/ EGYPTIAN POTTERY IN MIDDLE BRONZE AGE ASHKELON

Author(s): Lawrence E. Stager, Ross Joseph Voss, ' and '

Source:
Eretz-Israel: Archaeological, Historical and Geographical Studies /
:-
Vol. AMNON BEN-TOR VOLUME / (2011 / pp. 119*-126* ,) "
Published by: Israel Exploration Society
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EGYPTIAN POTTERY IN MIDDLE BRONZE AGE ASHKELON

Lawrence . Stager and Ross Joseph Voss
Harvard University Research Associate,
Harvard Semitic Museum

During the second and first millennia bce Ashkelon

Levant (Stager 2002). The focus of this piece,

was a bustling seaport, first of the Canaanites and

then of the Philistines. During the Middle Bronze

written in honor of Amnon Ben-Tor, highlights

the imported pottery manufactured in Egypt. The

Age we estimate a population of 12,000-15,000

pottery comes from a well-stratified sequence of

inhabitants living within its ramparts. From Chal

city gates, streets, ramparts, and moats, located on

colithic times to the Islamic-Crusader period,

there were few gaps in the occupation of this

the North Slope in Grid 2 (see Fig. 1; for details,

Stager, Schloen, Master [eds.] 2008: 216-236; Voss
2002). Although not large, the Egyptian repertoire

major emporium. Only in the Middle Bronze Age

I (W.F. Albright's terminology) when, according
to the Egyptian "Admonitions of Ipuwer" of the

is the largest found in Canaan during MB 11 (Table

1). It consists of zirs (large water jars), storage jars

and ring stands (for supporting the jars), cooking

pots, and bowls.
This pottery provides important synchroniza
tions between Ashkelon's five phases (Phs. 14-10)

First Intermediate Period, ships did not "sail north

to Byblos," do we find the seaport abandoned for

several centuries.

All of that changes in the Middle Bronze Age

IIA (Albright's terminology) when the sea lanes
are open again and the economy of Ashkelon is

of MB II culture and those of Tell el-Dab'a in the

thriving because of trade. Imported pottery comes

13th Dynasty (G/4, G/l-3, F, and E/3) and in the

Second Intermediate Period, also known as the

from Egypt, Crete, Cyprus, and the northern

Hyksos Period (E/2-1 and D/3-2) (see Bietak,

Gate

Gate

Gate

Gate

(Phase 11) (Phase 12) (Phase 13) ^ (Phase 14)

Fig.

119*

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120* LAWRENCE . STAGER AND ROSS JOSEPH VOSS

Kopetzky, Stager, and Voss 2008). These synchro

nizations have enabled us to correlate with greater
precision the interaction and commercial contacts

their base was more than 70 m thick. A sandstone

between these two cities over the course of two and

The dry moat was carved out of the sandstone bed

rock and lined with ash. It is ca. 8.00 m wide at the

a half centuries.

(kurkar) causeway, or land bridge, led into the ear

best city gateGate 1 (Ph. 14)from the outside.

From two independent sources we have been

able to establish dates for the absolute chronology
of MB II Ashkelon. Ceramic correlations and syn
chronizations with Tell el-Dab'a, ancient Avaris,

Gate 2 (Ph. 13) was ca. 27.00 m long with an

interior passageway of ca. 2.30 m, wide enough
to admit wheeled vehicles such as large carts and

capital of the Hyksos, have been essential for

horse-drawn chariots. Gate 2 is the earliest arched

top and tapers to a depth of ca. 7.00 m.

anchoring the Middle Bronze Age in the low chro

city gate yet discovered in Canaan, dating shortly

nology of the ancient Near East (Bietak, Kopetzky,

after 1800 bce. During its lifetime the high earthen

Stager, and Voss 2008; A. Ben-Tor 2006). The low

ramparts were renewed three times and covered

chronology received independent support at Ash

kelon from 45 seal impressions made from Egyp

with three different stone mantles.

tian scarabs on both local and Egyptian clays,

the largest of the city gates, set above the partially

dating to the early 13th Dynasty (Stager, Schloen

and Master 2008: 224, Fig. 14.9; Stager 2008; for
a preliminary appraisal of the chronological, politi
cal, and cultural significance of these sealings, see

preserved remains of the second story of Gate 2.

