Ceramic Continuity and Change at Shechem (Tell Balatâh): Assessing the Impact of Egyptian Imperialism in the Central Hill Country

The material culture of Late Bronze Age Shechem (Tell Balatâh) provides an opportunity to assess the nature and extent of the Egyptian imperial presence in the Central Highlands, as well as the ways in which endogenous cultural traits endured during a period of intensifying military presence. While scholars have yet to fully agree on the exact nature of Egyptian imperialism, most concur that contact with Egypt had a profound impact on the political, economic and social institutions of the southern Levant. The analysis of ceramics at Shechem reveals continuity in settlement, ceramic morphology and technology throughout the Late Bronze period. These findings contribute to an expanding corpus of ceramic studies, which indicate that a complex interaction and negotiation of cultural boundaries existed during this imperial period. While there was not a sustained Egyptian presence in the Central Hill Country, textual and archaeological data suggest there was limited interaction. While more is known about how this imperial presence was manifested architecturally in the form of “governor residencies” and “trading entropôts,” recent investigations at coastal and inland sites reveal that the interaction between Egyptian and Canaanite ceramic technology was site-specific and reciprocal in nature. The Shechem ceramic analysis illustrates the tenacity with which potters retained Canaanite traditions at this Central Hill Country site during a period of sporadic Egyptian contact.Ph