic pottery styles. These issues and the related question of the fall of pre-Persian Ashkelon are reviewed and a lower dating offered for the site (as allowed by John Holladay as early as 1976) in the early 6th rather than late 7th century BC. The site was almost certainly a small fortress housing a garrison of Greek mercenaries, placed strategically to support the nearby harbour-town of Yavneh-Yam – both being under Egyptian control. The question is raised as to which historical circumstances would best suit the construction of Meẓad Ḥashavyahu by the 26th Dynasty pharaohs. It is argued from a number of lines of evidence that the fortress was constructed as part of the ambitious maritime policy of Apries (589-570 BC) and that it was abandoned near the end of his reign when the Babylonians advanced towards Egypt.
A fresh approach is offered to the tangled arguments that surround the dating of late Iron Age Ek... more A fresh approach is offered to the tangled arguments that surround the dating of late Iron Age Ekron (Tel Miqne). The only firm historical peg for dating the late Iron strata is provided by the temple inscription of Ikausu, an Ekronite ruler mentioned in Assyrian records in the second quarter of the seventh century BCE. From this evidence, somewhat lower dates than those of the excavators are argued for Strata IC to IA. The lower chronology suggested here should resolve the differences between various scholars regarding the character and historical associations of Ekron’s final Iron Age strata. Ramifications for the related debate over the dating of Greek Archaic pottery are considered.
An account of the “weeping rock” of Niobe, known to Homer, Pausanias and other classical writers,... more An account of the “weeping rock” of Niobe, known to Homer, Pausanias and other classical writers, written for a popular magazine on strange phenomena. It is situated on Mt Sipylus, not far from the town of Manisa (ancient Magnesia ad Sipylum).
Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions, 2012
It is proposed that the story of the Hurrian deity 'Silver', as portrayed in the Late Bronze Age ... more It is proposed that the story of the Hurrian deity 'Silver', as portrayed in the Late Bronze Age Song of Silver, is a plausible precursor to the classical myth of Phaethon. Shared motifs include the teasing of the young hero, the revelation by his mother of his father's divine identity, a temporary assumption of power in heaven, a clash with the god of thunder, a disastrous episode involving the Sun and the Moon, and an etymology meaning 'radiance'. As the Phaethon myth also seems to contain Semitic elements, it is argued that the source of the classical story was the region of northern Phoenicia to Cilicia, or Cyprus.
Antiguo Oriente , 2009
A study of the Libyan ruler of Nen-nesut (Herakleopolis), knwon from the stela of Piye, with comm... more A study of the Libyan ruler of Nen-nesut (Herakleopolis), knwon from the stela of Piye, with comments on archaism and proposals of his identity and relationships.
Morkot, R. & James, P., 2015. “Dead-reckoning the Start of the 22nd Dynasty: from Shoshenq V back... more Morkot, R. & James, P., 2015. “Dead-reckoning the Start of the 22nd Dynasty: from Shoshenq V back to Shoshenq I”, in P. James & P. van der Veen (eds), Solomon and Shishak: Current Perspectives from Archaeology, Epigraphy, History and Chronology. Proceedings of the Third BICANE Colloquium held at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge 26-27 March, 2011 (BAR International Series 2732). Oxford: Archaeopress, pp. 20-41. Readable online at https://www.centuries.co.uk/replies.htm
Kenneth Kitchen and other Egyptologists have claimed that a 10th-century BC date for Shoshenq I (founder of the 22nd Dynasty) can be arrived at not only from a philological identification with the biblical Shishak, but from chronological ‘dead-reckoning’ backwards through the Third Intermediate Period. One problem here is: where is the fixed point from which one begins retrocalculation? Kitchen himself counts backwards from his ‘Osorkon IV’, whom he identifies with the like-named king from the Piye Stela and the Shilkanni mentioned in Assyrian records in 716 BC. Yet there is no firm evidence that such an Osorkon ‘IV’ ever existed, while there is a mounting case for a return to the position of earlier Egyptologists that the king in question was the well-attested Osorkon III, presently dated to the first quarter of the 8th century BC. Equating him with the Osorkon of Piye would require lowering the dates of Osorkon III (and the last incumbents of the 22nd Dynasty) by some 40-50 years – a position strongly supported by archaeological, art-historical and genealogical evidence. Using these later dates, dead-reckoning backwards through the Dynasty (using the Pasenhor genealogy, Apis bull records and attested reign lengths) brings us to a date for Shoshenq I in the second half of the 9th century. This would place him a century later than the biblical Shishak, making the equation of the two untenable. Another candidate needs to be sought for the biblical ‘king Shishak’.