Gate 3 (Ph. 12, transitional MB IIA/B) was

The towers and side walls of Gate 3 were so mas

sive that a much smaller Footgate (Gate 4, Ph. 11,

MB IIB) was carved out of its remains. Gate 4 led

D. Ben-Tor 2007: 117-119, 188-189). They were

down to the Sanctuary of the Silver Calf, an extra

found in the ash lining of the earliest moat (Ph. 14,

mural courtyard building located at the foot of the

Gate 1).' The local and imported pottery from these

rampart (Stager 2006). The northern city gate was

probably moved to the east.
In Ph. 10 a large mudbrick tower with curtain
wall was built near the top of the rampart. Fills

contexts compared very favorably with those from

Tell el-Dab'a. Along with Kamares Ware from

Crete, both Dab'a and Ashkelon yielded Cypriot
pottery of Middle White Painted III-IV Cross Line
Style. The Egyptian zirs appear for the first time
in Palestine in our Phase 14 = Tell el-Dab'a G/4

(see Bietak, Kopetzky, Stager, and Voss 2008, Fig.

2). Workshops in Canaan and elsewhere were pro
ducing Tell el-Yahudiyeh Ware, exported to Egypt
during Dynasty 13. Later, during the Second Inter
mediate Period, also known as the Hyksos Period,
Tell el-Yahudiyeh Ware was being manufactured

in Egypt for export to Canaan (Stager 2008:

1578-1579). Transport amphoras, the so-called
"Canaanite jars" containing wine and olive oil,
were exported to Egypt by the millions in the 13th
Dynasty and later, during the Second Intermediate
Period.

On the North Slope the Leon Levy Expedition

revealed a sequence of four earthen freestanding
ramparts, all built in MB IIA and reused until the

buried the Footgate. Phase 10 is dated by pottery of

the MB IIC, exemplified by three pieces of Tell el

Yahudiyeh Ware, with parallels to Dab'a D/3-D/2.
From Cyprus both cities imported White Painted
IIIIV Wares of the Cross Line and Pendant Line

Style as well as White Painted V Ware.

Egyptian pottery was found in stratified con
texts at Ashkelon in four out of five Middle Bronze

Age phases. While the corpus is quite limited in

the number of forms present, there was a gradual
increase in both the number and types of Egyptian
pottery found. This increase had by the end of the

Middle Bronze Age produced a noticeable statisti

cal effect on the entire assemblage of Phase 10. In
the following description the Egyptian pottery will
be presented starting with Phase 14 and proceeding
to the latest Phase 10.

Egyptian Pottery in Phase 14

end of the MB IIC (Stager, Schloen and Master

[eds.] 2008: 215-237). Not including the towers

Fragments of four Egyptian vessels were found in

and curtain walls, which once crowned the crest

Ph. 14 (MB IIA). The rim of an Egyptian zir (Bader

of the ramparts, their height reached 15 m and

Type 5) comes from the black ash lining (Layer

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EGYPTIAN POTTERY IN MIDDLE BRONZE AGE ASHKELON 121*

17), used as a protective shield over the friable

with a buff matt slip. Type 46 is found in Dab'a

sandstone interior of the dry moat (see our footnote

G/4 and G/3 at the beginning of the 13th Dynasty.

1, above, and Bader 2001: 167-170, figs. 48:d and

49:a). Following the Vienna system of classifica
tion, we would put the Ashkelon zir (PI. 1:3) in
the Marl C category (see Nordstrom and Bourriau
1993: 168-182 for the Vienna system, and Arnold
1993: 15-40 for classification terminology). It is a
thick-walled sherd with a dark gray core between

Higher up the slope in the courtyard in front of

the outer entrance to Gate 1, two other fragments

of Egyptian store jars (Vasen) (PI. 1:1) appeared in

Silt Layer 166, the bedding for Street 163, lead
ing into Gate 1 of Ph. 14. These sherds are also of
Marl C-l, with a gray core sandwiched between
brick red. They are thinly coated with a gray matt

zones of brick red. It was coated with a cream

slip through which the red fabric produces a light

colored matt slip, which appears to be smeared on

pinkish coloration on the surface. These store jars

belong to Type 46, from Dab'a G/3, and date to
the beginning of the 13th Dynasty (Bader 2001:
128-134, fig. 29:i,j,k,l).

in criss-cross fashion. Zirs of Type 5 were found in

Dab'a G/4 and G/3; these phases date to the begin

ning of the 13th Dynasty.

