The Bronze (Canaanite) Age 3200 BC – 1200 BC
Age
Length of Age
Time in History
Biblical
Parallels
Early Bronze
1000 years
3200 – 2200 BC
Cain, Post
Age
flood
EB 1
300 years
3200 – 2900 BC
Early
EB 2
200 years
2900 – 2700 BC
Dynasties 1 - 6
EB 3
350 years
2700 – 2350 BC
EB 4 (MB 1)
150 years
2350 – 2200 BC
MB
650
2200 - 1550
Early
Patriarchs?
Dynasties 7 17
LB
350
1550- 1200
Early
Conquest,
Dynasties 18 -
Judges
19
The age is named after the tools used as opposed to being named after an ethnic group.
Bronze Age becomes spread in Israel only from MB. Bronze was 10% copper and 0.5%
tin. No written documents found in Israel from this period. Writing was invented about
4000 BC in Egypt and Mesopotamia. The discovery of 22,000 cuneiform tablets in Ebla
dated about 2300 BCE mentions for the first time Canaan Abraham, and Ishmael. The
people and the land are starting to be recorded. Ebla contained an archive of politics,
relationships, legalities…
EB I (3200 – 2900 BC)
Settlement
Chalcolitic period saw people settling in the valleys and in the Northern Negev, the EB
sees settling in Judean mountains, Samaria and Galilee mountains for the first time.
From this we know people had the tools to cope with mountain life, rocks, wildlife.
Dwelling
Rectangular houses, square bricks and stone foundation
Benches lined inner wall of buildings. Bases of pillars discovered which support the roof.
Unfortified villages. EB sees start of walled towns (Bet yereach) in Israel and in
Mesopotamia.
Temples with a threshing floor (Tipoos Goren)
Baked rectangular mud bricks are used
Trade
Chotmot HaGalil
In Tel Ir-an-ee and Tel Arad 2 cylinder seals (chotmot hagalil) were. In Tel Arad 2 seals
were found with King Narmer of Egypt on them. Before Narmer Egypt was Upper and
Lower Egypt and divided into 22 regions Narmer united Lower and Upper Egypt (3050),
the seals reveal Egyptian trade or influence Nearly all of Tel Arad is EB.
The first water storage places are made.
Burial
People buried in Shaft/pit graves, (kever pir) buried with vessels and weapons. Many
family generations were buried in the same grave.
Pottery
First use of grey and red glazes painted in diagonal lines with a multiple brush.
some pots have different types of handles and are decorated by “chotmot hagalil” or
stamped for ownership. Shells have been used to indent the outside and the glaze goes
over it. Glaze shows they knew oxidization and how to play with the red and blue fire.
Weapons
Spearheads made from bronze but knives continued to be made from flint because it as
harder.
EB II and EB III (2900 – 2350 BC)
Dwelling
No settlements on the coast or by ports.. Most settlements are either on or besides the
mountains, (Megiddo, Arad) in the Lowlands, (Tel Irani) or Dead Sea shores (Jericho).
Fortified settlements along the rivers (Afek) and around them scattered smaller
settlements. Maasive progress in urban life with the development of walls, gates, city
squares, ritual public temples and buildings.
Sizes of cities
250 dunam – Tel Irani, Dan, Bet Yereach
150 dunam – Hatzor, Gezer, Afek, Arad
70 Dunam Lachish, Jericho
Total area of towns in Israel was about 6, 500 dunams, i.e. over 2/3 of the area most of
which was for dwelling. Estimated 45 people to one dunam, so population in Canaan in
bronze period was about 180,000.
Walls were 2.5 – 8 metres thick made from mortar bricks or stone
Beit Rochav and besides a small room (store/work room?) and no-roofed courtyard
(hatzer Ketura)
Pottery
Vessels with Yediot Nekev (holes in the ware to pick it up, not added on handles.)
Black and red glazes
Arad
Centrally located in a depression in the terrain and grew from a small village on a hill, 25
acres 3000 inhabitants. Fortified with a thick wall and towers. Contains planned streets,
residential areas, palace compound, sacred enclose, water reservoir. Traded with other
Canaan cities, Sinai and Egypt. Mined salt for preservation of food, health and asphalt
that was used for the sealing of ships and mummies. City was deserted and unknown
why, resettled in 1000 BC as Judean fortress. The thick wall with towers enabled them to
keep guard and also strengthens the walls. Houses were “Hadray roachav” and stone on
the floor of each house possibly was to support the logs that were used for the roof.
Some kind of spiritual house was found in Arad, with a stone used for rituals, with
benches around the walls. Inside were discovered black and red clay vessels whose
glaze had been from Egyot. Arad is best known and largest EB city to date. It has
fortification systems and town planning, walls and streets. There were unfortified
villages. There is infrastructural evidence of planned roads, housing, and fortification
systems.
Bet Yereach
50 acres site on the southwest lake of Galilee dealt in red and black earthen ware and
was the pottery was named after the site.
Tel Yarmoot
5k south of Bet Shemesh, a 40 acre Tel which has a small acropolis and larger lower
city. First settled in EBI and expanded throughout EB II and III. Walls nearly 40 metres
thick! The outer city gate with the indirect approach has been preserved to height of
7km. There is a system of terraces, several quarters, ritual temple, domestic housing,
public buildings.
Agriculture (Lachish, Kitamn, Dalit, Yericho, Chasi)
Breeding goats, sheep, cows, pigs, donkey and dogs
Use of plough
Vines, olives, wheat and barley
Weapons
Clubs, daggers, spears, epislon shaped axes found at Kfar Monash
EB IV (2350 – 2000 BC)
Populated – farmers, shepherds, hunters and possibly nomads who live in scattered
villages.
Houses - Rounded
Agriculture – wheat barley, pulses
Animals – goats, sheep, wild boar
Weapons
Jewellery
Work tools - There is a direct link between Syria and Egypt (Egyptian tools in Ebla)
There are 6 invasions (around 2300 BC) by Uni, an officer in Pepi I army, (6th dynasty).
In these records Israel is mentioned for the first time “Eretz Darai Cholot”.
The first Middle Period in Egypt is the name given to the period of time between the First
Kingdom and the Middle Kingdom. After Pepi II death the Pharaoh kingdom fell apart.
The United Kingdom of Egypt collapsed and in its place was established local
governments. In 2160 BC Pharaohs of the new dynasty tried to unite Lower Egypt while
the parallel dynasty endeavoured to unite Upper Egypt. Conflict broke out between the
various Pharaohs that lasted 100 years and ultimately Mantu Hotef (chanomchatp)
defeated Upper Egypt. He is considered the founder of the Middle Kingdom
Burial
Kever Pir, multiple burials in dolmens and tolomus (tolomai). Dolmens are more orderly
with 2 stone pillars and a horizontal stone; tolomos is a pile of stones.
Conclusion of EB (including EBIV-MB I)
Establishment of major urban centres and towns is one of major achievements of EB.
Un-walled cities of EBI developed into fortified cities of EB II and EB III. It was a time
where they start to store water in water holes (Nahal Refaim) Copper was imported from
Sinai as well as luxury alabaster and in return luxury oil was exported to Egypt.
Signature cylindrical seals that originated in Mesopotamia and Syria were wide spread.
Ethnic groups at this time migrated and brought major changes that shook the ancient
world of Egypt and Mesopotamia. This migration was among the cause of destruction of
urban civilisation in the last centuries of the third millennium BCE.
Abandonment of settlements and agriculture land possibly because of:
Egyptian army campaigns into Canaan or changes in climate
Very few settlements are known from EB4