Necklaces of faience beads and pendants

Necklaces of faience beads and pendants
Canaanite, about 1500-1200 BC
From Lachish (modern Tell ed-Duweir), Israel

Egyptian fashions in the southern Levant

These fine necklaces from the Fosse Temple at Lachish illustrates the strongly Egyptianizing style of Cannanite art of the Late Bronze Age. During this period the southern Levant was under Egyptian domination. Lachish is referred to in the Amarna letters - a group of clay tablets written in Babylonian cuneiform found at Tell el-Amarna in Egypt and preserving diplomatic correspondence to Egyptian pharaohs from vassal kings. The ruler of Lachish was Shipti-ba’al, a vassal king, subject to the firm control of Egypt, and enjoying the wealth and security that such political domination provided.

The so-called Fosse Temple was a small sanctuary first built around 1550 BC in the disused moat (fosse) that had formed part of the fortifications of Lachish in the early second millennium. A sudden destruction in about 1200 BC left remarkable contents in position in the building. These included many vessels containing the bones of animal offerings, and also rich finds of glass, faience and alabaster, imported pottery, ivories and jewellery in many materials, including gold and silver.

British Museum
britishmuseum.org