High and Low Chronologies of the Mediterranean Bronze Age 1
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About.com About Education Archaeology . . . Minoan Greece By K. Kris Hirst Archaeology Expert About Today Living Healthy Archaeology Ancient Civilizations Ancient Daily Life in Civilizations World History in a Nutshell Archaeology 101 - An Introduction to Archaeology Artifacts and Art History Archaeology Digs 2015 Careers in Archaeology Archaeologists and Related Scientists Anthropology and Human Behaviors Archaeology by Country Preserving our Heritage Evolution and the Origins of Human Beings Blog Archaeology 101 History of Humans on Planet Earth World Atlas of Archaeology Updated Articles and Resources One very long lasting debate in Bronze Age Mediterranean archaeology has to do with attempting to match calendar dates to those associated with Egyptian regnal lists. To some scholars, the debate henges on a single olive branch. Egyptian Dynastic History is traditionally split into three Kingdoms (during which a big hunk of the Nile valley was consistently unified), separated by two intermediate periods (when non-Egyptians ruled Egypt). (The late Egyptian Ptolemaic dynasty, established by Alexander the Great's generals and including the famous Cleopatra, has no such problem). The two most-used chronologies today are called "High" and "Low"--the "Low" being the younger--and with some variations, these chronologies are used by scholars studying all of the Mediterranean Bronze Age. As a rule these days, historians generally use the "High" chronology. These dates were compiled using historical records produced during the lives of the pharaohs, and some radiocarbon dates of archaeological sites, and have been tweaked over the past century and a half. But, the controversy continues, as illustrated by a series of articles in Antiquity as recently as 2014. A Tighter Chronology Beginning in the 21st century, a team of scholars led by Christopher Bronk-Ramsay at the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit contacted museums and obtained non-mummified plant material (basketry, plant-based textiles, and plant seeds, stems and fruits) tied to specific pharaohs. Those samples, like the Lahun papyrus in the image, were carefully selected to be "short-lived samples from impeccable contexts", as Thomas Higham has described them. The samples were radiocarbon-dated using AMS strategies, providing the last column of dates in the table below. High and Low Bronze Age Chronologies Event High Low Bronk-Ramsey et al Old Kingdom Start 2667 BC 2592 BC 2591-2625 cal BC Old Kingdom End 2345 BC 2305 BC 2423-2335 cal BC Middle Kingdom Start 2055 BC 2009 BC 2064-2019 cal BC Middle Kingdom End 1773 BC 1759 BC 1797-1739 cal BC New Kingdom Start 1550 BC 1539 BC 1570-1544 cal BC New Kingdom End 1099 BC 1106 BC 1116-1090 cal BC In general, the radiocarbon dating supports the conventionally used High chronology, except perhaps that the dates for Old and New Kingdoms are slightly older than that of the traditional chronologies. But the issue has yet to be resolved, in part because of the problems associated with dating the Santorini eruption. The Santorini Eruption Santorini is a volcano located on the island of Thera in the Mediterranean Sea. During the Late Bronze Age of the 16th-17th centuries BC, Santorini erupted, violently, pretty much putting an end to the Minoan civilization and disturbing, as you might imagine, all the civilizations within the Mediterranean region. Archaeological evidence sought for the date of the eruption has included local evidence of a tsunami and interrupted groundwater supplies, as well as acidity levels in ice cores as far away as Greenland. Dates for when this massive eruption occurred are startlingly controversial. The most precise radiocarbon date for the occurrence is 1627-1600 BC, based on the branch of an olive tree that was buried by ashfall from the eruption; and on animal bones on the Minoan occupation of Palaikastro. But, according to archaeo-historical records, the eruption took By Jenn Savedge Ecology Expert By Jamie Littlefield Distance Learning Expert By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D. Chemistry Expert By Christopher Minster Latin American History Expert By Nicki Lisa Cole Sociology Expert VIEW MORE IN EDUCATION VIEW MORE Determining the Dates of Ancient Egypt SIGN UP How Do I Prepare for a Career in Ecology? 5 Reasons Not to Delay Your Online Degree Use Science to Make Homemade Fizzy Lemonade Ten Amazing Facts About Montezuma, Aztec Emperor What Is Feminism Really All About? What Are the Different Types of Pianos? Jon Frank | About Me Should I Take the SAT or ACT? SHARE PIN Lahun Papyrus 10419a, Late Middle Kingdom (2025-1700 BC). Courtesy of Ezra Marcus High and Low Chronologies of the Mediterranean Bronze Age http://archaeology.about.com/od/bronzeage/fl/High-and-Low-Chronolo... 1 of 3 10.08.2015 00:27
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High and Low Chronologies of the Mediterranean Bronze Age 1
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About.com About Education Archaeology . . . Minoan Greece
By K. Kris HirstArchaeology Expert
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One very long lasting debatein Bronze Age Mediterraneanarchaeology has to do withattempting to match calendardates to those associated withEgyptian regnal lists. To somescholars, the debate hengeson a single olive branch.
