The Egyptianized Pottery Cache from Megiddo’s Area J: A Foundation Deposit for Temple 4040

In 1996, a cache of 16 Egyptianized ceramic vessels was excavated at Megiddo by the Tel Aviv University Megiddo Expedition. Its stratigraphy was difficult to ascertain as the discovery was made early on in the renewed excavations, and the ceramic typology was difficult to assess due to the apparent specialized function of the vessels. This paper reconsiders the cache in light of the finalized stratigraphic understanding of Area J, reexamining the unpublished excavation records from the square in which it was found. The study concludes that the cache is a foundation deposit related to Temple 4040 and both are redated to the Intermediate Bronze Age on the basis of Egyptian ceramic parallels and the new High Chronology for the Early Bronze Age.