Canaanite Ceramics

koot van wyk (DLitt et Phil; ThD)

Kyungbook National University

Sangju Campus

South Korea

Conjoint lecturer of Avondale College

Australia

20 March 2010

When we say Canaanite Ceramics we only want to avoid misunderstanding that the ceramics we are to look at are Palestinian or Israelite. It is the territory of Modern Israel and which was at a time called Palestine. The book of Ruth Amiran, Ancient Pottery of the Holy Land (Jerusalem: 1969)  is the compass to ceramics, no doubt. It is one of the best starters for this science and any volunteer who wish to join a dig in Israel or Transjordan, should have this book.

There are certain main principles of interpretation of Ceramics that Ruth Amiran touched upon:

1. "Any attempt to draw conclusions concerning political and cultural relations between Palestine and Egypt in the Late Bronze Age from the quantity of Egyptian pottery of that period found in Palestine would be misleading. The presence of considerable quantities of pottery imported from a certain country is not necessarily a measure of the political relations with that country" (Amiran 1969: 187). In other words, we should not expect to find a strong flow of pottery imports from the ruling country to that of the ruled. The principle is: quantity of ceramics does not prove the 'ruling' country.

2. New trends are brought by ethnic influx, political changes or commercial intercourse (Amiran 1969: 192).

3. There is a sharp cultural break in ceramics after the Early Bronze Period (Amiran 1969: 191).

4. The transition from Canaanite to Iron Age period brought a change from the more rounded form to the more angular shapes (Amiran 1969: 192).

5. Israelite ceramics from the time of David onwards, favored well burnished red, yellow, black and brown slip ware (Amiran 1969: 192).

6. Sometimes ceramic types like stirup-jars are "naturalized" and become part of the native productions so that when the Philistines arrived they only added their peculiar decoration to types who came a century or more, earlier before them to that part of the world (Amiran 1969: 267).

Periods of ceramics

Anyone taking the Word of God as reality for chronological reconstruction, will have to start history of artifacts as from 2521 BCE. Why? That is the year of the Flood of Noah that destroyed all the dinosaurs and created the geological shapes as we have it today and the Grand Canyon as it is. Ceramics cannot predate this period. So we have to adjust certain ceramic periods:

Adjusting the early Periods biblically

Mesolithic Period of ceramics was dated as between 10000 and 8000 BCE and Neolithic between 8000-4000 BCE and Chalcolithic between 4300-3300 BCE with Early Bronze I between 3300-3050 and Early Bronze II between 3050-2700 BCE and Early Bronze III between 2700-2270 BCE. All these periods, we have to place after 2521 BCE which is the strict chronology of the consonantal text of the Masoretic tradition. Instead of running these periods consecutively, it is better to place them concurrently up to the point where one passes the Flood date of Noah in 2521 BCE. All pyramids and historical dating of the Egyptians should be done after 2521 BCE.  Pyramids were built as a fear for coming water again like that with the flood and similarly the ziggurats of Mesopotamia. Hydrophobia of a Flood kind was the psychological basis for these structures.

It is accepted in this scenario, that cave-dwellings and survival strategies did exist for a short time as people migrate and moved to new areas after the Flood in 2521 BCE. The earliest pottery vessels found in Seoul at Amsa and exhibited at that museum with murals of explanation, convince this visitor that their date of 2333 BCE (in the heart of Mesopotamian Early Bronze III) is very possible. The ceramics look the same as that of Mesopotamian Early Bronze III. For South Korea, that is the earliest and expected to be so, according to this analyzer. These other dating earlier to 10000 BCE is pure speculation based on the two pillars of ancient chronology, Egyptian and Mesopotamian, but those two pillars are not immovable. So we move them biblically. Why? Because the consonantal text of the Masoretic tradition is the very Word of God, transmitted in exactly that same form unchanged as 4QDan^a from Qumran is evidence.

Early Bronze ceramics

We will begin our discussion with Early Bronze IV ceramics that others call Middle Bronze I. Amihai Mazar places the Early Bronze IV between 2300-2000 BCE.

Amiran indicates that the pottery from this period 2270-1920 BCE, is from Tombs rather than sites (Amiran 1969: 79).

They are innovative rather than traditional (Amiran 1969: 79).

Vessels are spherical or barrel-shaped without pronounced shoulders. Large flat base or none.

Absence of handles or small loop handles connecting the neck and shoulders.