Part I: There has never been any consensus on the nature, composition and chronology of the " 21s... more Part I: There has never been any consensus on the nature, composition and chronology of the " 21st Dynasty ". Recent research has produced an ever-increasing multiplicity of rival models, most still relying on the information given in the surviving epitomes of the Hellenistic scholar Manetho. The claim that the regnal years given by " Manetho " for the 21st Dynasty are corroborated by the monuments is completely unjustified and based on circular reasoning. Progress can only be made by completely abandoning reliance on Manetho (a hangover from early 19th century, pre-decipherment, scholarship) once and for all.
Part II: This section of the article follows up a model we proposed for the early 21st Dynasty in JEgH (2010), which suggested that Piankh held the pontificate while Herihor was king. Such a model could resolve the recent debate regarding the order of HPAs Herihor and Piankh. Here the next major controversy of 21st Dynasty chronology is addressed – the question of whether the high year dates from the time of HPA Menkheperre belonged to King Psusennes or Amenemope of Tanis. It is argued that they belonged to neither, but to the wḥm-mswt or “Renaissance” era which started late in the reign of Ramesses XI. Allocating the high datelines from the pontificate of Menkheperre to the wḥm-mswt would resolve a number of otherwise intractable problems, and results in a shortening of 21st Dynasty chronology by some four decades, in step with both archaeological and genealogical evidence.
![Research paper thumbnail of James, P. & Thorpe, Nick [I. J.], “Atlantis Lost and Found”, Ancient Mysteries, New York: Ballantine, 1999, 16-41.](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/57805317/thumbnails/1.jpg)
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Society for Interdisciplinary Studies Review, 1982
Updated: Brian Moore is a retired senior librarian and joint founder, sometime Chairman, of the S... more Updated: Brian Moore is a retired senior librarian and joint founder, sometime Chairman, of the Society for Interdisciplinary Studies (https://www.sis-group.org.uk). He has contributed numerous Review and editorial articles to the SIS Review. Peter James is an Alumnus of University College London, Ancient History, and University of Birmingham, Department of Classics, Ancient History and Archaeology. He has contributed articles on prehistoric archaeology to Current Archaeology and New Scientist and on ancient history to the SIS Review and Kronos. One of the extraordinary dwellings of Skara Brae, a Neolithic village of Orkney destroyed by natural catastrophe towards the end of the 3rd millennium BC, The huts contained drains and stone furniture such as the bed and "Welsh Dresser" in the photo. The curious Neolithic site of Skara Brae in Orkney shows great promise as a "type site" of catastrophism for prehistoric Europe. While there are no written records, the evidence supports a model for Skara Brae's destruction weaving together earthquake, violent climatic conditions, drastic cultural change and fear of extraterrestrial catastrophe around the end of the 3rd millennium BC.
Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions, 2016
The well-known classical myth of Phaethon must be the earliest recorded cautionary tale about tee... more The well-known classical myth of Phaethon must be the earliest recorded cautionary tale about teenage driving: taking control of the chariot of his father, the Sun-god, Phaethon set the world ablaze and endangered the cosmic order, until he was felled by Zeus' thunderbolt and hurled to the earth. It has long been recognised that the tale must reflect some extraordinary astronomical event, recent attempts associating his fall with meteorite impact craters in southern Germany and Estonia. This geographic focus is too narrow. We examine parallels to the myth from ancient Anatolia, Mesopotamia, and the Levant, most previously unrecognised; the tendency of the Greeks to relocalise borrowed myths in the Aegean region or further westwards; and, above all, the unsolved problem aired long ago by Sir James Frazer regarding how remarkably analogous tales are known from as far afield as North America. A proposed impact crater in Iraq may emerge as a suitable candidate for the source of the myth in the Near East. Using developments in the current understanding of comets, meteor, streams and asteroids on earth-crossing orbits, we offer an explanation for both the similarities and differences between the global parallels to the Phaethon story.
