A stratified sequence of Early Iron Age Egyptian ceramics at Tel Dor, Israel

As mentioned, the dominance of containers at Dor unequivocally attests that they represent an exchange mechanism that should probably be interpreted along commercial lines. It persisted through approximately two and a half centuries (ca. 1100-850 BCE) and in fact may have been of longer duration. Deposits of the second half of the 13th century BCE at Dor also produced a relatively large number of Egyptian-made ceramics, also predominantly large containers (Stidsing and Salmon 2011). However, since, as mentioned, most of the 12th century BCE is not represented in the Dor sequence (whether accidentally or not is unclear at this point), we are unable to determine the degree of continuity between the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age phenomena. It is also evident that what we have described above stands apart from the Egyptianizing ceramic phenomenon typifying the Empire's strongholds in Canaan till its withdrawal in ca. The mid-12th century BCE. The latter phenomenon, as extensively discussed in recent years by Mario Martin (e.g., Martin 2011; cf. also Killebrew 2004), is indeed attested almost solely in Egyptian centers, with Beth Shean, Aphek, Tel Mor and Deir el-Bal- ah being the best examples. The 'Egyptian' pottery of these sites is mostly manufactured locally, and relatively few vessels actually arrived from Egypt (and very fewjars at that). This is true even for coastal sites (e.g., for Tel Mor, Martin and Barako 2007).11 As well, the latter assemblages are dominated by 'household' vessels such as bowls, 'beer jars' and more, which hardly had any function/meaning beyond the Egyptian centers, in marked contrast to the situation at Dor. In a follow-up to this paper we will propose an interpretation of the social phenomena exemplified by the Egyptian pottery of Dor, by considering other Egyptian products at the site (mainly fish; Raban-Gerstel et al. 2008); by looking at them from regional and diachronic perspectives; and by considering the applicable ancient texts, chiefly, of course the way in which to our understanding the finds reflect on and are reflected by the Wenamun Report.