Egyptian Dynastic History istraditionally split into threeKingdoms (during which a bighunk of the Nile valley wasconsistently unified),separated by two intermediateperiods (when non-Egyptiansruled Egypt).
(The late Egyptian Ptolemaicdynasty, established by
Alexander the Great's generals and including the famous Cleopatra, has no suchproblem). The two most-used chronologies today are called "High" and "Low"--the "Low"being the younger--and with some variations, these chronologies are used by scholarsstudying all of the Mediterranean Bronze Age.
As a rule these days, historians generally use the "High" chronology. These dates werecompiled using historical records produced during the lives of the pharaohs, and someradiocarbon dates of archaeological sites, and have been tweaked over the past centuryand a half. But, the controversy continues, as illustrated by a series of articles in Antiquityas recently as 2014.
A Tighter Chronology
Beginning in the 21st century, a team of scholars led by Christopher Bronk-Ramsay at theOxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit contacted museums and obtained non-mummifiedplant material (basketry, plant-based textiles, and plant seeds, stems and fruits) tied tospecific pharaohs.
Those samples, like the Lahun papyrus in the image, were carefully selected to be"short-lived samples from impeccable contexts", as Thomas Higham has described them.The samples were radiocarbon-dated using AMS strategies, providing the last column ofdates in the table below.
High and Low Bronze Age Chronologies
Event High Low Bronk-Ramsey et al
Old Kingdom Start 2667 BC 2592 BC 2591-2625 cal BC
Old Kingdom End 2345 BC 2305 BC 2423-2335 cal BC
Middle Kingdom Start 2055 BC 2009 BC 2064-2019 cal BC
Middle Kingdom End 1773 BC 1759 BC 1797-1739 cal BC
New Kingdom Start 1550 BC 1539 BC 1570-1544 cal BC
New Kingdom End 1099 BC 1106 BC 1116-1090 cal BC
In general, the radiocarbon dating supports the conventionally used High chronology,except perhaps that the dates for Old and New Kingdoms are slightly older than that of thetraditional chronologies. But the issue has yet to be resolved, in part because of theproblems associated with dating the Santorini eruption.
The Santorini Eruption
Santorini is a volcano located on the island of Thera in the Mediterranean Sea. During theLate Bronze Age of the 16th-17th centuries BC, Santorini erupted, violently, pretty muchputting an end to the Minoan civilization and disturbing, as you might imagine, all thecivilizations within the Mediterranean region. Archaeological evidence sought for the dateof the eruption has included local evidence of a tsunami and interrupted groundwatersupplies, as well as acidity levels in ice cores as far away as Greenland.
Dates for when this massive eruption occurred are startlingly controversial. The mostprecise radiocarbon date for the occurrence is 1627-1600 BC, based on the branch of anolive tree that was buried by ashfall from the eruption; and on animal bones on the Minoanoccupation of Palaikastro. But, according to archaeo-historical records, the eruption took
By Jenn SavedgeEcology Expert
By Jamie LittlefieldDistance Learning Expert
By Anne MarieHelmenstine, Ph.D.Chemistry Expert
By Christopher MinsterLatin American HistoryExpert
By Nicki Lisa ColeSociology Expert
VIEW MORE IN EDUCATION
VIEW MORE
Determining the Dates of Ancient Egypt
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Use Science toMake HomemadeFizzy Lemonade
Ten Amazing FactsAbout Montezuma,Aztec Emperor
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What Are theDifferent Types ofPianos?
Jon Frank | AboutMe
Should I Take theSAT or ACT?
SHARE PIN
Lahun Papyrus 10419a, Late Middle Kingdom (2025-1700 BC).Courtesy of Ezra Marcus
High and Low Chronologies of the Mediterranean Bronze Age http://archaeology.about.com/od/bronzeage/fl/High-and-Low-Chronolo...
1 of 3 10.08.2015 00:27
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place during the founding of the New Kingdom, ca. 1550 BC. None of the chronologies,not High, not Low, not the Bronk-Ramsay radiocarbon study, suggest that the NewKingdom was founded any earlier than ca. 1550.
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