Also found in the moat was a store jar (Vase)

Type 46 (not illustrated; cf. Bader 2001: 128-134,

Also in Layer 166 was a ring stand (PI. 1:2) made

fig. 29:e, p.128) of Marl C-l, a light gray core

of Marl C clay. In section it has a gray core between

zones of brick red. The interior of the stand has a

encased between brick red. The surface is covered

thin coating of buff matt slip. It is a good example

10 cm

PI. 1

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122* LAWRENCE . STAGER AND ROSS JOSEPH VOSS

this form is known in G/4 and G/3. The Ashkelon

Egyptian Pottery in Phase 11: Footgate

and Sanctuary of the Silver Calf

stand of Ph. 14 is contemporary and dates to the

City gate 3 (Ph. 12) was buried and was succeeded

beginning of the 13th Dynasty (ca. 1770-1740 bce).

by a modest Footgate, which led from the rampart

of Type 68 (Bader 2001: 216, fig. 69:d). In Dab'a

This is also the date for the cache of Egyptian clay

summit down an ever-widening corridor to the

sealings found in the moat (Stager, Schloen, and

Master 2008: 224).

terrace on which the courtyard-style House of the

Silver Calf was built. In all three of these areas

Egyptian Pottery in Transition from

faces. There was a marked increase in the amount

Phase 13 to Phase 12

and variety of Egyptian pottery present.

Egyptian pottery was found on the floors or sur

No Egyptian pottery was found in Phase 13, but

On Mudbrick Floor 103 of the Footgate an

the deep construction fills for Gate 3, Ph. 12, which

assemblage of MB IIB pottery was abandoned and

buried Gate 2, yielded two sherds from Egyptian

vessels, which must have derived from Ph. 13 and

covered by striated lenses of mudbrick debris and

wash (Layer 99). The rim of a flat folded Egyptian

attest to the continuity of trade with Egypt.

cooking pot (PI. 1:8) was found in this debris. This

Massive fills of crushed sandstone, ash, and clay

were used to bury Gate 2, its ruins still standing to

the second story. Layer 185 (Square 85) of ash and

brown silt buried the barrel-vaulted chamber of

Gate 2, which connected the inner and outer arched

entrances to the city gate. An Egyptian zir (PL 1:5)
of Marl C fabric was found in Layer 185. It belongs
to the Type 4 or 5 category, with the difference that

the body of the former is more elongated. The rim

is tightly folded and has a flat lip. The zir has a

dark gray core sandwiched between zones of brick
red (Bader 2001: 169-171, fig. 50:b). The exterior
surface is covered with a lime scum (Ownby and
Griffith 2009). Layer 40 of brown, silty clay
(Square 84) filled the inner courtyard of Gate 2. In

form of globular cooking pot (Ashkelon Type CP7)

appears very late in Middle Bronze Age Canaan.

CP7 became popular in Ashkelon in Phase 11 but
did not replace the more common upright-rim
cooking pots (CP6), which first appear in Phase
12. At Dab'a CP7 cooking pots were divided into
three classes designated as Form 25, 42, and 46
(Kopetzky 2004: 260, fig. 192). At Ashkelon Forms
42 and 46 are attested. Most of the CP7 cooking

pots at Ashkelon are local, with the exception

of three from Egypt found in Phase 11 contexts.
According to the Vienna system they are classi

fled as Fabric I-e-2 and made of Nile E-2 clay;

less common is Fabric I-e-1 (Kopetzky, personal
communication). The clay usually consists of a

this deep fill part of an Egyptian store jar Vase (PI.

gray core with red to violet or thin reddish brown

1:4) was trapped. This Marl C vessel corresponds

to Type 46, which in its development displays a
straight interior wall with flatter shingles or rills on

oxidation zones. Mica and sand are always present.

