The researchers: "For many years, archaeologists have been trying to decipher the meaning of the 'Medina ceramics' found at sites in the south of the country. According to our findings, these are tools brought by metal potters from the Arabian Peninsula, and used in the cult that accompanied the advanced copper industry that flourished here about 3,000 years ago. in the time of the Bible"
A new study by Tel Aviv and Ben-Gurion Universities in the Negev offers a solution to an archeological puzzle that is more than 50 years old: what is the Midianite ceramics - unique pottery, produced in the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula, and discovered in the Timna Valley and beyond the Jordan?
For decades, the pottery was explained as evidence of trade between the two regions, but now the researchers offer another explanation for their appearance: they formed part of a cult that accompanied the prosperous copper industry in the region, about 3,000 years ago. According to this theory, the tools arrived with metal potters from the Arabian Peninsula, perhaps the Midianites and Kenites mentioned in the Bible, who possessed the most advanced metallurgical knowledge of their time, and built and operated the elaborate kilns at Timna. The pottery played a central role in the cult that was incorporated into the industry to ensure its success.
The research was led by Prof. Erez Ben Yosef and Dr. Sabina Kleiman from the Department of Archeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures at Tel Aviv University and Dr. Assaf Kleiman from the Department of Archeology at Ben-Gurion University. The article was published in the Oxford Journal of Archeology (For research).
Prof. Ben-Yosef: "The archaeological expedition of Tel Aviv University has been working extensively in Timna for about 15 years. We are mainly investigating copper mining sites, and among other things, we uncovered many potsherds of the type known as Midian ceramics. This is a unique ceramic that came from the Arabian Peninsula, and is characterized With geometrical decorations in black and red colors, this ceramic was first discovered in the 60s at the site where it was produced in the Koraya desert oasis on the peninsula Arab, about 160 km south of Timna. It was called Koraya ceramics after the place of discovery, and was also nicknamed 'Medina ceramics' because many researchers identify the people of the Arabian Peninsula with the Medines from the Bible. In Timana we have known pottery of this type for more than 50 years, but it was not clear whether it was trade or the presence of people from the Arabian Peninsula."
As part of the research, all the sites where Medina ceramics were found outside the Arabian Peninsula were surveyed. "Our research revealed a clear connection between this ceramic and the ancient copper industry - it is found in relatively large quantities only at the copper extraction sites in Timna and Wadi Paynan in Jordan. At all sites the pottery was found mainly near the kilns, in the context of metallurgical activity, except in Timna where they were also found in the central temple. In addition We recognized that these are only tools of a certain type, those suitable for ritual activity, such as small bowls and spoons that the Midianite ceramics constitute only a small percentage of all the pottery in the place, while most of them belong to the local culture of the Kingdom of Edom." Another innovation is the duration of the use of Medinaian ceramics in Timna. Contrary to previous beliefs, it was found that it was used throughout the entire period: from the appearance of the first furnaces around 1300 BC (1100 BC in Wadi Paynan), until the elimination of the copper industry there, around 800 BC - a total of about 500 year, which partly coincided with the days of David and Solomon.
In light of the findings, the researchers present a new picture of the copper industry in Timana during this period. Prof. Ben-Yosef: "It seems that the industry and the mines were managed by local tribes, members of the biblical kingdom of Edom, and they invited here the experts of those times, nomadic copper potters from the Arabian Peninsula. The copper potters brought with them the most advanced metallurgical technology in the ancient world, And along with it also appropriate rituals and tools, which were an integral part of the technological industry itself. It is important to understand that at that time there was no separation between The fields, and those engaged in the craft called for the help of the gods to ensure their success. It can be assumed that extracting copper from the stone itself seemed to be magic, and they prayed that it would be successful in their hands. We believe that the experts from the Arabian Peninsula remained and produced copper for several generations, until the metallurgical knowledge passed into the hands of local deaf people Even after the experts left, the local people continued to hold the ritual that accompanied the industry the copper, and for this purpose they continued to import from the Arabian Peninsula the unique vessels, which are the Midianite ceramics."
Prof. Ben-Yosef also points out that "the findings of the study are also of great importance in the aspect of biblical interpretation. In Genesis 22:XNUMX, Tuval Cain (the father of the Kenim) is described as a metal plow - "to polish every copper and iron plow", and in other places in the Bible a connection between the Kenim is identified Our research clearly shows a connection between populations from the Arabian Peninsula and industry The copper is in the kingdom of Edom, and it can be assumed that the Kenites were a tribe in a larger group known as Midian."
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