Shechem V

The Late Bronze Age Pottery from Field XIII at Shechem / Tell Balatah

by Catherine A. Duff, series edited by Edward F. Campbell, Jr.

Book cover: Shechem V

Extent: 536 pages

Publisher: American Society of Overseas Research

Subjects: Ancient Near East

Series: Archaeological Reports

Series volume number: 23

Language: English

Hardback (Published)

(October 2015)

ISBN: 9780897570909

8.46 x 10.98 inches

Price: $89.95

In stock

The Late Bronze Age sequence spanning the Late Bronze I, IIA, and IIB contains ceramics from occupational contexts and also from a cache of 850 restorable and complete vessels from a BasementChamber sealed below destruction debris. 88 b&w illustrations; 33 tables.


Substantial ceramic and architectural remains attributable to the Late Bronze Age were excavated in Field XIII in 1968 by the Drew-McCormick Expedition. The Late Bronze Age sequence spanning the Late Bronze I, IIA, and IIB contains ceramics from occupational contexts and also from a cache of 850 restorable and complete vessels from a Basement Chamber sealed below destruction debris. This analysis provides data on the ceramic typological development and the technological processes or chaine operatoire at a Northern Hill Country site. While mostly domestic in nature, the ceramic assemblage also comprises imported Cypriot White Slip and Base Ring Wares that place the territorial kingdom, governed by the ambitious ruler Lab’ayu, within a wider regional trade system encompassing the Dothan-Jezreel and Beth Shean Valley routes. The findings from this investigation align with recent scholarship that shows the early Late Bronze I was defined by contracted settlement over a protracted period of time, in contrast to the architectural and ceramic complexity exhibited in the Late Bronze IIA, and to a limited extent in the Late Bronze IIB. This report continues the effort to publish the excavation findings from ten seasons of excavations spanning 1957 to 1972 and originally led by Expedition Director G. Ernest Wright.

List of Illustrations List of Tables and Appendices Preface Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 The Late Bronze Age Ceramics and Stratigraphy in Field XIII Rebuilding in Field XIII: Sub-Stratum XIV Stratum XIV Loci (Phase A) Stratum XIII Loci Stratum XII Loci Re-Evaluating the Late Bronze IA Gap Hypothesis Conclusions Chapter 3 The Late Bronze Age Ceramic Typology Structure of the Ceramic Typology Fabric Groups Notes on Manufacturing Technologies Surface Treatments Shechem Typological System Bowls Cooking Pots Kraters Storage Jars Biconical Vessels Jugs Juglets Miscellaneous Vessels Chalices/Goblets Cup Flasks Pottery Stands Lamps Unknown Vessel Cypriot and Aegean Wares White Slip I White Slip II White Slip Variants Red on Black Ware Base Ring I and II Monochrome Ware Bichrome Decorated Ware (Local) Red Lustrous Wheel-Made Ware (Local Imitation) Mycenaean Ware Chocolate-on-White--Eggshell Ware (ES) Marl D Egypto-Canaanite Bowls Conclusions Chapter 4 Petrography of some Late Bronze Age Ceramics in Field XIII Geology of the Shechem Region Petrographic Analysis: Methodology Petrographic Results: Strata XIV-XII Petrographic Discussion Continuity/Change in Petrofabric Groups Macro Fabric and Petrographic Correlations Aspects of Ceramic Production Conclusions Chapter 5 Cultural and Historical Conclusions References Pottery Plates and Descriptive Tables Plates 1-32: Stratum XIV Plates 33-68: Stratum XIII Plates 69-110: Stratum XII Basement Plates 1-58: Stratum XIII

  • By (author) Catherine A. Duff
  • Series edited by Edward F. Campbell Jr.