“Death sets a thing significant”: Funerary Palaces of the Middle Bronze Age Southern Levant

Abstract

Debate has surrounded the south Levantine Middle Bronze Age (MBA) Courtyard Palace form since their first discovery in the early 20th century. Traditional views of the MBA Courtyard Palace were seen through the lens of renewed urban life at the beginning of the MBA, and these monumental constructions were interpreted as central administrative and redistributive institutions. In line with these views, it was assumed that ruling elites would have used them to reflect and express power and authority, hence their designation as ‘palaces’.

This thesis focusses on re-analysing the architectural and material remains of Courtyard Palaces at several well-known and important southern Levantine sites to help inform on the function of these structures. From this study, the results are challenging the traditional views of these palatial structures, with investigations revealing an absence of administrative and storage paraphernalia from within the structures, and instead an abundance of burials and other materials arguably to be associated with funerary rituals.

This thesis will highlight a consistent association of the Courtyard Palaces with funerary practices, suggesting in turn that MBA Courtyard Palaces may better be seen as monumental elite Funerary Palaces, and not as administrative palaces. These buildings would have functioned as the houses of the deceased elite/royal ancestors and curated the royal funerary cult. This thesis will also look to try determine the origin of this architectural and cultic tradition, with the closest comparison so far found in the northern Levant at Ebla.

If the argument for a funerary function to these structures can be sustained and a northern origin to these structures demonstrated, this research will have major ramifications for MBA rulership, social complexity and elite funerary customs, as well as generating new perspective on MBA monumentality in general.