Absolute Dating of the Late Bronze to Iron Age Transition and the Appearance of Philistine Culture in Qubur el-Walaydah, Southern Levant

Radiocarbon ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yotam Asscher ◽  
Gunnar Lehmann ◽  
Steven A Rosen ◽  
Steve Weiner ◽  
Elisabetta Boaretto
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Bayesian Model ◽  
Initial Phase ◽  
Integrative Approach ◽  
Late Bronze Age ◽  
Southern Levant ◽  
12Th Century ◽  
Absolute Dating ◽  
Archaeological Artifacts

The Late Bronze Age to the Iron Age transition involves profound cultural and political changes in the southern Levant. The transition is dated to the 12th century BC, based on archaeological artifacts and historical documents. A more precise absolute date for this transition for the southern Levant based on radiocarbon is difficult since the14C calibration curve reduces precision significantly due to wiggles that form an approximately 200-yr-long plateau. This article analyzes14C samples from the Late Bronze Age to the Iron Age transition at Qubur el-Walaydah. To increase the resolution of14C dates within the plateau,14C samples were collected only from well-defined multilayered contexts.14C dates from 11 contexts were obtained and these were analyzed using a Bayesian model that incorporated the stratigraphic information. Using this integrative approach we date the Late Bronze Age III levels at Qubur el-Walydah, containing the initial phase of locally produced Philistine pottery between 1185–1140 BC, and the Late Bronze to Iron Age transition between 1140–1095 BC.

scholarly journals Radiocarbon Dating Shows an Early Appearance of Philistine Material Culture in Tell es-Safi/Gath, Philistia

Radiocarbon ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 825-850 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yotam Asscher ◽  
Dan Cabanes ◽  
Louise A Hitchcock ◽  
Aren M Maeir ◽  
Steve Weiner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Cultural Change ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Integrative Approach ◽  
Southern Levant ◽  
13Th Century ◽  
12Th Century ◽  
Archaeological Artifacts

The Late Bronze Age to Iron Age transition in the coastal southern Levant involves a major cultural change, which is characterized, among other things, by the appearance of Philistine pottery locally produced in styles derived from outside the Levant. This transition in the coastal southern Levant is conventionally dated to the 12th century BC, based on historical and archaeological artifacts associated with the Philistine pottery. Radiocarbon dating can provide a more precise independent absolute chronology for this transition, but dating for the period under discussion is complicated by the wiggles and relatively flat slope in the calibration curve, which significantly reduce precision. An additional complication is that the stratigraphic record below and above the transition at this site, as well as at most other sites in the region, is far from complete. We thus used a variety of microarchaeological techniques to improve our understanding of the stratigraphy, and to ensure that the locations with datable short-lived materials were only derived from primary contexts, which could be related directly to the associated material culture. The 14C dates were modeled using Bayesian statistics that incorporate the stratigraphic information. Using this integrative approach, we date the appearance of the Philistine pottery in Tell es-Safi/Gath in the 13th century BC.

scholarly journals Archaeological complexes of the steppe type and the problem of absolute dating of the Chust culture of the FerganaValley

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. 29-42
Author(s):  
Kutimov Yu. ◽  
◽  
Tutaeva I. ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Central Asia ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Lower Boundary ◽  
Early Iron Age ◽  
Late Bronze Age ◽  
14Th Century ◽  
Scientific Methods ◽  
Absolute Dating ◽  
Painted Pottery

According to the results of natural-scientific methods of dating, the lower boundary of the absolute chronology of the Chust culture of the Fergana Valley of the Late Bronze Age — Early Iron Age is presently dated to the 15th–14th century BC. However, this date runs contrary to stratigraphic and comparative-typological evidence from the sites of the “Community of painted pottery” of Central Asia. Analysis of the mutual occurrence of Chust and steppe components at sites of the Fergana Valley allows archaeologists to define the time of the existence of the Chust culture to within the 12th–9th century BC.

scholarly journals The Agricultural Landscape of Tel Burna: Ecology and Economy of a Bronze Age/Iron Age Settlement in the Southern Levant

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 165-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Orendi ◽  
Ladislav Smejda ◽  
Chris McKinny ◽  
Deborah Cassuto ◽  
Casey Sharp ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Crop Plants ◽  
Late Bronze Age ◽  
Southern Levant ◽  
Secondary Products ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Iron Age Ii ◽  
Archaeological Iron

