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Who were the inhabitants of Lod about 5,000 years ago? According to the findings of a salvage excavation conducted in recent months in the Neve Yarak neighborhood, which sits in the center of the ancient mound of Lod, at that time a mixed population of local Canaanites and Egyptians lived there.
The Egyptian presence in the settlement is evidenced by many remains of pottery, especially large jugs that were used to store wine and coarse bowls that were probably molds for baking bread. Yitzhak Paz, who managed the excavation in collaboration with Danny Rosenberg, on behalf of the Israel Center for Archeology of Tel Aviv University, says that the pottery is typical of Egyptian culture at the time when the first dynasty of the pharaohs appeared. Laboratory tests showed that they were made from clay that originated in Egypt.
However, the researchers did not find larger or more prestigious vessels, the Egyptian pottery was mixed with locally produced pottery, and no remains of Egyptian construction were uncovered in the same layer. In two previous excavations carried out at Tel Lod by archaeologists from the Antiquities Authority, tools were found that were brought to the place from Egypt. Even then, no remains of buildings were found.
In one excavation by the Antiquities Authority, the Egyptian finds are the oldest layer uncovered; In another were found remains of Egyptian presence and in an earlier layer local Canaanite finds. A total of nine settlement layers were uncovered in the Benue Yarak excavation. The Egyptian layer is not the earliest among them, but neither is it the latest.
According to Paz, the difference between the Egyptian findings at the various sites excavated in Lod raises a question about the nature of the Egyptian presence in the area. In recent years, a debate arose among researchers about the Egyptian presence in the Land of Israel during the period to which the findings were dated, the Early Bronze Age (approximately from 3,000 to 2,700 BC). Various researchers claimed that at that time Egyptian colonies were established in the Land of Israel, mainly for the purpose of trade. Others believe that the Egyptian presence was of a more institutional nature and included management, control and command centers.
A large and fortified Egyptian citadel from that period was found a few years ago in Tel Sakan in the Gaza Strip. A little north of there, in Ein Hashur, a small Egyptian structure was uncovered. These findings seemingly strengthen the researchers who claim that Egypt controlled parts of the Land of Israel during the rise of the first pharaonic dynasty. But in more northern areas, such as Tel Lod, no impressive Egyptian buildings were found, but mainly pottery and various tools. Hence, the Egyptian grip was not particularly strong and apparently the rulers of Egypt were content with trade ties.
The excavation in Neve Yarak does not provide a clear answer to the question of the nature of the Egyptian presence in the Land of Israel. According to Paz, during the Early Bronze Age there was a small Egyptian settlement there, whose inhabitants lived alongside the local population. The findings show that the Egyptian presence in the settlement, which existed continuously from the Neolithic period (starting from approximately 8,000 BC), was not prolonged. The earliest Egyptian finds in the excavation are from the beginning of the Early Bronze Age, the latest are from the end of the period. In later layers there are no longer signs of an Egyptian presence.
History connoisseur - ancient times
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