By contrast the locally made Ashkelon CP7 pots
are uniformly brown in color and lack significant

the exterior (Bader 2001: 136-138, fig. 34:b) The

amounts of mica.

red fabric is covered with lime scum, with the red

Two more Egyptian cooking pots were found

bleeding through, giving the vessel a faint pinkish

in the corridor leading down to the Sanctuary of

cast. This type of jar has a long range appearing in

the Silver Calf: one from the makeup of southern

Revetment Wall 97 (PI. 1:8), the other on Street

Dab'a Gl-3; F as late as D/3, i.e. from the second

half of the 13th Dynasty to the Second Interme
diate Period. Our example best corresponds with

117 (PI. 1:7).

Dab'a F.

leading to the Calf Sanctuary, fragments of three

The Type 5 zir dates toward the middle of the

On Street 90, at the higher end of the corridor

Egyptian zirs (Pl.l:9) were discovered. At the

13th Dynasty. The Egyptian Vase of Type 46, which

lower end of the corridor, in the ashy makeup of

appears in Dab'a F, marks the transition from MB

Street 117 a fourth identical zir appeared. All of

them are made of Marl C clay and belong to Type
7 series of water jars (Bader 2001; 181, figs. 57:a

IIA to MB IIB. This indicates that Gate 2 (Ph. 13)

went out of use ca. 1710 bce.

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EGYPTIAN POTTERY IN MIDDLE BRONZE AGE ASHKELON 123"

and 59:a). In the break of each sherd a gray core is

sandwiched between thick zones of brick red, with

gold mica shining throughout the clay. The heavy

2001: 176, fig. 54:f) (PI. 2:11). It shares the rim

shape of earlier zirs, but its thin slip allows the red

folded rims are rounded at the lip; the exterior sur

core to bleed through, giving the surface a pink

coloration. This last example dates to the middle

face is painted with a very faint gray to buff matt

of the 15th Dynasty.

slip, mostly worn away.

An Egyptian cooking pot (PI. 2:6) was found in

the same layer. It resembles Form 42 (Kopetzky
2004: 261, fig. 195 and 221, fig. 214), with a flat

The last piece of Egyptian pottery to be dis

cussed is a body fragment of a Tell el-Yahudiyeh
Ware juglet (not illustratedno. 2), found in the
southernmost room of the Sanctuary of the Silver

Calf (Square 55, Floor 164). It belongs to a bi-con

ical 3 juglet made of Nile silt. This type is present

exterior folded rim, a beveled edge, and a buff matt

slip/Another cooking pot (PI. 2:7) with out-folded

rim but lacking a beveled edge belongs to Form
46 (Kopetzky 2004: 271, fig. 215). The third cook

at Dab'a as early as E/2, but continues through D/3.

ing pot (PI. 2:8) is also an example of Form 46

This corresponds to the span of the other Egyp

and comes from Ash Layer 8, which buried part of

tian pottery types from Ashkelon's Ph. 11.

gate are attested at Tell el-Dab'a in E/2 through

D/3. This more or less equates with the Hyksos

the Footgate. This large fragment has its surface

coated with a thin buff matt slip, over brick red
zones encasing a dark gray core.
All three of Ashkelon's Phase 10 Egyptian cook

Period, from ca. 1650 to 1530 bce, putting the life

ing pots have links to Dab'a D/3 and D/2. They are

span of Footgate 4 and the Calf Sanctuary at a little

a good reflection of the final phase of exchange

between Ashkelon and the Hyksos regime in the

The Egyptian pottery types found in the Phase 11

more than a century.

eastern delta of Egypt.

Egyptian Pottery in the Phase 10 Rampart

At the end of Phase 11 the Footgate was buried
along with the corridor and the Calf Sanctuary.
Two of four tombs that were placed in front of
the Calf Sanctuary were robbed of most of their
contents and backfilled just prior to being buried
under a massive new rampart, which yielded frag
ments of Egyptian pottery, including four zirs,
three cooking pots, three bowls, one ring stand,
and two jars. In the debris that buried the corridor,

an Egyptian zir (PI. 2:10) came to light in Layer

111. It belongs to Type 9, which continues from the
end of the 15 th Dynasty to the beginning of the 18th

Dynasty. (Bader 2001:189, fig. 62:c.). Buried in the

same debris (Layer 141) was a ring stand (PI. 2:3),
an example of Form 27 made of Nile I-b-2 clay
(Kopetzky 2004: 247, fig. 213). This form appears
in Dab'a E/l and D/2.

