2011/11/01 by Susan L. Braunstein · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · #Ancient Egypt and Archaeology #Archaeology and Historical Studies #Ancient Near East History
paper · doi:10.5615/bullamerschoorie.364.0001
openalex publication_date 2011/11/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2025/11/06
In the Late Bronze IIB, parts of Canaan were under Egyptian suzerainty. An influx of Egyptian-style objects during this period has led to scholarly speculation about the nature and intensity of Egyptian occupation in Canaan, and whether Egyptians were present in large numbers. The considerable number of burials at Tell el-Far?ah (South) from ca. 1300 to 1150 b.c.e. provides an excellent database with which to examine the significance of Egyptian style in constructing social roles and the social order, as well as its implications for the identity of the burial population. The site is believed to have been an Egyptian administrative base, and a number of Egyptian object types, including ceramics, amulets, scarabs, jewelry, stone vessels, and coffins, were found in the graves. The way they were used in the burials was in some instances distinct from Egyptian mortuary practice, suggesting a transformed meaning; in fact, the whole burial program was strongly Canaanite in nature. Two hypotheses are offered as to the identity of the population burying its dead at Tell el-Far?ah: a Canaanite garrison in Egyptian employ or sent by a Canaanite king; or the residents of a Canaanite settlement established alongside an Egyptian base. In either hypothesis, Egyptian-style material culture played a role in creating a new, dual social identity.