By author > Kamlah Jens

The goal of this presentation is to have a closer look at the agricultural developments during the Bronze and Iron Age in the Southern Levant. First, we look at diachronic and synchronic developments and/or continuity regarding the management of domesticates. Second, we attempt to provide an answer as to why these developments occur. Finally, we want to see if it is possible to observe regional differences and similarities within the Southern Levant and find out what caused these: geography, cultural connections or both. To answer these questions, we will use a case-study of an ongoing excavation at Tell el-Burak (Lebanon). Tell el-Burak is a coastal site located approximately 9 km from the modern-day town of Saida. Faunal remains have been found from the Middle Bronze Age until the Mamluk Period, but the focus of our work will be the Iron Age which corresponds to the Phoenician period. This will allow us to gain valuable insights into the economy of the Phoenician territories during the Iron Age, which is currently an understudied area. The Iron Age is represented by material from several houses, storage rooms and installations, leading to the hypothesis that this site could be an agricultural domain. We will then put the finds of Tell el-Burak in the broader geographical context of the Southern Levant, where we will first compare it synchronically with other Phoenician sites, and second will compare it synchronically and diachronically with other sites in the Southern Levant region.