Abstract The Shephelah, known as the breadbasket of the southern Levant, is one of the more extensively investigated regions of the southern Levant in terms of archaeobotanical research. However, studies dealing with agriculture are scarce in comparison to the archaeobotanical data available. The analysis of the archaeobotanical assemblage in combination with the archaeological remains from Tel Burna will contribute to the investigation of the agriculture of the Shephelah. Several seasons of excavation revealed a cultic complex dating to the Late Bronze Age and an Iron Age II settlement with various agricultural installations such as silos and wine or olive presses. In this paper, we present the agricultural features in conjunction with the systematical archaeobotanical sampling, which enables us to reconstruct the types of crop plants cultivated at the site. Grass pea seeds dominate the assemblage collected from the Late Bronze Age complex, which may point to a connection to the Aegean. The Iron Age assemblage is distinguished by a significantly broad range of crop plants which were cultivated in vicinity of the tell. The archaeological Iron Age remains indicate that the processing of secondary products such as olive oil, wine, or textiles took place within the Iron Age settlement of Tel Burna. This first comprehensive overview describes the character of agricultural production in the Late Bronze Age to Iron Age environmental and geopolitical transformations.

scholarly journals The Iron Age I in the Northern Levant: New perspectives from Lebanon

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanan Charaf
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Smooth Transition ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Late Bronze Age ◽  
Southern Levant ◽  
Local Characteristics ◽  
Iron Age I ◽  
Tell Tayinat

The beginning of the Iron Age in the Levant has been for the past three decades the focus of intense studies and debates. The main reason that had triggered this interest is the turmoil characterizing the end of the Late Bronze Age coupled with the migration of newcomers dubbed the “Sea People” to the coastal Levant. This phenomenon has been studied to a length in the southern Levant where evidence of destructions followed by a new culture is attested on many coastal sites. However, in neighboring Lebanon, few studies focused on this period mainly due to the paucity of archaeological sites dating to the end of the Late Bronze Age/beginning of the Iron Age. In recent years, remains uncovered at major sites such as Tell Arqa (Irqata of the Amarna Tablets), Sarepta, Tyre, or Kamid el-Loz (Kumidi of the Amarna Tablets) gave no evidence for destructions at the end of the Late Bronze Age in this country. On the contrary, the architectural and material culture found at sites such as Tell Arqa and Sarepta points to a smooth transition from the Late Bronze Age to the Iron Age. While the exposed architecture is usually flimsy and is characterized by a widespread use of pits and silos (a phenomenon equally observed on other neighboring sites such as Tell Afis in Syria or Tell Tayinat in Turkey), the pottery still retains old characteristics; yet integrated into a few new shapes and fabrics. The patterns of archaism observed in the material cultural in Lebanon challenges the established understanding of the Iron Age I in the southern Levant where it is characterized as a period of turmoil and transformation.This presentation analyses the architectural and material characteristics of the end of the Late Bronze Age I/beginning of the Iron Age I in Lebanon with the aim at isolating both local characteristics and regional influences.

Absolute Time Ranges in the Plateau of the Late Bronze to Iron Age Transition and the Appearance of Bichrome Pottery in Canaan, Southern Levant

Radiocarbon ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-37
Author(s):  
Yotam Asscher ◽  
Elisabetta Boaretto
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Late Bronze Age ◽  
Southern Levant ◽  
Absolute Time ◽  
The North ◽  
New Material ◽  
A Site

ABSTRACTThe Late Bronze Age to Iron Age transition in the Levant includes the appearance of new material culture that is similar in styles to the Aegean world. In the southern Levant, the distribution of early styles of Aegean-like pottery, locally produced, is limited to the coastal areas of Canaan, making synchronization with the rest of the region difficult. Radiocarbon (14C) dating provides a high-resolution absolute chronological framework for synchronizing ceramic phases. Here, absolute14C chronologies of the Late Bronze to Iron Age transition in the sites Tel Beth Shean, Tel Rehov, Tel Lachish, and Tel Miqne-Ekron are determined. Results show that the ranges of transitions vary in an absolute time frame by 50–100 years between different sites and that the range of the Late Bronze Age to Iron Age transition in Canaan spans the 13th–11th centuries BC plateau. These chronologies, based on a site-by-site approach for dating, show that the change between early types of Aegean-like pottery (Monochrome) to developed types (Bichrome), occurred over 100 years in Canaan and that the transition occurred in southern sites prior to sites in the north. These ranges show that not only is the Late Bronze to Iron Age not contemporaneous, but also synchronization between sites based on their ceramic assemblages is problematic.

scholarly journals Vegetation and Climate Changes during the Bronze and Iron Ages (∼3600–600 BCE) in the Southern Levant Based on Palynological Records

