A Reassessment of the Beginning of the Middle Bronze Age in Syria-Palestine

Abstract

Our understanding of character of beginning of Middle Bronze Age proper in region of Syria-Palestine has long been determined by our concept of its relationship to what preceded and what followed this phase. Several systems of terminology have been devised to classify transition from Early Bronze Age to Middle Bronze Age in this region, and this period in particular, which was called by Albright and by Kenyon, has long been a subject of archaeological debate. The controversy concerning terminology, however, actually masks a more important disagreement concerning placement and significance of this period within general cultural development of this region during early 2nd millennium B.c. While absolute dating of this phase has been and still is in question, there is now a consensus that period should be viewed as formative phase of Canaanite culture which remained dominant throughout Middle and Late Bronze Ages of Palestine. It is definition of this culture (hereafter I; see below) and question of its placement within cultural spheres of Syria and especially that form subject of this paper.' Recent excavations and closer examination of previously known material2 have shown need for a reappraisal of this archaeological period, especially of cultural changes which mark beginning of phase. The method to be used in initiating this reevaluation will be, first, to establish a stratigraphically based sequence of cultural characteristics;3 second, to extend this sequence on basis of typological comparison to unstratified groups; third, to fit as many groups of archaeological remains into this sequence as possible; and, fourth, to consider conclusions and some of broader implications that may be drawn from establishment of this sequence for MB I period. The first question, however, that needs to be considered is relationship between this phase and archaeological period that precedes it. Albright established a sequence of EB III-MB IMB IIA-MB IIB4 for archaeological phases which mark end of Early Bronze Age and beginning of Middle Bronze Age. This terminology indicated a major cultural break between EB III (or EB IV) and MB I periods, but continuity between MB I and MB IIA periods was implied.' Dever, however, proposed in 1973 that this interpretation needed to be revised at least in terms of understanding of cultural continuity between Albright's EB IV and MB I, and he later emphasized instead cultural break between MB I and MB IIA, as follows: the point is now almost beyond dispute: MB I period has few if any links with MB IIA and Middle Bronze proper .... break between two in terms of their material culture is one of most abrupt and complete in entire cultural sequence of Palestine (Dever 1976: 5; 1970: 144).