This vase or jar was found inside the tomb of King Ahiram of Byblos famous for the sarcophagus with a Phoenician alphabetic inscription. Since it bears the cartouche of Ramses II on it, this fact introduced a problematic discussion on the origin of the alphabet according to conventional viewpoints. The story of this can be found in the `Ugarit-Ras Shamra and Conventional vs Revised Chronology'.
A similar shape vessel regarded as typical from the Syrian-Lebanese coast between 700 to 580 BC can be seen in Gunnar Lehmann, Trends in the Local Pottery Development of the Late Iron Age and Persian Period in Syria and Lebanon, ca. 700 to 300 BC. in BASOR, No. 311, Aug 1998, p. 18, Item #30. (on file) If the broken of part on the grave vase is a spout instead of a handle may that just be a small variation between a handle and a spout. It seems the general type is attested for the events and time frame we present. But the shape is quite general and by itself no proof.
|
Return to Picture Show