Review Erika Fischer: tell el-Farah (Süd)

WIENER ZEITSCHRIFT FÜR DIE KUNDE DES MORGENLANDES HERAUSGEGEBEN VON MARKUS KÖHBACH, STEPHAN PROCHÁZKA, GEBHARD J. SELZ; RÜDIGER LOHLKER, REDAKTION: CARMEN BERLINCHES RAMOS LEA MÜLLER-FUNK 102. BAND WIEN 2012 IM SELBSTVERLAG DES INSTITUTS FÜR ORIENTALISTIK 316 Besprechungen for further research. This is an extremely useful book. The all-encompassing and balanced approach means that it should be recommended reading for scholars interested in institutional history of dynastic Egypt. Danijela Stefanovi (Belgrade) (Süd). Ägyptisch-levantinische Fischer, Erika: T e l l el-Farcah B e z i e h u n g e n i m s p ä t e n 2 . J a h r t a u s e n d v . C h r . Fribourg/Göttingen: Academic Press/Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2011 (Orbis Biblicus et Orientalis 247). 430 Seiten mit 213 Abbildungen und einer Tafel. ISBN 978-3-7278-1691-8. 120,00 €. According to the title of the book the study of Egyptian-Levantine interrelations at Tell el-Farcah South (henceforth termed Tell el-Farcah) during the late Second Millennium BCE forms the core of this volume. The book is divided into eight chapters, of which the first five include a general introduction, the description of the site and the history of the excavations, the analyses of House YR and the ivory panels which were found in this house, and a synthesis. The last three chapters are devoted to lists of parallels, references to the illustrations and the bibliography. The overall structure of the volume is well-chosen and easily comprehensible. The short "Preface" mentions a special research project at the University of Mainz (Mainzer Sonderforschungsbereich 295 "Kulturelle und sprachliche Kontakte"), in which the author participated. During the course of this project it was considered appropriate to widen the scope of the author's contribution. This resulted in the present book. The first chapter, Introduction, deals with the work of W.M.F. Petrie in the region of southern Palestine where he excavated on a large scale at Tell Jemmeh, Tell el-Farcah, Tell el-cAjjul and Sheikh Zuweid/Tell Abu Salima in the second half of the 1920s and the first half of the 1930s. The excavations at Tell el-Farcah between 1927 and 1930 comprised only three campaigns, but these lasted for five to six months each (Petrie 1928-1929). The author rightly highlights the fact that Petrie's work and publications, the latter laudably often published immediately after the field campaigns, suffered from a number of serious deficiencies: the excavations were badly controlled, recorded and interpreted. This has been implied by most modern scholars and verified by the present reviewer during his field campaigns at Tell el-cAjjul, where the field seasons from the 1930s which were published by Petrie were of much restricted value. The second chapter is devoted to the site itself and the history of the excavations. The author describes the site's topography and Petrie's previous excavations on and around the tell, which Petrie (wrongly) identified with the biblical Beth-Pelet. Here reference is made to a general map showing Late Bronze Age sites in Palestine (Fig. 1) which unfortunately is not up-to-date: in particular some important and recently published Transjordanian sites are not included, for instance, Tell Abu al-Kharaz (Fischer 2006, and earlier publications) and Tell al-cUmayiri (Clark 2011, and earlier publications). Petrie's excavations concentrated on the cemeteries around the tell, and only two limited areas were exposed on the tell. Salvage excavations took place in 1976, and there have again been regular investigations since 1998. It is suggested Ägyptologie 317 that Tell el-Farcah's first phase of occupation was during the Hyksos period or MB IIB1 and that there was an occupational lacuna after the LB I until the later part of the Late Bronze Age / Early Iron Age. The author correctly emphasizes that our knowledge of the history of the settlement is based mainly on the cemeteries excavated by Petrie and that this occupational hiatus has still to be proved. The actual size of the tell is based on estimations rather than on firm evidence: whereas the tell covers roughly 6 ha the actual area where occupation is possible is not more than 3.1 ha, thus making the tell one of the smaller ones of those between Gaza and Beer-Sheva. The identification of the site is briefly discussed. The author tends to concur with the opinion of several scholars, amongst which is the reviewer's, namely, that Tell elFarcah should not be identified with Sharuhen which appears in Egyptian texts and which is more likely identical with Tell el-cAjjul. Such a small site as Tell el-Farcah could hardly – as it is mentioned in written Egyptian sources – offer a three-year resistance to the forces of Ahmose, the first pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty, who