Clay is light greenish-grey.

Technique is that the body is shaped by hand, neck and rim by wheel.

Decoration is 3-5 pronged comb or fork motif; straight or wavy lines; shallow stabs or notches; diagonal incisions by a single point.

Two groups are identified: northern and southern.

With the northern group the incisions are with a single point.

Three conical knobs are on the neck pointing downward.

It has a spherical form.

There is a horizontal affinity and they compare to Hama J 6-5.

The Southern group have incisions with a comb.

There are small elongated knobs on the shoulders.

It has a barrel shape and large flat base.

There is a horizontal affinity.

Compare to Hama J 6-5.

The "Megiddo" ceramics were more neatly made.

There is a teapot amphoriskos.

It is traditional rather than innovative.

There is a vertical affinity to MBIIA).

The grey teapot (caliciform)'s clay is dark, black, grey, red, brown and is the same as metallic forms.

Biblically, this is the time of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob according to strict chronology of the Masoretic text.

Middle Bronze IIA Ceramics 1920-1720 BCE

The biblical history of this time is that of Joseph and the starting of the enslavement period of the Levant by Egypt since 1850 BCE. Joseph died in 1880 BCE. The Berlin execration bowls dates between 1920-1875 BCE and the Brussels terracotta figurines mentioning the cities in Canaan dates between 1825-1790 BCE. There was an disintegration of the Khabur in the 52th year of the reign of Rimsin or the 6th year of Zimrilim in 1768 BCE. The year 1762 is the 30th year of Hammurabi of Babylon, the law collector and the 11th year of Zimrilim of Mari.

It was the 12th dynasty of Egypt. Amiran says it was the time of the Khabur ware after 1831 BCE and later.

The Khabur ceramics were traditional rather than innovative (Amiran 1969: 90).

There was an absence of handles. Carination of bowls and the lamps displays a development. Clay was red slip and very popular. It was deep red slip and burnished. Inside the middle of the sherd it is white-greyish. The technique is that it is wheelmade.

It is an open rounded bowl, sides always gently rounded. The rims are profiled. The bases are flat or low discs. There is a shallow ringbase. Profiled rims or turned-in rim, red pointed cross, plastic decoration on the rim.

The carinated bowls (Amiran 1969: 94) are small and closed, low disc base and set off with flat bases.

Goblets and chalices have one handle or none.

Krater is a deep rounded bowl with four elongated knobs.

Red and black triangle pattern.

There is a triple handle to the shoulders.

There are teapots, cooking pots. The cooking pots has straight walls, with a row of punctures applied.

Storage jars are jars with or without handles.

They have short oval bodies and a flattened base.

Profiled rim and an inner gutter.

Painted with parallel wavy lines and concentric circles, typical of Khabur ware.

Jugs and Juglets are gently swelling with a fine shaped neck and flat base.

It has a black and red painted handle. Double or triple handle on shoulder.

Piriform juglet with oval form.

Middle Bronze IIB Ceramics 1720-1600 BCE

This is the period of the Hyksos dynasties. It is the time of the Tell el Yahadiyeh ware (destructive punctured decoration) with a kiln in Afula (Amiran 1969: 120).

The clay is plain, not deep red any longer.

Decoration is a rope decoration that show up in this time. Painted wares are few.

The Tell el-Yahudiyeh Ware has a dark burnished surface with white-filled punctures.

The bowl is open and round. The walls of the bowls are less rounded and straight. The bases is higher.

The convex base makes the appearance with an inverted rim, plain rounded rim or flattened rim.

Carinated bowl is a flaring carinated and S-shaped with a trumpet base.

Goblets and chalice stands on pedestals.

Krater is a large vessel with a well defined neck.

Handles are joining the rim to the shoulder.

Decoration is applied and stylized rope, incised wavy lines.

Handles are standing or loop.

Cooking pot is the Late Bronze ancestor and it has a triangular rim similar to the Late Bronze (Amiran 1969: 101, no. 6).

Storage jar has a ovoid body, thin walls, uniform thick base to rim. Handles are either not there or two are below the shoulder.

Rims are plain flaring rims or a thickened profiled rim.

The decoration is a narrow band on the shoulder or wavy or straight lines.

Jugs and juglets are pear shaped with promised shoulder.

The everted funnel-shaped rim is dominant. The juglet is cylindrical.

