Establishing an Absolute Chronology of the Middle Bronze Age

Abstract

AbstractThis chapter summarizes the present state of debate on the absolute dating of the Middle Bronze Age in the Near East. The chapter presents the historical chronologies based on political events/periods, relative chronologies based on archaeological stratigraphy and the development of material culture, as well as scientific dating based on radiocarbon data. While absolute dating schemes for the Middle Bronze Age are traditionally dependent on the Egyptian historical chronology, recent radiocarbon dating programs have provided a growing data set of reliable measurements that allow independent synchronization of the various chronologies of Mesopotamia, the Levant, and Egypt. The chapter compares the results of the various approaches, juxtaposing the results of historical and archaeological assessments with the results gained from current radiocarbon data.