The late bronze Egyptian estate at aphek

When it was first uncovered, the excavators dubbed Building 1104 at Tel Aphek the 'Egyptian governor's residence'—a designation some scholars have challenged. Since then, questions have been raised concerning the role played by the residence and the ethnic identity of its inhabitants: To what extent were the house and those who lived in it Egyptian? If a governor did indeed live there, what and exactly whom did he govern? If written sources describe Jaffa as an Egyptian centre, why, then, should there be another centre at Aphek, which is less than 20 kilometres away? The article addresses these matters and analyzes the variety of finds retrieved from Building 1104. These finds are presented against the environmental and socio-political background of Late Bronze Aphek in order to shed light on the functions of the residence and its inhabitants. This is followed by an examination of Aphek's regional context and its spatial relationship with neighbouring sites such as Jaffa and Tel Gerisa.