Abstract
The colonization of Canaan under the Egyptian New Kingdom resulted in a decisive Egyptian impact on the cultural and political system of Canaan. Excavations have yielded much archaeological evidence for this influence in architecture, art, burials customs and other realms. The present study deals with a specific category of domestic architecture in Canaan, the plan and construction details of which indicate the adaptation of Egyptian architecture to local building tradition. This type of building, called here "Governor's Residency", has been recorded at Tel Seraʿ, Tell Jemmeh, Tell Ḥesi, Tell el-Farʿah(S), Tel Masos, Beth-Shan and (perhaps) Aphek. These mud-brick structures are carefully built, with thick outer walls on brick foundations; their square plan consists of a central hall or courtyard surrounded by a series of rooms, corridors and storerooms, as well as a stairway leading to the upper storey. Analogies in Egyptian New Kingdom domestic architecture, notably at El-Amarna, Malkata and Gurob, demonstrate that the buildings in Canaan were patterned after characteristic Egyptian models. The distribution of "Governors' Residencies" suggests that they were located at sites known to have been Egyptian administative centres or to have had Egyptian contacts, as evidenced by the archaeological record. The occurrence of these structures in southern Canaan arguments our understanding of the Egyptian hold over this region. Literary evidence coupled with the archaeological material, indicates that southern Canaan — with Gaza ("Pa-Canaan" of the Egyptian sources) as its capital city — became the focus of Egyptian rule in Asia, particularly under the 19th and 20th dynasties. The article also discusses the chronological and historical aspects of the transition from the Late Bronze Age to the Iron Age, with an emphasis on the reorganization of the administration in Canaan under Ramesses III.
Translated title of the contribution | Architecture of Egyptian "Governors' Residencies" in Late Bronze Age Palestine |
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Original language | Hebrew |
Pages (from-to) | 183-199 |
Number of pages | 17 |
Journal | ארץ ישראל: מחקרים בידיעת הארץ ועתיקותיה |
Volume | י"ח |
State | Published - 1985 |