Radiocarbon ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dafna Langgut ◽  
Israel Finkelstein ◽  
Thomas Litt ◽  
Frank Harald Neumann ◽  
Mordechai Stein
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Vegetation History ◽  
Early Bronze Age ◽  
Anthropogenic Activity ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
Late Bronze Age ◽  
Southern Levant ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Middle Bronze Age

This article presents the role of climate fluctuations in shaping southern Levantine human history from 3600 to 600 BCE (the Bronze and Iron Ages) as evidenced in palynological studies. This time interval is critical in the history of the region; it includes two phases of rise and decline of urban life, organization of the first territorial kingdoms, and domination of the area by great Ancient Near Eastern empires. The study is based on a comparison of several fossil pollen records that span a north-south transect of 220 km along the southern Levant: Birkat Ram in the northern Golan Heights, Sea of Galilee, and Ein Feshkha and Ze'elim Gully both on the western shore of the Dead Sea. The vegetation history and its climatic implications are as follows: during the Early Bronze Age I (∼3600–3000 BCE) climate conditions were wet; a minor reduction in humidity was documented during the Early Bronze Age II–III (∼3000–2500 BCE). The Intermediate Bronze Age (∼2500–1950 BCE) was characterized by moderate climate conditions, however, since ∼2000 BCE and during the Middle Bronze Age I (∼1950–1750 BCE) drier climate conditions were prevalent, while the Middle Bronze Age II–III (∼1750–1550 BCE) was comparably wet. Humid conditions continued in the early phases of the Late Bronze Age, while towards the end of the period and down to ∼1100 BCE the area features the driest climate conditions in the timespan reported here; this observation is based on the dramatic decrease in arboreal vegetation. During the period of ∼1100–750 BCE, which covers most of the Iron Age I (∼1150–950 BCE) and the Iron Age IIA (∼950–780 BCE), an increase in Mediterranean trees was documented, representing wetter climate conditions, which followed the severe dry phase of the end of the Late Bronze Age. The decrease in arboreal percentages, which characterize the Iron Age IIB (∼780–680 BCE) and Iron Age IIC (∼680–586 BCE), could have been caused by anthropogenic activity and/or might have derived from slightly drier climate conditions. Variations in the distribution of cultivated olive trees along the different periods resulted from human preference and/or changes in the available moisture.

scholarly journals Radiocarbon Dating in the Southern Levant

Radiocarbon ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 297-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
James M Weinstein
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Early Bronze Age ◽  
Secondary Source ◽  
Late Bronze Age ◽  
Upper Palaeolithic ◽  
Southern Levant

Radiocarbon dating provides the principal chronometric data for the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic, Epipalaeolithic, and Chalcolithic periods in the southern Levant. It is a secondary source of dating evidence for the Early Bronze age, when archaeological correlations with Syria and especially Egypt become available. For the Middle and Late Bronze age, Iron age, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine periods, 14C dating has only limited value because the technique is less precise than the normally available archaeologic and historic materials.

The land of Hiyawa (Que) revisited

2016 ◽  
Vol 66 ◽  
pp. 67-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trevor Bryce
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Tenth Century ◽  
Early Iron Age ◽  
Late Bronze Age ◽  
New Information ◽  
12Th Century ◽  
Mediterranean World ◽  
The Bronze Age

AbstractThe focus of this article is the recently published, near-duplicate ARSUZ inscriptions carved on two stelae found near İskenderun in southeastern Turkey and dating to the later tenth century BC. Particular attention is given to the historical section of these inscriptions, and its reference to a land called Hiyawa (Assyrian Que) in eastern Cilicia, previously attested in only one other Iron Age inscription, the Luwian-Phoenician bilingual found at Çineköy near Adana. The article discusses what new information can be deduced about Hiyawa, including its relationship with the land of Adana(wa) in eastern Cilicia, the implications to be drawn from the findspot of the stelae and the much-debated question of whether the references to Hiyawa reflect Greek settlement in southeastern Anatolia during the Early Iron Age. Fresh attention is also given to the two Akkadian texts from the archives of Late Bronze Age Ugarit which refer to a group called the Hiyawa-men, who were located at that time (late 13th to early 12th century) in Lukka in southwestern Anatolia. The controversial identification of this group with Ahhiyawans/Mycenaean Greeks is re-examined within the broader context of a comprehensive reconsideration of the Ahhiyawa-Hiyawa equation and the role played by ‘Hiyawans’ and the land of Hiyawa in the affairs of the eastern Mediterranean world from the end of the Bronze Age through the succeeding Iron Age.

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