Canaanean Blade Knapping Waste Pit from Fazael 4, Israel

ABSTRACT

A recently excavated Early Bronze Age IB Canaanean blade knapping pit, located at Fazael 4, Israel, is presented. Following a detailed analysis of the waste characteristics we suggest a reconstruction of the chaîne opératoire of the Canaanean blade production at the site. We further discuss the evident variability within the regional Canaanean industry, in view of the technological conservatism found at the Fazael 4 site; the distribution trajectories and the nature of trade or exchange among Canaanean blade workshops and “consumer sites”; and the extent of independence versus elite control over specialized workshops during the Early Bronze Age. To date, studies of only a few sites containing Canaanean industry knapping waste have been published, emphasizing the importance of this site. The Fazael 4 waste pit analysis offers insights into the last highly complex and sophisticated flint technology of the southern Levant.

KEYWORDS:

• Canaanean blade technology
• knapping pit
• specialization and exchange
• Early Bronze Age
• southern Levant

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Fazael Valley project excavation team and to our hosts in moshav Fazael. We thank Sasha Flit for the photographs and to Sapir Haad for the drawings and her kind assistance with various technical obstacles. We thank Edna Dalali-Amos and Nimrod Getzov from the Israel Antiquities Authority for the opportunity to examine the ‘Afula lithic assemblage, and Dr Francesca Manclossi and Prof. Steven A. Rosen for a fruitful and instructive consultation. We express our deep appreciation to Prof. Ran Barkai for his useful advice and encouragement, and to Prof. Steven A. Rosen who was kind to read an early draft of this paper and make important comments. We are grateful to Heeli Schechter for her kind help with the English and the content editing, and to two anonymous reviewers for their important comments and suggestions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Katia Zutovski (MA 2015, Tel-Aviv University) is a PhD candidate in the Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures, Tel Aviv University. Her research interests include lithic technology, focusing on the Neolithic through Urban revolutions of the Southern Levant.

Shay Bar (PhD 2008, University of Haifa) is a researcher in the Zinman Institute of Archaeology and teaches in the department of archaeology, University of Haifa. His current projects include directing the Manasseh Hill Country Survey and the excavations of Tel Esur, Tel Shiqmona and the sites of Fazael Valley proto-historic project.