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This is the first volume of the final report on the site of Tell Balatah, biblical Shechem. Work at the site spanned the years 1956-1973, a period when significant changes in field methodology were developing in Palestinian archaeology. Dr. Cole's study of the MB IIB ceramic corpus is prefaced by an introduction to the field technique as it was employed at Shechem, especially as it pertained to the recovery, sorting, and analysis of sherds from each soil deposit. The analysis of the Field VI ceramic sequences presented here will be of crucial importance in studying the chronology and history of the MB II period in the Levant. A report of interest, not only for its reportage of excavation results, but also for the methodological questions it raises.
Shechem I is an indispensable tool for the study of the Middle Bronze Age in Syria-Palestine. The primary material which it presents serves to define the ceramic boundaries of the Middle Bronze IIB Period, and thus it contributes to a sharper definition of the debate about the nature of the MB IIA transition to MB IIB and the validity of the term MB IIC.--Douglas L. Esse, The University of Chicago in Journal of Near Eastern Studies Vol. 47, No. 4
Cole's major achievement in Shechem I is to demonstrate when certain ceramic forms first appear in the relative sequence at Shechem. We must, of course, allow for the limited Shechem database, as well as for the possibility of regional variations or new material from elsewhere that may insert nuances into the picture. Nevertheless, Cole has provided a demonstration that soundings and sherds--when carefully controlled--can produce reliable and useful results in ceramic chronology. For the larger picture of Shechem and cultural development in the Middle Bronze Palestine, we shall have to await further volumes in this series.--William G. Dever, University of Arizona in BASOR 276
List of Plans, Tables, Figures, and Sections
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
Preface
1. Introduction
The Preservation and Reporting of Sherds
The Separation and Interpretation of Loci
The Classification of Materials
2. Middle Bronze IIB at Shechem
The Field VI Strata
The Loci Selected for Analysi
3. The Pottery: Typological and Comparative Analysis
Classification of Types and Forms
Platter Bowls
Deep Bowls
Globular Bowls
Necked Bowls
Carinated Bowls
Miniature Bowls
Bowl Bases
Flat-bottom Cookpots
Holemouth Cookpots
Upright-rim Cookpots
Dipper Juglets
Piriform Juglets
Cylindrical Juglets
Jugs
Large Jars
Small Jars
Small Jar and Jug Fragments
General Comments on Wares, Pastes, and Surface Treatments
4. Summary Conclusions
Diagnostic Ceramic Types and Forms
Comparative Sites
Geographical and Historical Considerations
Catalogue of Shechem MB IIB Pottery
Notes on Drawing and Descriptive Conventions
The Pottery Classified by Type and Form, Plates 1-45
Strata XX-XVIIs: Selected Pottery, Plates 46-49
Bibliography