Intraregional Provenancing of Philistine Pottery from Israel

Abstract

Chemical characterization of pottery is often used to identify imported pottery by comparison to locally-made reference materials. However, identifying intra-regional production centers is less straightforward. In this study Iron Age Philistine pottery from Israel was analyzed by ICP-AES and ICP-MS to identify local production centers and trade patterns between closely located Philistine city sites on the southern coast of Israel (Philistia). Decorated Philistine pottery together with reference materials were sampled from the four excavated Philistine sites as well as from other regional sites. In addition, all of the samples were analyzed by thin section petrography. The results showed that all pottery produced in the region of Philistia had a relatively similar profile. However, in most cases it was possible to differentiate between a coastal--Philistia profile and an inner-Philistia profile. The results of thin section petrography proved to be useful in many cases in which chemical provenancing was inconclusive.