- Philistine Bichrome ware
Philistine Bichrome ware refers to the pottery group associated with the
Philistine settlements during theIron Age I period in ancientCanaan (ca. 1200 - 1000 BCE). Considered to be the direct descendant of imported MYCIIIC:1b pottery (MYC =Mycenaean ), which was manufactured inCyprus and imported to ancient Canaan and locally made MYCIIIC:1b or monochrome ware, which was manufactured at settlements in Canaan. MYCIIIC:1b or monochrome ware was found in high-distribution during the Iron IA period (1200 - 1140/30 BCE) at the Philistine settlements ofAshdod (Stratum XIIIb: Area G; in general, Stratum XIII: Area H) andEkron (Tel Miqne: Stratum VII). [SeeAmihai Mazar , "The Emergence of Philistine Material Culture," IEJ 1985 35:95-107; andIsrael Finkelstein , "The Philistine Settlement: When, Where and How Many," Pp. 159-180 in E, Oren, (ed). "The Sea People and Their World: A Reassessment". University of Pennsylvania: Philadelphia, 2000; Israel Finkelstein, "A Low Chronology Update: Archaeology, history and bible," Pp. 31-42 in: T. Levy and T. Higham (eds.), "The Bible and Radiocarbon Dating – Archaeology, Text and Science". Equinox: London, 2005. Available online: [http://megiddo.tau.ac.il/info/The_Bible_and_Radiocarbon_Dating_2005_Update.pdf] [Accessed: April 5, 2008] ; and Amihai Mazar’s discussion of the same: "The Debate over the Chronology of the Iron Age in the Southern Levant: Its history, the current situation and a suggested resolution". Pages 15-30 in: T. Levy and T. Higham (eds.), "The Bible and Radiocarbon Dating – Archaeology, Text and Science". Equinox: London, 2005. Available online: [http://www.rehov.org/Iron%20Age%20Chronology%20Debate.pdf] [Accessed: April 5, 2008] .] MYCIIIC:1b was also found in smaller quantities at Acre,Beit She'an , and along the coast ofLebanon andSyria . [A. Mazar. "Archaeology of the Land of the Bible: 10,000 - 586 BCE", Doubleday: New York, 1992, p. 307.]Neutron analysis
Neutron analysis of Philistine Bichrome ware has found that it may have been made in the same workshop, locally in Canaan, as its predecessor, MYCIIIC:1b. [ [http://www.neohumanism.org/p/po/pottery.html Philistine Bichrome Ware] [Accessed: April 7, 2008] ] It first appears in the mid-12th Century BCE, during Iron IB (1140/30 - 1000/980 BCE) at sites such as Ashdod (Stratum XII), Megiddo (Stratum VIB). It was mainly confined to the Philistine settlements with some distribution throughout ancient Canaan.
tyle
Stylistic features include the use of decoration with red and black paints (thus, bichrome) on a white slip with common Mycenaean motifs of birds, fish, and sailing vessels. While the shape of the pottery retains its Mycenaean roots, Cypriot influence is seen by the use of tall and narrow necks. [ [http://www.neohumanism.org/p/po/pottery.html Philistine Bichrome Ware] [Accessed: April 7, 2008] ] Stylistic representations of birds in the Mycenaean style which are found on Bichrome ware were considered to be sacred and are also featured on the Philistine ships in the reliefs from
Ramesses III (20th Dynasty) mortuary temple at Medinet Habu in Thebes (modernLuxor ),Egypt , which depicts his battle with theSea Peoples in the eighth year of his reign known as theBattle of the Delta ca. 1175 BCE (the traditional date; alternative date of 1178 BCE). [A. Mazar, "Archaeology of the Land of the Bible: 10,000 - 586 BCE". Doubleday: New York, 1992, pp. 313-317.]This form of pottery lasted until ca. 1000 BCE.
Bibliography
* E. Oren (ed). "The Sea People and Their World: A Reassessment". University of Pennsylvania: Philadelphia, 2000.
* A. Mazar. "Archaeology of the Land of the Bible: 10,000 - 586 BCE". Doubleday: New York, 1992.
* T. Levy (ed). "The Archaeology of Society in the Holy Land". Facts on File: New York, 1995.References
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