Article · 1981

Levantine bronzes from the collection of the Rev. William Greenwell, now in the British Museum

T. Watkins

Levant 13(1)

A catalogue of Levantine metalwork from the Rev. William Greenwell's collection in the British Museum, arranged by object type, with an assessment of its recorded provenances.

Watkins presents the Levantine part of the Rev. William Greenwell's collection, now in the Department of Western Asiatic Antiquities of the British Museum, and assesses how far the recorded place-names can be trusted. The article joins a discussion of the collection's acquisition and provenance records to a typological catalogue and an appendix of metal analyses.

Collection history

The collection reached the British Museum in 1908 as part of a larger group of metalwork, and Watkins identifies its Levantine material as concentrated in Cypriot hook-tang weapons and south Levantine Middle Bronze Age axes and daggers. Watkins weighs a possible acquisition through British dealers against the information in Greenwell's labels and the Museum's records, and distinguishes locations that may have been places of purchase from claimed archaeological provenances. Many of the place-names, he argues, should be treated with caution. He finds the Cypriot hook-tang weapons attributed to south Levantine locations especially problematic and concludes that those attributions are spurious, while leaving open that some other recorded locations may reflect genuine find areas. He also considers possible connections between the Kefrmalik axes and cemeteries near Ain Samiya (pp. 120–124).

The catalogue

Objects are grouped by type: hook-tang weapons, socketed spearheads, arrowheads, daggers, battle-axes and miscellaneous objects. Entries give British Museum accession numbers and serial numbers, illustrations, measurements, attributed provenance, descriptions and commentary, with Greenwell's own WG numbers added where known. Unusual items include a spearhead assembled from iron components and an unfinished hook-tang weapon. The appendix reports X-ray fluorescent analyses by Hugh McKerrell, expressed as ranges for selected elements (pp. 124–154).

Dating

Watkins uses Middle Bronze I (MB I) for a southern Levantine period also called EB IV, Intermediate Early Bronze–Middle Bronze, or Intermediate Bronze. He dates the Cypriot hook-tang weapons across Early Cypriot and Middle Cypriot phases into Late Cypriot I, and assigns the daggers and axes discussed mainly to MB I and MB II.

What it records

Watkins argues that the Cypriot hook-tang weapons in the collection were not made in the south Levant.p. 121
Of the 22 Cypriot hook-tang weapons attributed to Levantine contexts, 21 occur in Greenwell's collection.p. 122
Macalister is recorded as saying that a group of hook-tang weapons labelled as from Gezer did not come from his excavations, and as doubting that they came from any adjacent spot.p. 122
The Greenwell collection reached the British Museum in 1908 and comprised about 2,437 pieces of metalwork, of which about 85 were in the Department of Western Asiatic Antiquities.p. 119
So far as is known, no catalogue or other documentation accompanied the Greenwell collection, although most or all objects had labels.p. 119
The British Museum assigned the abbreviated serial numbers used in the article when the objects were transferred to the Department of Western Asiatic Antiquities in 1937.p. 120
The axes attributed to Kefrmalik are of a type known from the southern Levant and, Watkins suggests, may have come from the Ain Samiya area.p. 150

Where to read

Greenwell’s collection, labels and the assessment of provenance claimspp. 119–124
Cypriot hook-tang weapons and their assigned findspotspp. 124–133
Daggers and Middle Bronze Age typespp. 139–147
Battle-axes, including the Kefrmalik pair and the axe reported from Vanpp. 147–151
Metal analyses and their reported rangesp. 154

A. Hook-tang weapons124
B. Socketed spearheads133
C. Arrowheads135
D. Daggers139
E. Battle-axes147
F. Miscellaneous151
Appendix: Physical analyses of objects listed in the catalogue154
Bibliography154

Objects published here

Unfinished Cypriot hook-tang weapon, British Museum, Department of Western Asiatic Antiquities, Gezer, 1937-5-5,63; WG 885, 63, Fig. 2 (p. 127)
Fenestrated axe, duckbill subtype, British Museum, Department of Western Asiatic Antiquities, Echmim, 1937-5-5(87); WG 845, 87, Fig. 10 (p. 149)
Socketed axe with crouching lion and dogs in relief, British Museum, Department of Western Asiatic Antiquities, Near Van, Armenia, 1937-5-5(86); WG 2266, 86, Fig. 10 (p. 150)
Copper or bronze rings, British Museum, Department of Western Asiatic Antiquities, Jebeil, 1937-5-5,24; WG 847, 24, Fig. 11 (p. 152)

People, places and institutions

People

William Greenwellcollector of the metalwork
Prof. Macalisterquestioned the Gezer provenance claims

Institutions

British Museumholds and records the collection
Department of Western Asiatic Antiquitiesdepartment holding the objects

Places

Gezerclaimed provenance of hook-tang weapons, questioned
Jerusalemattributed provenance for weapons
Gazaclaimed provenance for hook-tang weapons
Ashdodattributed provenance for daggers
Jebaattributed provenance for daggers
Kefrmalikreported provenance of two axes
Ain Samiehnear the possible source area of the axes
Tiberiasattributed provenance for a dagger
Jebeilattributed provenance for metalwork
Zahlehattributed provenance for objects
Vanreported purchase location of an axe

Also named: Dr. J. E. Curtis, Ras Shamra.

Extent pp. 119–155, Figs. 1–12; bibliography pp. 154–155

Defines Middle Bronze I (MB I)

Early Bronze Age Middle Bronze Age Late Bronze Age Metalwork Copper Collecting Museums Technology

Cited on Ancient Cyprus

1 page

Weapons of Bronze Age CyprusCompendium