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The abstract is available here: https://uscholar.univie.ac.at/o:1631076

The need for more systematic, integrated use of radiocarbon dating within excavations of ancient Near Eastern sites for historical periods is well recognised. This thesis presents the first stage in developing an independent radiocarbon-based chronology for the site of Tel Azekah, Israel. Fifteen short-lived samples collected over three excavation seasons have been dated, deriving from Middle Bronze through to Hellenistic contexts. The results of this initial dataset, together with radiocarbon-specific fieldwork, have contributed to developing an effective methodology and working procedures for ongoing research.Targeted collection of datable material commenced in the 2015 excavation season, facilitated by a field role specific to radiocarbon research. The first radiocarbon dataset for Tel Azekah focuses on the site’s peak period of occupation – the Late Bronze Age. A sequence of samples allowed a major public building to be dated close to the first half of the 12th century BCE, with comparisons drawn to radiocarbon-dated strata of other sites. The sequence offers excellent potential for improvement and expansion in future research. A tentative date for a Middle Bronze destruction was obtained, which is consistent with a wider regional pattern. This research has placed some initial ‘pegs’ for the site’s absolute chronology, and helped to set directions for the next stages of work. It has highlighted well the benefits of involving radiocarbon dating as an active part of archaeological interpretation.

Die Chronologie der Spätbronzezeit (SBZ) in der südlichen Levante lehnt sich nach wie vor stark an die ägyptische Chronologie an. Obwohl die Chronologie des Neuen Reiches gesichert ist, stützt sich die Datierung der lokalen archäologischen Schichten auf materielle Kulturverbindungen, die zahlenmäßig begrenzt, indirekt und oft ungenau sind. Die Radiokarbondatierung (14C) und Bayes'sche Analyse eröffnen die Möglichkeit, eine unabhängige Chronologie der südlichen Levante zu entwickeln und externe Synchronismen zu überprüfen. Diese Dissertation umfasst einerseits detaillierte 14C-Fallstudien an drei wichtigen SBZ-Standorten und andererseits eine sich über die gesamte Südlevante erstreckende Neubewertung der zwei chronologischen Schlüsseldebatten, welche Beginn und Ende der Spätbronzezeit markieren. Die Fallstudien präsentieren neue 14C-Datensätze von den Shephelah-Fundorten Lachisch, Gezer und Azekah, werten deren Standortgeschichte neu aus und bringen Klarheit betreffs bestimmter Synchronismen mit Ägypten. Die Analyse der Schlüsseldebatten wertet sowohl neue als auch bereits publizierte Daten systematisch für jeden Fundort aus, betrachtet die Übergangsprozesse zum Beginn und Ende der SBZ und vergleicht diese mit der ägyptischen Geschichte. Die Ergebnisse der Dissertation umfassen: 1) ein nuanciertes Verständnis des Zerstörungsprozesses, der den Beginn des Übergangs von der mittleren bis späten Bronzezeit markiert; 2) die Identifizierung von frühen SBZ-Siedlungen auf der Grundlage der Neudatierung von stratigraphischen Schichten, mit der Folge einer verbesserten Übereinstimmung zwischen Text und Archäologie; 3) eine Neuordnung von Überresten, die der Amarna-Periode zuzuschreiben sind; 4) eine Bewertung des Zeitrahmens, in welchem das kanaanitische Stadtstaatssystem zusammenbrach und Ägypten die Kontrolle über die Region verlor; und 5) eine Klärung der Auswirkungen von Radiokarbondatierung in Bezug auf die Chronologie der Philister., The framework and absolute dating of the Late Bronze Age (LBA) in the southern Levant has long been heavily based upon Egyptian chronology. While New Kingdom chronology is robust, the dating of local strata relies on material culture connections that are limited in number, indirect in nature, and often imprecise. Radiocarbon (14C) dating and Bayesian analysis provide a means to develop a local chronology and independently check external synchronisms at a time when Egyptian and Levantine histories are particularly closely intertwined. The thesis comprises case studies of three key LBA sites, followed by region-wide evaluations of the two major chronological debates that mark the start and end of the LBA. The case studies present new 14C datasets from the Shephelah sites of Lachish, Gezer and Azekah, re-evaluate their site histories and check specific synchronisms with Egypt. The region-wide studies systematically evaluate new and published data on an individual site-by-site basis, reviewing the transition processes and comparing them to Egyptian history. Outcomes of the thesis include: 1) a nuanced understanding of the destruction process marking the onset of the MBA–LBA transition; 2) identification of substantial early LBA settlements based on the re-dating of strata, with consequent improved agreement between text and archaeology; 3) a re-shuffling of remains attributable to the Amarna period at case study sites; 4) evaluation of the timeline by which the Canaanite city-state system collapsed and Egypt lost control of the region; and 5) clarification of radiocarbon implications for Philistine chronology.

This article presents a new suite of radiocarbon (14C) dates for the lower portion of the Late Bronze Age (LBA) sequence of Area S, Tel Lachish. The results show that the lowest levels reached by Ussishkin in the 1980s (S-2 and S-3) date significantly earlier than was previously thought. Level S-3, with its monumental architecture, belongs in the 2nd half of the 15th century BCE, as does the commencement of Level S-2. The laminated deposit of S-2 continues through the first half of the 14th century BCE, coinciding at least in part with the Amarna period. This redating leads to improved agreement between archaeological and textual evidence regarding the presence of a substantial, prominent settlement at Lachish during LB IB-IIA, from the reign of Thutmoses III through the Amarna period., Radiocarbon, 61 (6), ISSN:0033-8222

This article presents a new suite of radiocarbon (14C) dates for the lower portion of the Late Bronze Age (LBA) sequence of Area S, Tel Lachish. The results show that the lowest levels reached by Ussishkin in the 1980s (S-2 and S-3) date significantly earlier than was previously thought. Level S-3, with its monumental architecture, belongs in the 2nd half of the 15th century BCE, as does the commencement of Level S-2. The laminated deposit of S-2 continues through the first half of the 14th century BCE, coinciding at least in part with the Amarna period. This redating leads to improved agreement between archaeological and textual evidence regarding the presence of a substantial, prominent settlement at Lachish during LB IB-IIA, from the reign of Thutmoses III through the Amarna period.