Archaeological Findings Link Canaanites to Greek Artisans

Fragments of ancient frescos, illustrating a Canaanite connection to the mainstream Mediterranean world, were recently unveiled by Classical and Semitic Languages and Literatures Chair Eric Cline and his counterpart, Assaf Yasur-Landau, of the University of Haifa in Israel. The two scholars led an archaeological team of students, faculty and volunteers on an expedition last summer to Tel Kabri—the site of an ancient palace in Israel—and presented their findings last month in New Orleans at a meeting of the American Schools of Oriental Research.

“The excavation was significant because regional artistic influences normally came from Mesopotamia, the area of present-day Iraq, located to the north,” said Cline. "This represents the first good evidence of Minoan artisans working in ancient Canaan more than 3,500 years ago.”

Tel Kabri, which once housed an enormous complex of buildings, dates back to the Middle Bronze Age period, between 1700 and 1550 B.C. Located in the western Galilee region, the site was destroyed during the 16th century B.C.; however, because no other settlements were built on top of the palatial ruins—it now contains lush banana and avocado plantations—many artifacts have been preserved.

Cline and Yasur-Landau have been working together at Tel Kabri since 2005, digging and conducting survey research. During excavations in 2008 and 2009, the northern wall of the palace was found along with more than 100 plaster fragments, including pieces of a fresco and a floor, each painted in Aegean style. Some had pictures in white or red in front of a blue background, similar to contemporary art found on Crete and mainland Greece—leaving Cline to speculate who created these frescos.

“Was it actually a Greek or a Minoan? Or was it a local who was trained in the technique?” Cline believes artists were brought in, likely a small group and not a permanent settlement because large concentrations of Aegean-style pottery have not been found.

Excavations took place during the cooler, early morning hours, and the work was extremely physical—contrary to what is seen in movies where archaeologists are often depicted using fine tools. “We dig with picks and shovels and are moving tons of earth because everything is buried beneath many feet of soil,” said Cline. “We have numerous buckets and wheelbarrows worth of dirt to move every hour.” The afternoons were spent assessing the findings, washing and then cataloguing artifacts.

Many of the University’s students received college credit for their work last summer and gained important hands-on archaeological training. Other volunteers were of all ages and professions and hailed from ten different countries, including England, Ireland, Finland, Austria, Australia, Canada, Romania, and Croatia. All shared in the desire to learn about what it was like to live in a region that has been chronicled since biblical days.

“We’re looking at a time several hundred years before the Israelites get there, between the period of Abraham and Moses,” Cline said. “We’re finding out what life was like in Canaan and shedding light on a period of history we thought we knew. It turns out we don’t know as much as we thought we did.”