Cosmos, 2022
The biblical miracle of Joshua's "Long Day" could not have been caused by an eclipse in 1207 bc, ... more The biblical miracle of Joshua's "Long Day" could not have been caused by an eclipse in 1207 bc, which proves to be irrelevant to Egyptian chronology, though this has been claimed. The story needs to be considered both in its full biblical and correct archaeological contexts and another astronomical cause for the "miracle" considered.
Aula Orientalis, 2013
This article tackles two issues in the " proto-astronomical " conception of the planet Saturn, fi... more This article tackles two issues in the " proto-astronomical " conception of the planet Saturn, first attested in Mesopotamia and followed by the Greeks and Hindus: the long-standing problem of Saturn's baffling association with the Sun; and why Saturn was deemed to be " black ". After an extensive consideration of explanations offered from the 5th century to the 21st, as well as some new " thought experiments " , we suggest that Saturn's connection with the Sun had its roots in the observations that Saturn's course appears to be the steadiest one among the planets and that its synodic period – of all the planets – most closely resembles the length of the solar year. For the black colour attributed to Saturn we propose a solution which is partly lexical and partly observational (due to atmospheric effects). Finally, some thoughts are offered on the question why in Hellenistic times some considered the " mock sun " Phaethon of Greek myth to have been Saturn.
A two-day virtual colloquium A Fresh Look at the 'Unshakeable' Pillars of the Late Bronze to Iron... more A two-day virtual colloquium A Fresh Look at the 'Unshakeable' Pillars of the Late Bronze to Iron Age Transition-Chronology of the Eastern Mediterranean World October 16th & 17th 2021 Many years ago, archaeologist George Hanfmann wrote that: a word of caution must be added regarding the so-called 'absolute' dates. Because the Near East is so vital for the chronologies of the European, Central Asiatic … areas, it is well to remind ourselves from time to time that the two great pillars of the chronology of the Bronze Age, the Egyptian and the Mesopotamian, are not two stout towers resting on immovable foundations.
A plea is made to scrap the term " Sea Peoples " as it is presently used in discussion of Mediter... more A plea is made to scrap the term " Sea Peoples " as it is presently used in discussion of Mediterranean archaeology. Traditionally it describes a whole host of people who, in various combinations, are known as aggressors from Egyptian records of the13th to 12th centuries BC: the Peleset (Philistines), Tjekker, Denyen, Shekelesh, Weshesh, Teresh, Ekwesh, Luka, and Shardana (or Sherden). Merging them all together as " the Sea Peoples " has caused enormous confusion, and encouraged unfounded theories that they were part of a great migration eastwards at the time of the Late Bronze Age/Iron Age transition.
This note concerns a claim by the Aegean Dendrochronology Project (ADP), based at Cornell Univers... more This note concerns a claim by the Aegean Dendrochronology Project (ADP), based at
Cornell University, to have dated the tree-rings in a Bronze Age bowl from Mycenae.
Superscript numbers next to dates refer to the publication dates of calibrations for the
Gordion Master Sequence (GMS), the yardstick of Anatolian dendrochronology which
has been periodically adjusted both upwards and downwards in time as the ADP have
attempted to refine the dating of the Sequence (see James 2012: 144).
