Iron Age Phoenician Pottery at Tel Achziv: Two Commercial Snapshots Based on Optical Mineralogy.

Abstract

Our research focuses on Phoenician containers at Tel Achziv from two periods: Ir1|2-Ir2a and Ir2c and on some Phoenician production and consumption customs. Two primary assemblages of the most typical ceramic containers circulating within Phoenicia and distributed elsewhere throughout the Iron Age were selected for technological and provenance analysis using Optical Mineralogy analysis (ceramic petrography). During the Ir1|2-Ir2a the main circulating containers were small decorated flasks and Phoenician Bichrome jugs. In Ir2c the prevailing circulating containers were entirely different: carinated-shoulders transport jars were the prevalent commercial ceramic containers of the maritime markets of the Eastern Mediterranean. At Achziv, in both periods, vessels of two main production centers were identified: the local production of the coast of Western Galilee and imports from the Southern Lebanese Coast. Technological observation of production show the use of a variety of clay recipes as well as different firing temperatures applied. We offer here a snapshot of maritime commercial containers specifically produced to accommodate different
commodities within the complex Phoenician exchange systems.