Ceramic typology and technology of Late Bronze II and Iron I assemblages from Tel Miqne-Ekron: The transition from Canaanite to Philistine culture

Excavations in Field I of Tel Miqne-Ekron have uncovered a continuous occupational history from the end of the Middle Bronze Age through the Iron Age II. This uninterrupted stratigraphic sequence is especially significant for the study of Mycenaean IIIC:1b pottery and the appearance of the early Philistines in the southern coastal plain of Israel. Mycenaean IIIC:1b pottery appears suddenly and in large quantities at the site during Phase 9 (Stratum VII). Typologically and technologically, Mycenaean IIIC:1b pottery bears no resemblance to the earlier 13th-century assemblages of Phases 10 and 11 Typical shapes of this phase include bell-shaped bowls, carinated bowls with strap handles, kalathoi and closed, single-handled cooking jugs with a flat base. One of the few shapes which continues in significant quantities from the Late Bronze Age is the "Canaanite" storage jar, a form also well-known in the Aegean world. Noteworthy are the rich decorative motifs which appear on large numbers of vessels. Technologically, there are few similarities to the previous Late Bronze Age repertoire, even though petrographic and NAA results have indicated that the early 12th-eentury assemblage, including Mycenaean pottery, was locally made from the same clay sources as the Late Bronze II pottery. The change in appearance of the paste is a result of a different clay source and technological treatment of the clay-a recipe which consisted of very well-levigated local clay with the addition of large quantities of finely crushed calcite, creating a distinctly Mycenaean appearance to the tablewares. Moreover, the formation techniques of the 12th century BCE assemblage are foreign to Canaan. The Iron I pottery at Tel Miqne-Ekron was formed on a fast wheel, in contrast to much of the Late Bronze IIB assemblage which was produced on a slow wheel. I shall compare and contrast typological, stylistic and technological features of the 13th and 12th century assemblages which have traditionally been associated with ethnically defined populations "Canaanites" and "Philistines".