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Geochemical and isotopic analysis reveals Egyptian raw materials in Bronze Age Tel Azekah artifacts, indicating local vessel manufacturing from imported stone.
Calcite‐Alabaster vessels found in the Southern Levant during the Bronze Age have traditionally been considered Egyptian imports. This assumption was recently challenged by the discovery of a Bronze Age quarry in the Te'omim Cave. This study investigated six Calcite‐Alabaster objects from Tel Azekah, including two drill cores, to determine raw material provenance and reassess regional production processes. Stable carbon (δ 13 C) and oxygen (δ 18 O) isotope analysis and elemental concentration analysis were employed to compare Tel Azekah samples with known quarries in Israel and Egypt. The results demonstrate that the material for the objects originated in Egyptian quarries. However, the presence of drill cores provides direct evidence for local production at Tel Azekah using imported Egyptian raw materials.
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Zimni et al. (2026) studied this question.
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