Middle Bronze IIC Ceramics between 1600-1480 BCE

Moses was born in 1530 BCE and he came to the palace of Hatshepsut in 1518 BCE. He left Egypt for Midian in 1490 BCE after he killed the Egyptian. When young Moses came to the palace, Hatshepsut found herself traumatized by the birth of Thutmosis III from a streetwoman Iset, an event that enstranged her and her husband Thutmosis II. She had only daughters. She was only 7/9 years old when she saw Moses on the Nile and wanted him. She was told that Moses could come 12 years later.

The ceramics in Canaan from this time were imported ceramics from Cypriot origin. They were handmade jugs, bowls were globular. Handles of the jugs were inserted in a special way into the wall of the vessel.

Clay was red on black or white-painted ware. Body was divided lengthwise by three groups of painted bands meeting at the base.

Hemispherical wishbone-handled "milk bowl"

Wishbone showed up at the end of the MBIIC and beginning of the Late Bronze period. It is the time of Moses.

Late Bronze IA Ceramics between 1480-1440 BCE

This is the date of the Exodus from Egypt of the Israelites and the terrible death of Thutmosis III in the Red Sea the morning of the Exodus in 1450 BCE at 4-5 o clock. He was washed away and his body was never found. The oldest brother of Amenhotep II was placed in the coffin presumably since the age of the Thutmosis III wrapped mummy with linnen and curse formulas from the Book of the Dead by Amenhotep II is only 35 years old.

Canaan experienced during this period an influx of Mycenean I and Egyptian ware. The juglets were drop shaped and date shaped.

Bowls were open rounded or straight bowls with walls rounded. Concave on inside base.

Carinated bowl mostly ringbase but concave discs begins. However from Lachish it is the flat base.

The goblets are difficult to distinguish in phases.

Kraters are of two kinds, perpendicular loop-handles and horizontal loop-handles (Aegean).

Rope decoration through and above the handle.

Cooking pot with a brownish red or black color.

Large white calicite grits.

Rims are everted rounded

or everted triangular rim.

or double rim (only Late Bronze I)

Canaanite Commercial Jars (Egypt and Mycenean)

a. Trading jars which the same as the Canaanite jars (wine or oil) from the Greeks or Egyptians.

b. Household jars which is decorated jars.

The trading jars were undecorated with thick walls. The shoulders were oval. If they were narrow they had a rounded base and if they were thick they were heavy. Handles were 7 on the shoulder.

Examples of these jars were found in the tomb of Amenhotep III in Tomb 62 in Thebes shows iconography of bearded Canaanites offloading a ship with rounded thick jars. This was after the invasion of Israel into Canaan starting in 1410 BCE and ending in 1405 BCE when Caleb asked for his inheritance at Hebron.

The inhabitants of Canaan during this time, migrants themselves since they are coming from many other countries squatting in Canaan territory, were pushed out of Canaan by the Israelites and the Canaanites either left for Ugarit (Rash Shamra) at that time or were marginalized to the coastal areas. A delivery of wine or oil from Egypt by shipping trade, resumed after the settlement of Israel in the highlands of Israel/Canaan post-1405 BCE, will coincide with the peace and tranquility Amarna corpus B letters during the times of Amenhotep III and Ikhnaton. Amarna corpus A letters are the war and turmoil texts during the time of Thutmosis IV before Amenhotep III.

After the death of Thutmosis III the morning of the Exodus, the power of Egypt was broken and this 400 year period of enslavement of the Levant came to a halt. That is why Amenhotep left in his 7th year trying to campaign in Canaan and nearly losing his life (Taanach cuneiform tablet) and after that, he did not come to Canaan any more and it was only during the time of Ramesses II in 1304 and afterwards that he moved around Canaan by way of Transjordan and crossing over at Bethshean to go to the Lebanon. They avoided Israelite territory or the SA.GAZ = habiru peoples area. Of course there will be habiru at Ugarit during the time of the Judges since secular habiru migrated and intermarried with Canaanites taking Moses' traditions and Torah with them plus hymns to be syncretized and reworked as Canaanite Baal and Astarte hymns and phrases. No wonder M. Dahood was so surprised to find correlations between the Bible and Ugarit. He is right but wrong as to the direction of borrowing. Moses predates these texts from Ugarit.

Late Bronze IB Ceramics between 1440-1390 BCE

This is the period after the Exodus and until the death of Amenhotep III.

The pottery were Mycenean II pottery and Egyptian imports. 

To be continued.