Large Bronze Age 'Holy Land' Wine Amphora
Clay, 4.02 Kg, 21.1 Inch. Circa 2000 B.C. Used for the storage of oil or wine. It was manufactured in a red/brown dish to buff the clay. It is ovoid in shape with a cylindrical neck. Two looped handles sit on the lower shoulders of the piece, which shows some decoration. This item is from the Canaanite Period, which was notoriously commercial for the transport of wine and oil to Egypt and Macenae. Canaan is an ancient term for a region roughly corresponding to present-day Israel/Palestine including the West Bank, western Jordan, southern and coastal Syria and Lebanon continuing up to the border of modern Turkey. Various Canaanite sites have been excavated by archaeologists, most notably the Canaanite town of Ugarit, which was rediscovered in 1928. Much of our modern knowledge about the Canaanites stems from excavation in this area. Canaanite religion was the group of belief systems utilised by the people living in the ancient Levant throughout the Bronze Age and Iron Age. They were influenced strongly by Mesopotamian religious practices, Canaanite religious beliefs were polytheistic, with families typically focusing worship on household gods while acknowledging the existence of other deities such as Baal and El. Kings were also revered as gods.Complete and undamaged. Very large and in Extremely Fine condition.