BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

When Canaanites Go Antiquing

How did so much Egyptian art end up at Hazor?

Head of an Old Kingdom Egyptian king from Hazor. Courtesy of the Selz Foundation Hazor Excavations.

We all know that one person who fills their home with a never-ending flow of antiques. Maybe that person is even you. No matter who it is, they are participating in a tradition that is far older than the age of an antique tea set. In his article “Projecting Prestige: Egyptian Statues from Canaanite Hazor,” published in the Winter 2024 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, archaeologist Igor Kreimerman examines one of the oldest cases of antiquing in the ancient world: Egyptian statues that ended up in the Canaanite city of Hazor hundreds of years after they were produced.

Collecting Antiques in Ancient Canaan

Excavations of the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550–1200 BCE) acropolis of the powerful Canaanite city have uncovered more than two dozen fragments of ancient Egyptian statues, ranging from the head of a pharaoh to the front paws of a sphinx. This, in itself, is strange enough, considering Hazor is several hundred miles from Egypt’s Nile Valley. But what makes it stranger is that all of these statues were uncovered in archaeological contexts that postdate their crafting by centuries and, in some cases, nearly a millennium.

How did these objects end up in Hazor, and why? Today, of course, we can simply go antiquing during the weekend, snag a vintage end table, or maybe pick up a Revolutionary War cavalry sword. Maybe you are just looking for a good deal, something to connect you to history, or even a piece to project your prestige to your friends. Whatever our reasons for antiquing today, there is no denying that antiques have become a bustling business. But how would a Canaanite go about antiquing, and what reason would Hazor’s wealthiest residents have to display objects of pharaohs who were long dead and had never ruled over them?

Front paws of Menkaure’s sphinx from Hazor. Courtesy of the Selz Foundation Hazor Excavations.

These are the exact questions that Kreimerman tackles in his article. Looking at a few of these impressive objects and their archaeological context, he suggests two possible stories to answer these questions. “One possibility is that the statues were brought to Hazor shortly after their production—namely during the Old and Middle Kingdoms—and retained their importance for many generations, surviving the city’s many changes.” After examining the pros and cons of this theory, he turns to the second, that the statues were sent to Hazor centuries after they were made.

Map of Late Bronze Age Levant, with Hazor marked at the top right. Courtesy BAS.

Of course, there is also a third question when it comes to these two dozen statue fragments found at Hazor. Why are none of them whole? Bearing chisel marks and having been moved from their original locations, these statues were clearly destroyed on purpose, likely by the same people who destroyed the city at the end of the Bronze Age.

While the inhabitants of Canaanite Hazor are no longer around to give us answers to these questions, history and archaeology supply us with some clues. Read the full article “Projecting Prestige: Egyptian Statues from Canaanite Hazor,” in the Winter 2024 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, to find out for yourself!

Subscribers: Read the full article “Projecting Prestige: Egyptian Statues from Canaanite Hazor,” by Igor Kreimerman, in the Winter 2024 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review.

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Related reading in Bible History Daily

Just How Big Is the Antiquities Trade?

Who Lived at Hazor?

The Ancient People of Tel Hazor

Canaanite Burial Customs—Pour One Out for the Departed

All-Access members, read more in the BAS Library

A Workable Proposal to Regulate Antiquities Trade

Who Lived at Hazor?

Who Destroyed Canaanite Hazor?

Excavating Hazor, Part One: Solomon’s City Rises from the Ashes

Excavating Hazor, Part Two: Did the Israelites Destroy the Canaanite City?