The Origin of Imported Jars from 6th Dynasty Abusir: New Light on Early Bronze Age Egyptian-Levantine Relations

The characterisation of ceramic production from the central Levant and Egyptian trade in the Pyramid Age

“…The nature of the original contents remains to be established and is currently the subject of a multi-proxy scientific research program. Preliminary results reveal significant complexity in the remaining residues, the likely cause of which is multiple episodes of re-use of jars after they were emptied of their original contents in Egypt [8,18]. The jars themselves were also received in Egypt as high-status objects.…”

“…Jars were likely gifted by the palace as rewards and marks of royal favour, and to symbolise the original luxury contents in the hereafter [18]. The multiple levels of meaning inherent in the reception of Combed Ware jars will be assessed in a future study.…”

“…A recent study on material from 6th Dynasty Abusir in Egypt, indicates the presence of imported vessels made using a similar clay type, some 350 years later. This suggests the existence of a long, and probably continuous, trade relationship between the two regions [18].…”

“…4). This region includes Byblos, one of the Levant's key sites that has long been acknowledged by scholars as a focal point for Egyptian trade [2][3][4][5][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18].…”

“…developments are coeval with the emergence of strong links with Egypt during the 4th Dynasty. Egyptian textual and archaeological evidence reveals that state expeditions to Byblos and other Levantine locations in addition to Byblos continued into the long reign of Pepy II (c. 2278-2184 BC)[9,18], although for how long cannot be ascertained.The contrast might neatly encapsulate the difference between the EB III/ECL 2-5 in Lebanon and northern Palestine. In the first case, we see an expanding economy with strong links to Egypt, underpinned by a developing tributary relationship between Byblos and smaller centres such as Koubba and Fadous-Kfarabida, the productivity of which was actively managed by the centre.…”