Royal Gift Exchange between Mycenae and Egypt: Olives as "Greeting Gifts" in the Late Bronze Age Eastern Mediterranean

Contacts between Egypt and the Aegean during the Late Bronze Age, especially focusing on the relation between Minoan Crete and New Kingdom Egypt have been the subject of much study. The relation between the Greek (Mycenaean) mainland and Egypt generally is regarded as a more elusive topic, and most...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Kelder, J
Format: Journal article
Published: Archaeological Institute of America 2013
_version_ 1826268809019785216
author Kelder, J
author_facet Kelder, J
author_sort Kelder, J
collection OXFORD
description Contacts between Egypt and the Aegean during the Late Bronze Age, especially focusing on the relation between Minoan Crete and New Kingdom Egypt have been the subject of much study. The relation between the Greek (Mycenaean) mainland and Egypt generally is regarded as a more elusive topic, and most scholars seem to consider contact between the two a matter of irregular exchange, probably not even a direct exchange, but via middlemen (on Cyprus, in the Levant etc.). In this paper, data on the import of Mycenaean stirrup jars -generally regarded as containers for olive oil- in Egypt and the presence of the olive (oil) in Egypt are presented. Both archaeological and paleobotanical data are examined. The aim of the paper is to stimulate new thought on the possibility that contact, or rather, exchange, between Egypt and the Greek mainland was more than an irregular phenomenon and was instead highly organized, involving the active engagement of the ruling elite at Mycenae and the Pharaonic court. At the same time, it will be demonstrated that olives or olive oil were of importance in this Late Bronze Age interstate contact.
first_indexed 2024-03-06T21:15:17Z
format Journal article
id oxford-uuid:3f94654f-e34c-4a44-90ce-0ab45005b264
institution University of Oxford
last_indexed 2024-03-06T21:15:17Z
publishDate 2013
publisher Archaeological Institute of America
record_format dspace
spelling oxford-uuid:3f94654f-e34c-4a44-90ce-0ab45005b2642022-03-26T14:32:51ZRoyal Gift Exchange between Mycenae and Egypt: Olives as "Greeting Gifts" in the Late Bronze Age Eastern MediterraneanJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:3f94654f-e34c-4a44-90ce-0ab45005b264Symplectic Elements at OxfordArchaeological Institute of America2013Kelder, JContacts between Egypt and the Aegean during the Late Bronze Age, especially focusing on the relation between Minoan Crete and New Kingdom Egypt have been the subject of much study. The relation between the Greek (Mycenaean) mainland and Egypt generally is regarded as a more elusive topic, and most scholars seem to consider contact between the two a matter of irregular exchange, probably not even a direct exchange, but via middlemen (on Cyprus, in the Levant etc.). In this paper, data on the import of Mycenaean stirrup jars -generally regarded as containers for olive oil- in Egypt and the presence of the olive (oil) in Egypt are presented. Both archaeological and paleobotanical data are examined. The aim of the paper is to stimulate new thought on the possibility that contact, or rather, exchange, between Egypt and the Greek mainland was more than an irregular phenomenon and was instead highly organized, involving the active engagement of the ruling elite at Mycenae and the Pharaonic court. At the same time, it will be demonstrated that olives or olive oil were of importance in this Late Bronze Age interstate contact.
spellingShingle Kelder, J
Royal Gift Exchange between Mycenae and Egypt: Olives as "Greeting Gifts" in the Late Bronze Age Eastern Mediterranean
title Royal Gift Exchange between Mycenae and Egypt: Olives as "Greeting Gifts" in the Late Bronze Age Eastern Mediterranean
title_full Royal Gift Exchange between Mycenae and Egypt: Olives as "Greeting Gifts" in the Late Bronze Age Eastern Mediterranean
title_fullStr Royal Gift Exchange between Mycenae and Egypt: Olives as "Greeting Gifts" in the Late Bronze Age Eastern Mediterranean
title_full_unstemmed Royal Gift Exchange between Mycenae and Egypt: Olives as "Greeting Gifts" in the Late Bronze Age Eastern Mediterranean
title_short Royal Gift Exchange between Mycenae and Egypt: Olives as "Greeting Gifts" in the Late Bronze Age Eastern Mediterranean
title_sort royal gift exchange between mycenae and egypt olives as greeting gifts in the late bronze age eastern mediterranean
work_keys_str_mv AT kelderj royalgiftexchangebetweenmycenaeandegyptolivesasgreetinggiftsinthelatebronzeageeasternmediterranean