EGYPT IN THE LEVANT · The Interconnections between Egypt and the Levant in the first half of the Second Millennium B.C. based on relative Chronologies

The Egyptian historical chronology is known to be the most reliable one in the Ancient Near East. One aim of this project is to connect recently excavated sites along the Levantine coast to this chronology in a first step. A comparative study of the Middle and Late Bronze Age I period, mainly based on the material culture from Tell el-Dabca ( ancient Avaris/Piramesse) in the eastern Nile delta and Ashkelon in Palestine, is planned as a major spin off project, creating a new potential of re-writing the economical and political history of this region. Never before a substantial study comparing two ports, both well connected to the international trade between the great powers of their time (Egypt, Byblos, Cyprus, Crete, Mitanni and Hatti) has been undertaken. The excellent relative stratigraphies of both cities with their therefore well linked imports provide the best opportunity for such a pilot study. The other aim is to outline the fluctuation of the quality and quantity of trade by statistical means in a second step. Thus showing if and what kind of political and economic reasons cause peaks and troughs of trade between Egypt and the Near East during this politically difficult period.