The date of the Qurayyah painted ware in the southern Levant

摘要

Abstract: The “Qurayyah Painted Ware” (known also as “Midianite Ware”), which originated in northern Hejaz, has been conventionally dated to the period between the 13th (or late 14th) and the mid-12th century BCE based on the Egyptian finds from Timna Site 200—the Hathor temple. During the last decade, due to new finds from excavations in the southern regions of Cis- and Transjordan, the date of this pottery group became a much-debated topic. Scholars have questioned the above dating, arguing that the time frame during which this pottery was in use is much longer, and even included in it the Iron IIA and Iron IIB periods. The aim of this paper is to reexamine the data pertaining to the date of this pottery, and consider the possibility that it was in use in Cis- and Transjordan longer than in its area of origin in northern Hejaz.