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

and LC period, the Levantine versions remained just as desirable in the LBA as the
previous period (see D2 in Fig. 4.26). Chisels are regularly found in Syro-Palestinian
assemblages, and they are neither as small as the Anatolian types nor as large as some
Minoan chisels. The range of carpentry/masonry implements from Syria-Palestine is
diverse and reflects tool types common to other regional assemblages, though the Syro-
Palestinian examples are sparser. Consequently, the eastern Mediterranean coast seems to
have been loosely tied to or at least cognizant of neighboring craft traditions.
Shipwrecks (Fig. 4.27):
There is a diverse range of carpentry and masonry tools from the Uluburun and
Cape Gelidonya shipwrecks, dated to the end of the 14 th and 13 th centuries BC
respectively. Variation occurs not only in different tool types but also sub-types; the latter
diversity is best seen with the different chisel forms on both shipwrecks (e.g. cold,
mortise, socketed, narrow, and broad). The range of the wood- and stone-working
implements indicates the presence of a deliberately grouped tool kit on each ship. As for
the different tool types, there are similarities with every region under study, thus
emphasizing the international character of these vessels.
The following observations do not assign a regional origin to the shipwreck tools
(as is often done for other materials on the vessels), but merely highlight the regions
where the shipwreck tool types are most concentrated. With this caveat in mind, a shaft-
hole ax, socketed chisel, and trunnion/lugged blades from the wrecks find their best
parallels in Anatolia. The ships’ double axes (and broad chisels) are remarkably popular
Aegean items, though a handful of examples occur in the eastern Mediterranean. Ax-
adzes, from the Gelidonya ship, occur in every area under study but are particularly
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