This paper aims to give an overview of the current state of research on (contemporaneous) inscriptional evidence for a historical chronology of the 3rd and 4th dynasties, to explore the impact of different modes of interpreting this evidence on radiocarbon dates from Egypt, and to consider possible synchronizations between Egyptian history and the transitions from…
The Expulsion of the Hyksos and the End of the Middle Bronze Age: A Reassessment in Light of Recent Chronological Research
The end of the Middle Bronze Age and its connection with the end of the Second Intermediate Period in Egypt and the alleged expulsion of the Hyksos is of key-importance for understanding the development of the subsequent Late Bronze Age and the rising Egyptian interest in the region. For a long time it was assumed…
Identifying the Lachish of Papyrus Hermitage 1116A verso and the Amarna Letters: Implications of New Radiocarbon Dating
Age and preceding formative years of Late Bronze Age society have long been noted. At some prominent tell sites that according to the texts were major city-states, little to no settlement remains have been identified. Here we revisit this issue at Tel Lachish, showing on the basis of renewed radiocarbon dating that two previously exposed…
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A Radiocarbon Chronology for the Middle Bronze Age Southern Levant
For a long time, absolute calendrical dates for the Middle Bronze Age southern Levant were based on very general correlations with the historical chronology of Egypt (the Traditional Chronology). A significantly lower chronology was proposed from the 1980s onwards, mainly based on the excavation at Tell el-Dab‘a (ancient Avaris) in the eastern Nile Delta (the…