A Middle Bronze Age Assemblage of Bone Inlays from Lachish: Typological, Technological, and Functional Aspects

Decorated bone inlays are among the fossiles directeurs of Middle Bronze (MB) Age II and early Late Bronze Age assemblages, having been documented since the beginning of archaeological research in the Levant. During the Fourth Expedition to Lachish, an assemblage of 49 decorated bone inlays restored...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Silverberg, Noam (Author) ; Garfinḳel, Yosef 1956- (Author) ; Hasel, Michael G. 1968- (Author) ; Yahalom-Mack, Naama 1974- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: University of Chicago Press 2022
In: Bulletin of ASOR
Year: 2022, Volume: 387, Pages: 87-112
Further subjects:B fortress
B Lachish
B decorated bone inlays
B Middle Bronze Age II
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:Decorated bone inlays are among the fossiles directeurs of Middle Bronze (MB) Age II and early Late Bronze Age assemblages, having been documented since the beginning of archaeological research in the Levant. During the Fourth Expedition to Lachish, an assemblage of 49 decorated bone inlays restored from ca. 200 fragments was found in the rooms of a late MB II monumental building. The inlays were apparently used to decorate wooden boxes. Although such inlays are usually recovered from mortuary contexts, here they were found among daily objects, indicating that the building played an administrative role. In this paper the typological, technological, and functional aspects of the inlays are examined. We reconstruct the use of these objects and discuss the social context in which they were produced and used, providing an additional perspective on such objects and their role in both life and death during the late MB II. Our technological approach included microscopic examination of the inlays, which provided new information on the variability of craft traditions, suggestive of a decentralized production mode.
ISSN:2769-3589
Contains:Enthalten in: Bulletin of ASOR
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1086/718890