New radiocarbon-based assessment supports the prominence of Tell Lachish during the Later Bronze Age IB-IIA

This article presents a new suite of radiocarbon (14C) dates for the lower portion of the Late Bronze Age (LBA) sequence of Area S, Tel Lachish. The results show that the lowest levels reached by Ussishkin in the 1980s (S-2 and S-3) date significantly earlier than was previously thought. Level S-3, with its monumental architecture, belongs in the 2nd half of the 15th century BCE, as does the commencement of Level S-2. The laminated deposit of S-2 continues through the first half of the 14th century BCE, coinciding at least in part with the Amarna period. This redating leads to improved agreement between archaeological and textual evidence regarding the presence of a substantial, prominent settlement at Lachish during LB IB-IIA, from the reign of Thutmoses III through the Amarna period.ISSN:0033-822

La cerámica de Edom : una corrección

Abstract: This article deals with several claims recently made by Levy et al.1 regarding pottery from Edom and sites in the Negev. Building their argument on two assumptions—that Khirbet en-Nahas constitutes part of Edom and that the fortress there dates to the 10th century BCE—they maintain that sites on the Edomite plateau had been dated to the late 7th–6th centuries BCE based on a single find—the seal impression carrying the inscription “Qos Gabr king of Edom”—and hint that this pottery should in fact be dated earlier. And based on the architectural similarity between the fortress at Khirbet en-Nahas and the fortresses of Tell el-Kheleifeh at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba and of En HaÐeva in the western Arabah south of the Dead Sea, they date the latter two to the 10th century BCE, several centuries earlier than the broadly-accepted date in the Iron IIB/C. In this article we take issue with these claims. We show that dating the sites on the Edomite plateau to the late 8th-to-early 6th centuries BCE is backed by meticulous comparison to well-stratified and dated sites in southern Judah. We also show that the fortresses of Tell el-Kheleifeh and En HaÐeva cannot be dated earlier than the late 8th century. We then deal with the reasons for Levy et al.’s errors.Resumen: Este artículo se refiere a varias afirmaciones hechas recientemente por Levy et al.2 respecto de la cerámica de Edom y sitios en el Negev quienes, forjando sus argumentos en base a dos supuestos—que Khirbet en-Nahas es parte constituyente de Edom y que su fortaleza data del siglo X a.C.— sostienen que los sitios en la meseta edomita fueron datados a finales del siglo VII y el VI a.C. en base a un único hallazgo—la impresión de sello con la inscripción “Qos Gabr rey de Edom”—e insinúan que esta cerámica debe ser, de hecho, datada más tempranamente. Y, basados en la similitud arquitectónica entre la fortaleza de Khirbet en-Nahas y las fortalezas de Tell el- Kheleifeh, en la entrada del Golfo de Aqaba, y de En HaÐeva, en el Arabá occidental al sur del Mar Muerto, datan las dos últimas en el siglo X a.C., varios siglos antes que la fecha comúnmente aceptada en el Hierro IIB/C. En este artículo nos oponemos a estas afirmaciones. Demostramos que la datación de los sitios en la meseta edomita entre finales del siglo VIII a.C. y principios del VI a.C. está basada en una meticulosa comparación con sitios bien estratificados y datados de Judá meridional. También demostramos que las fortalezas de Tell el-Kheleifeh y En HaÐeva no pueden ser datadas antes de finales del siglo VIII a.C. para luego tratar las razones de los errores de Levy et al

Antiguo Oriente: Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Historia del Antiguo Oriente, 2008, n° 6 (número completo)

Sumario -- The pottery of Edom: A Correction / Israel Finkelstein & Lily Singer-Avitz -- The Jezirah Burnished Ware / Stefano Valentini -- The Cordage from Berenike (1994-2000): The Statics / André J. Veldmeijer -- A Reevaluation of the Use of !bz and bhy in Elephantine / Alejandro F. Botta -- Four Ur III Administrative Tablets in the Possesion of Professor Francis Carroll, University of Manitoba / John Nielsen -- Una actualización de la Cronología Baja: arqueología, historia y Biblia / Israel Finkelstein -- The Alleged “Anchor Point” of 732 BC for the Destrction of Hazor V / Peter James -- The “Wicked Priest” in Egyptology and Amarna Studies: A Reconsideration / Samuel Jackson -- Violencia fenicia en el Mediterráneo Oriental / Jordi Vidal -- Reportes de Excavación -- The Leatherwork from Deir el-Bachit: Preliminary Report / André J. Veldmeijer -- Reseñas bibliográficas -- Política editorial e instrucciones para los colaboradores -- Direcciones para envío de artículos y reseñas bibliográficas -- Colaboraciones en numeros anteriore