Preliminary Radiocarbon Results for Late Bronze Age Strata at Tel Azekah and Their Implications

Lyndelle C. Webster*, Omer Sergi, Sabine Kleiman, Oded Lipschits, Quan Hua, Geraldine E. Jacobsen, Yann Tristant, Yuval Gadot

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

This article presents the first radiocarbon (14C) results from the Late Bronze Age levels of Tel Azekah (Israel). The results testify to the long and prosperous occupation of the site during this period, commencing at least in LB IIA and ending with a severe destruction at the close of LB III. In the extra-mural quarter (Area S2), a pre-monumental building phase (S2-6) dates to the 14th or early 13th century BCE. Two sub-phases of a public building constructed above this yielded dates in the second half of the 13th century and first two-thirds of the 12th century BCE, suggesting that occupation persisted through the Crisis Years of the eastern Mediterranean region. On the top of the mound, in Area T2, the destruction of the final LB III level (T2-3) most likely occurred near the end of the 12th century BCE. The preliminary Azekah results are in good agreement with existing data from Lachish and Megiddo, but seem at odds with results from nearby Tel es-Safi/Gath.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)309-331
Number of pages23
JournalRadiocarbon
Volume60
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Feb 2018

Keywords

  • Late Bronze Age chronology
  • Radiocarbon dating
  • Shephelah
  • Tel Azekah

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