invaded southern Palestine. The author objects to premature views that Tell elFarcah was an Egyptian stronghold but accepts that Egyptian presence is possible. The next chapter, which comprises a considerable part of the volume, is devoted to the description of House YR in the northern part of the tell, which was destroyed during a general conflagration and looted. Stratigraphy, dating, destruction, rebuilding, and finds are discussed. There are numerous deficiencies in Petrie's publications that make the present discussion on stratigraphy, duration, finds and functions highly speculative and this is correctly pointed out by the author. Nevertheless, the author tries to back up her view with often plausible arguments against the views of numerous other scholars, who from time to time are nevertheless rather firmly criticised. The size of the house is estimated to be around 600 square metres. According to Petrie it was built in two phases, Z and Y, but it seems more likely that there was only one phase. The various spaces are described in detail and their possible function is presented. According to the author the House YR follows the principles of the medium-sized Amarna houses. She concludes that the construction of the house was supervised by an Egyptian architect and that the original inhabitant of the house seems to have been either an Egyptian military or administrative person, or a member of the local elite who was familiar with the Egyptian way of living. The author presents the view that the often used term "Egyptian Governor's Residence" for this kind of building should be abandoned and a more neutral term should be used. The well-known Egyptian ivory panels, approximately 70 cm long and 6 cm high, are thoroughly described and discussed in the next chapter. In this chapter lies the core of the publication. The panels have three themes, two of which are associated. A banquet scene with musicians and dancers is followed by a scene showing the return of hunters followed by a bird-hunting scene amongst papyrus. The author points to problems of interpretation in the past where the scenes were 1 The author uses the old terminology for the Middle Bronze Age, viz. MB IIA-C, instead of the nowadays preferred and more logical terms MB I-III. Here MB IIB corresponds to MB II. 318 Besprechungen described superficially or selectively, and adds that the old reconstruction of the panels is burdened by a mistake which rarely has been recognized. Here again the criticism of the views of other scholars is profound although most often logically presented. The panels are described as the work of a local craftsperson who carved the panels according to Egyptian fashion, a view on which the majority of scholars agree. The author concludes in accordance with the original interpretation by Petrie that the panels show an Egyptian administrator and his Egyptian spouse. The interpretation of the depicted male individual as an Egyptianising local ruler is dismissed. The dating of the production of the panels is estimated at the end of Ramses II reign at the earliest but most likely later, viz. at the beginning of the 12th century BCE. The present volume is an important contribution to the understanding of the history and archaeology of a southern Palestinian site and its interrelation and connection with, primarily, Egypt and the remainder of Palestine. The illustrations and photographs are of high quality, there are plentiful references, and the few shortcomings such as an inadequate map are of secondary importance. However, in the reviewer's opinion this book should have been published in English, thereby reaching a much wider readership, especially as non-German readers may have difficulty with the sometimes complex sentence structures. The author takes the trouble to include Transjordanian evidence in her discussion of a Cisjordanian site, for which she should be given credit: this should be normal procedure but Transjordan, although part of the same cultural entity, is unfortunately neglected by many scholars. In summary, the reading of the present book provides an excellent opportunity to understand southern Palestine as a bridge between Egypt and the remainder of the Levant. Peter M. Fischer (Gothenburg) Bibliography Clark, D.R. 2011 “The Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages at Tall al-cUmayri”, pp. 43-57, in D.R. Clark et al. (eds.), The Madaba Plains Project. Forty years of Archaeological Research into Jordan's Past. Equinox, Sheffield Oakville. Fischer, P.M. 2006 Tell Abu al-Kharaz in the Jordan Valley. Volume II: The Middle and Late Bronze Ages. Austrian Academy of Sciences Press, Vienna. Petrie, W.M.F. 1928 Excavations at Beth-Pelet, Ancient Egypt 1928: 118-121. Quaritch, London. 1929 The Shepherd Kings in Palestine: Excavations at Beth-Pelet II, Ancient Egypt 1929: 1-16. Quaritch, London.