Every archaeologist's dream is a dating technique which can date finds to a precise year, and of ... more Every archaeologist's dream is a dating technique which can date finds to a precise year, and of all available methods dendrochronology comes nearest. In an ideal case bark will still be preserved and dendrochronology can tell us the exact year when the wood was felled. But while this might work well for prehistoric posts or firewood, matters are not so easy for artefacts where carpenters and sculptors have shaved off an unknown number of tree-rings. For this reason dendrochronology usually only offers a terminus post quem, a date after which the artefact was made. All the same, the fact that dendrochronology deals in real, exact calendar years makes it more 'tangible' than radiocarbon, which can only express dates as a broad range in terms of statistical probability. To know that the last tree-ring in an artefact dates to 899 BC is far more rewarding than learning that it grew sometime between 1020 BC and 830 BC (at 95.4% probability). One reason for the vagueness in radiocarbon dating is that the amount of carbon 14 produced in the atmosphere (and hence absorbed by living organisms) has not remained constant. It is dendrochronology that has provided the key to this puzzle: by measuring amounts of C14 in well-dated tree-rings we can calibrate radiocarbon results. Hence the double importance of a sound dendrochronology.
P. James, I. J. Thorpe, N. Kokkinos, R. Morkot & J. Frankish, Centuries of Darkness: A challenge ... more P. James, I. J. Thorpe, N. Kokkinos, R. Morkot & J. Frankish, Centuries of Darkness: A challenge to the conventional chronology of Old World archaeology (London: Jonathan Cape 1991/New Brunswick, NJ.: Rutgers University Press, 1993). With a Foreword by Colin Renfrew.
Publishers’ Blurb
The Old World has confronted archaeologists with many riddles, perhaps the most tantalising of which is the Dark Age, an economic and cultural recession so devastating it lasted for 400 years from 1200 to 800 BC. Or did it? The dates for the Near East and Mediterranean are derived from the highly regarded chronology of ancient Egypt, but could not that itself have been miscalculated? This is the pioneering theory proposed by Peter James in an intricate piece of scholarly detective work. Deciphering the clues from papyri and pottery, he and his team of experts search layer by layer through the excavated treasures of a vast area from Spain to Iran and from Denmark to Sudan, until they reach Egypt, the root of the labyrinthine riddle. It is here that they unearth 250 years of ‘ghost history’.
Once these are eliminated, fresh perspective is thrown not only on the reality of the Dark Age, but also on the Trojan War, the foundation of Rome, the origin of the Greek alphabet and the Golden Age of King Solomon. Centuries of Darkness is a masterpiece of archaeological reasoning which will revolutionise our view of the ancient world.
This volume represents the proceedings of the third BICANE Colloquium* held at Sidney Sussex Coll... more This volume represents the proceedings of the third BICANE Colloquium* held at Sidney Sussex College in Cambridge from March 26-27, 2011 (see Figure 1, p. vi, and 2 p. x below).The third BICANE colloquium focussed on two key figures: Shishak and Solomon. The Old Testament describes a period of great prosperity and strength for Israel during the reigns of kings David and Solomon. The alleged ‘golden age’ ended – as the biblical narrative relates – because of oppressive measures used to work the people and the machinations of an Egyptian pharaoh referred to as ‘King Shishak’. He fostered Jeroboam I, who led a revolt in the northern region (Israel) and in the 5th year of Solomon’s successor, Rehoboam, invaded Judah c. 925 BC, attacked its strongholds and took tribute of the treasures from the Temple built by Solomon. Hardly a single point of the biblical story has remained undisputed in recent years.
A ‘popular’ report on the work of Nick Barton at the Mesolithic site on Hengistbury Head, Dorset.
A simple entry on differing views of the so-called “Sea Peoples” invasion from a young persons’ e... more A simple entry on differing views of the so-called “Sea Peoples” invasion from a young persons’ encyclopaedia.
BICANE 4 Conference booklet
Conference booklet of our two-day virtual colloquium Assyria BICANE 4 held as Webinar 16th-17th O... more Conference booklet of our two-day virtual colloquium Assyria BICANE 4 held as Webinar 16th-17th October 2021. It contains the abstracts of the lectures held, a general introduction and an extended bibliography.