Middle and Late Bronze Age Metal Tools from the Aegean, Eastern ...

Sites from the Syro-Palestinian MBA:
Although the tool data from Syria-Palestine in this study is more representative
than exhaustive, certain patterns are still discernible. In the MBA, single/flat axes are the
preeminent carpentry/masonry implement, while shaft-hole axes and chisels are also
favored. Byblos is the major consumer of wood- and stone-working tools at this time,
followed by Megiddo (Table 4.29). Located on the Lebanese coast, Byblos was primarily
connected to Egypt and Syria-Mesopotamia, but it was also in contact with Cyprus. Both
Cyprus and Syria-Palestine share a strong preference for the single/flat ax in the early
second millennium, particularly at Lapithos (a cemetery) and Byblos (a settlement).
Contact between Lapithos and Byblos may have caused this inter-regional
preference for the single ax. If that is the case, Lapithites probably emulated the
consumption practices of Byblites. The single/flat ax is found in Early Cypriot contexts,
so it is unlikely that Cyprus adopted it directly from the east during the MBA. It is
possible, however, that the Cypriots observed the popularity of the tool at Byblos and
subsequently replicated its level of production and consumption. This hypothesis would
strengthen Keswani’s interpretation of the MC burials as a way for nascent Cypriot elites
to form their identity through the utilization of the island’s copper resources. 516
If the
burial goods were viewed as imitations of foreign implements or even perceived as
Byblos exports, the MC axes would acquire an even greater social value than previously
believed. The connotation of Near Eastern-inspired tools in Cypriot burials would have
increased the prestige of those individuals interred with the axes. The desire for the single
ax in MBA Cyprus and Syria-Palestine highlights a shared trait between the regions.
516 Keswani 2004; 2005.
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