In a fill of brown silty clay (Layer 54), which

covered part of the Calf Sanctuary, was found a
store jar rim (PI. 2:4). The break shows a gray core

enclosed by a light brown zone, and it is covered

by a thin buff slip. Although it was first identified

as Egyptian, Karen Kopetzky informs us that this

is actually an imitation of Form 16 of Vasen mit

Innenlippe (Kopetzky 2004: 245, fig. 172). The

form extends through Dab'a D/3, and D/2.
At the summit of the North Slope in Rampart
Fill 6, another Egyptian jar fragment was found
(not illustrated). It is a late Type 46, of Marl C
fabric. The thick folded rim has a light gray core
sandwiched between thick brick red. The surface

of the sherd is covered with a very worn buff matt

slip (Bader 2001: 144, fig. 38:a,b). At Dab'a this

form appears in D/3.

Phase 10, Rampart Fill 65, which covered part

In the Phase 10 ramparts two zirs of Marl C

fabric were excavated. The first is another Type
9 vessel (Bader 2001: 187, figs. 61:c and d). It has
a much thicker rim than the second zir (PI. 2:9),
Type 7 (Bader 2001:180, fig. 56:e). Both zirs have

of the Calf Sanctuary, also yielded a large jar with

chamfered rim and an exterior ledge (PI. 2:5).

a thick black core between thin layers of brick red.

Its buff matt slip covers thin zones of purple to

red fabric that encase a gray core. It belongs to
Kopetzky's Form 54 (2010:83ff). This type appears
in Dab'a E/l, D/3, and D/2.

Rampart Fill 91, which covered part of the Calf

Sanctuary, produced another Type 7 zir (Bader

of the Calf Sanctuary, has a simple upturned rim

A bowl rim (PI. 2:1) from Fill 51, also over part

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124* LAWRENCE . STAGER AND ROSS JOSEPH VOSS

,
"xz:

10

10 cm

PI. 2

with flat lip. It is brick red with a purple core, and

rim appears only in D/3 and D/2. This bowl is a

it resembles Bowl Type 16 of Marl C clay (Bader

2001: 58-60, fig. 6:j,k,l).
Finally, an Egyptian red-cross bowl was found
in a compact brown silty clay (Layer 140) used to
cover the Phase 11 street inside the corridor (PI.

hybrid type, combining an Egyptian form with the

2:2). This open bowl has a straight wall and simple

tery present in the rampart which buried Footgate

rim. A band of red paint runs around the interior of

4. As usual, zirs now of Types 7 and 9 dominate

the collection. These are followed by cooking pots
(Form 46). For the first time new types of Egyp
tian bowls Type 16 and Type 54 (Kopetzky 2010)
appear, in addition to a small ring stand (Type 9).
All of these vessel forms fall within Dab'a E/l,

the bowl's rim and the interior cross divides the

bowl into quadrants. The break shows a solid red

material with numerous voids from straw inclu

sions. This is an example of Form 117 of Schalen

mit rotem Kreuz (Kopetzky 2004: 263 Figs. 198,
216). An earlier form of this bowl with inturned rim

appears in earlier phases at Dab'a, but the simple

Canaanite decoration. Phase 10, which marks

the final phase of Middle Bronze Age culture on
Ashkelon5s North Slope documents a significant
increase in the amount and variety of Egyptian pot

D/3, and D/2, that is, within the second half of the
Second Intermediate Period.

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EGYPTIAN POTTERY IN MIDDLE BRONZE AGE ASHKELON 125*

Conclusion

The marked increase in Egyptian pottery traced

over the course of Ashkelon's five Middle Bronze

Age phases and its correspondence with the Tell

el-Dab'a sequence show an interesting pattern of
development. In the first two gates the repertoire

of Egyptian forms is limited to water contain

ers (zirs), two types of store jars, and a pottery
stand for supporting one of the above jar types.
By Phase 11 these initial forms are augmented by
food preparation containers (Type CP7 cooking
pots), an offering stand, and a fragment of a Tell
el-Yahudiyeh Ware juglet with Nile silt. The pres
ence of four zirs shows the continued importance
of water storage containers which now appear as a
small percentage of the store jar assemblage.
By tracing this modest corpus of Egyptian pottery

one sees a marked progression from storage contain

ers in Ph. 14 and Ph.13, to storage and food prepara
tion in Ph. 11, and to storage, food preparation, and
food serving by the commencement of Phase 10.

