The Southern Levant (Cisjordan) During the Late Bronze Age (original) (raw)

2013, The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology of the Levant (c. 8000-332 BCE)

Th e Late Bronze Age in the area of the Israel/Palestinian territories (termed here 'Canaan') was a period of prosperity and privation, submission and rebellion. It marked a high point of various technological, mercantile, and artistic endeavours while, at the same time, other aspects of ancient life experienced a decline. Two seminal features characterized this period: the domination of the Egyptian Empire, which provides the chrono-historical as well as the political-cultural framework for the entire duration of this period, and the economic and cultural involvement of Canaan in the 'world system' network of the eastern Mediterranean and the ancient Near East. It is this dialectic nature, along with the multitude of textual evidence and rich archaeological fi nds, that make the Late Bronze Age a pivotal period in the development of history, society, and culture in Canaan.

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The Southern Levant (Cisjordan) during the Early Bronze Age

M.L. Steiner and A.E. Killebrew eds, The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology of the Levant c.8000–332 BCE, Oxford University Press , 2014

Towards the middle of the fourth millennium bc , a new world emerged in the Near East. While Mesopotamia and Egypt began a path toward state formation, at the southern tip of the Fertile Crescent, Palestine also underwent rapid and deep changes, albeit on a more modest scale. Th eir fi rst manifestations, around 3700 bc , signal the end of the Late Chalcolithic period and the beginning of the Early Bronze Age.

Characteristics of Late Bronze Age Canaanite Cities in Palestine

This paper aims at discussing the characteristics of the Canaanite city during the Late Bronze Age (ca. 1550-1200 BC). The study of the term Canaan and the Canaanites, a historical background and the specific features of the Canaanite city are here presented. On the land of Canaan, scholars clearly disagree on specific borders; but it is understood that it includes most of the Mediterranean eastern coast and parts of the Levantine inland. The word Canaan appeared first in written documents dating to the eighteenth century BC. It is agreed that the Canaanites are known not only from the land which they inhabited, but also from the tongue they spoke (known as the Canaanite language). The characteristics of the Canaanite cities during the Late Bronze Age presented in this study are mostly deduced from the results of excavations at the sites of Tell el-Mutasallim (Megiddo) and Tell el Qedah/Tell Waqqas (Hazor). This paper presents a discussion of the type of fortifications, dwellings, temples and burials excavated at the Canaanite cities which belong to the Late Bronze Age. In addition, industry, trade and innovations are also studied. Consequently, it may be proposed that the Late Bronze Age Canaanite cities were poorly occupied, usually with a single palace, had a temple or more, contained domestic dwellings, craft installations, storage and refuse pits and Egyptian forts or residences of governors. The economy and social structure of people who lived in the Canaanite cities seemed to have been influenced by none Canaanite ethnic groups especially during the last phase of the Late Bronze Age.

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Middle Bronze Age II: Introduction

The Ancient Pottery of Israel and its Neighbors from the Middle Bronze through the Late Bronze Age, Ed. S. Gitin. Jerusalem. Israel Exploration Society, pp. 5-7., 2019