Metal Weapons of “Warrior’ Burials” Found in the Middle Bronze Age II Southern Levant – Economical and Social Aspects

Tal Kan Cipor Meron

doi:10.19080/gjaa.2018.06.555676

Abstract

Metal Weapons of “Warrior’ Burials” Found in the Middle Bronze Age II Southern Levant – Economical and Social Aspects

Highlights

Copper-based weapons including battleaxes, daggers, and spearheads from the Middle Bronze Age II (c. 1900-1600 B.C.E.) have been unearthed mainly in burials found in the southern Levant
While for production of arsenic copper one metal source containing copper with arsenic was needed, the production of tin bronze required two metal sources, one of tin and one of copper, which were in far distance from the southern Levant [11,12]
No tin sources were found in the Levant and there is no evidence that local copper sources were exploited at this time, in contrast to the former periods [13,14,15]

Summary

Introduction

Copper-based weapons including battleaxes, daggers, and spearheads from the Middle Bronze Age II (c. 1900-1600 B.C.E.) have been unearthed mainly in burials found in the southern Levant. More than 1000 copper-based weapons associated with the Middle Bronze Age II The “warrior burials” are dated mainly to the first half of the MBII period (MB IIA; 1950–1750 BCE) and decline in occurrence in the Middle Bronze IIB (MB IIB; 1750– 1550 BCE) [6,7,8].

Results

Conclusion