The presence of Egyptian pottery in the excel

lent stratigraphic sequence of gates and ramparts
of Ashkelon provides another vital correlation and

synchronization with the sequence and pottery of

one of its most powerful neighbors, Tell el-Dab'a,
ancient Avaris. The presence of Egyptian sealings

Hyksos Period, near the beginning of D/2 ca.

1560 bce. The absence of late MB IIC and LB IA

Canaanite pottery, including Chocolate-on-White

Ware, Jericho vases with trumpet bases, and

Cypriot imports (such as White Slip I and Proto
Base-Ring Ware) in the mantle fills of the Phase 9
rampart is another strong indication that Phase 10
was brought to an end late in the MB IIC, probably
ca. 1530 bce and before the hallmarks of LB IA

material culture appeared on the cultural horizon.

A similar picture has emerged in the Canaanite
necropolis in Grid 50 and in the area of domes
tic settlement in Grid 38. In three widely differing

areas of Ashkelon there is a palpable lack of typi

cal LB IA ceramic forms hinting at a cultural gap
in Ashkelon's occupation. This cessation of Ash
kelon's cultural sequence has important historical
implications which cannot be addressed here. What

is clear is that by the beginning of LB IB there is

a resumption of occupation with all the requisite
types of material culture present.
From Table 1 it is clear that there was a strik
ing increase in the relative proportion of Egyptian
pottery in the MB II repertoire at Ashkelon, from

a low in Phase 14 (0.180/o by rim fraction calcula

tions) to a high in Phase 11 (2.45^0) and in Phase
10 (3.45^0), the Hyksos Period.

and imported pottery from Crete, Cyprus, and the

northern Levant at both sites further reinforce

Acknowledgements
The authors are greatly indebted to Manfred

the dates assigned to these two seaports over the

Bietak, who examined all of the pottery included

in this article while in Ashkelon. We are equally
grateful to Karin Kopetzky, who, along with Man
fred Bietak, made extensive comments and revi

course of the Middle Bronze Age.

There is a remarkable correlation between

Egyptian vessel types, whether they be zirs, store

jars, cooking pots or bowls. For example, store jars

sions to an earlier draft of this paper. For the most

(Type 46) found in Phase 14, the earliest MB IIA

phase at Ashkelon, appear in Dab'a G/4 and the

part, we have relied on their indispensable knowl

edge of Egyptian ceramics and tried to follow the

beginning of G/3, from the end of the 12th into the

classification system developed by them and others

13th dynasties. The low chronology proposed for

the Tell el-Dab'a sequence would place the date of

responsibility for any errors that might remain and

the earliest city gate at Ashkelon, ca. 1790-1750,

for the views and opinions expressed here, not all

early in the 13th Dynasty. The Egyptian sealings

found at Ashkelon in the moat deposit of Gate 1

of which would be shared by our good friends and

at Tell el-Dab'a. The authors, of course, bear full

colleagues, Manfred and Karin.

We would also like to thank Philip Johnston,

independently confirm this early 13th Dynasty syn

chronization with Dab'a.

Ph.D. candidate in Near Eastern and Mediterra

The latest Egyptian pottery forms in the Phase

10 rampart of Ashkelon cluster in Dab'a D/3. It
is quite clear then that Phase 10 began late in the

assistance in formatting, editing, and illustrating

this article. We also much appreciate the help that

nean Archaeology at Harvard, for his invaluable

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126* LAWRENCE . STAGER AND ROSS JOSEPH VOSS

he and Joshua Walton, also a Ph.D. candidate in

statistical data for the Egyptian pottery excavated

at Ashkelon.

Archaeology at Harvard, gave in compiling the

Note
Originally this moat deposit was designated Ph. 14/13,

Gate 2 (Ph. 13). Further examination indicates that the

when we thought it was part of the moat fill represent

ash was an intentional lining of the sandstone moat and

ing the end phase of Gate 1 and preparation for building

belongs to its construction in Ph. 14.

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