The ceramics of Tel ‘Erani, layer C

The paper–an analysis of the ceramic assemblage of layer C at Tel ‘Erani in southern Israel–sheds new light on the study of the connections between Egypt and Canaan and their link to the development of early Canaanite urbanization during the 4th millennium BC In analyzing the pottery, which is dated to the Early Bronze Age Ib1 (3350–3200 BC), the author shows that the almost complete lack of Egyptian influences dispels the central role Egyptians may have had in initiating the earliest form of Canannite urbanization. Rather, the ‘Erani C proto-urban entity may have been one of the reasons Egyptians colonized the region in the subsequent Early Bronze Age Ib2 (3200–3050 BC).