Aphek-antipatris II: The Remains on the Acropolis

Description

The second volume of the final excavation report, Aphek-Antipatris II, deals with the remains of the Middle Bronze, Late Bronze and Iron Ages excavated between the years 1972 and 1984. It includes discoveries on the acropolis as well as a Late Bronze Age stone-built tomb, obviously related to the elite faction. The excavation of the acropolis of Tel Aphek revealed a series of six 'palaces' starting in the Middle Bronze Age IIA. This was followed by a larger structure dated to the Middle Bronze Age IIB which is one of the few palaces known from this period in teh southern Levant. The importance of Tel Aphek's guardianship of one of the main crossroads in Canaan is evident from its last palace, the free-standing Late Bronze Age Egyptian Governor's Residence. The plethora of well-dated finds found buried under its collapsed and burnt second storey, made their exposure the highlight of the excavation on the acropolis. The unique late 13th century BCE inscriptions shed light on the conduct of the Egyptian administration in Canaan while also revealing the existence of Canaanite language lexica. The pottery assemblage of Palace VI should be taken as an absolute chronological peg for the problematic transition period between the Late Bronze and Iron Ages. In the latter period several different groups of peoples settled successively on the levelled acropolis. The frequent change in the nature of these settlements well reflects the turbulent years that passed between the end of Egyptian rule over Canaanite city-states and the establishment of a new order of early states.