Anatolian and Egyptian Imports from Late EB I at Ain Assawir, Israel

Abstract

Recent excavations in a cemetery at Ain Assawir at the western end of the ʿIron (Megiddo) Pass, Israel, have uncovered a number of cave tombs dating to the Early Bronze Age. Replete with grave goods of local origin, these sepulchers have also yielded a handful of imported artifacts within deposits that date to chronological ranges within the latter part of Early Bronze I. Included are a number of Egyptian ceramic imports as well as vessels of local origin fashioned in imitation of Egyptian morphological types. In addition, one tomb yielded two ceramic vessels derived from neighboring regions in northern Syria and southern Anatolia. For the present, such imports from the north are unique finds within the south Levantine cultural sphere in this time span. This paper examines the likely sources for these northern imports, the chronological information they impart, and some of the sociocultural implications that may be interpreted from them.