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The Chronology of Early Greek Pottery: New Evidence from Seventh-Century B. C. Destruction Levels in Israel

Recent excavations at Ashkelon, Tel Miqne-Ekron, and Tel Batash-Timnah have revealed sealed destruction layers attributable to the Babylonian conquests of the late seventh century B. C. The destruction debris at these sites contains sherds of imported East Greek and Corinthian pottery, some of which can be directly paralleled at the nearby coastal site of Meṣad Ḥashavyahu, a site that is generally interpreted as a garrison of Greek mercenaries. While the Greek pottery from all four sites consists of types dated stylistically to the seventh century B. C., there has previously been little independent historical evidence to confirm this dating. The chronology of early Greek pottery is based on its presence at other Near Eastern sites that have problematical stratigraphy. Some scholars, in questioning the traditional chronology for Greek pottery, have tried to lower the accepted dates, though still without specific historical evidence. Syro-Palestinian archaeologists, on the other hand, have used the standard chronology of Greek imports to help date the local material at sites such as Meṣad Ḥashavyahu and Tyre. The new, securely dated material from Ashkelon and Tel Miqne-Ekron, supported also by evidence from Tel Batash and Kabri, shows definitively that specific types of East Greek pottery were present in the Levant before the end of the seventh century, and that the final days of Meṣad Ḥashavyahu were closely contemporary with the destructions of Miqne and Batash.