Tell Kazel-Simyra: A Contribution to a Relative Chronological History in the Eastern Mediterranean during the Late Bronze Age

Abstract

The archaeological results of 18 excavation campaigns at Tell Kazel have shed considerable light on relations between the ancient city of Sumur/Simyra and the eastern Mediterranean. The vast number of Cypriot imports from the late 14th until the beginning of the 12th century B.C. at Tell Kazel shows a significant quantitative contrast with other sites in the Homs gap. Both Cypriot and Mycenaean pottery tend to disappear before the major destruction of the site during the transitional LB II/Iron I phase. It was during this same phase that the imported pottery was replaced by locally made Mycenaean ceramics as well as by two new wares: Handmade Burnished Ware and Grey Ware.