In recent years the obscure king Hotepibre of the Thirteenth Dynasty in Egypt, who ruled ca. 1790 B.C., has gained some attention in the literature. It has been suggested that the king was of Asiatic extraction, that he may have ruled from Avaris, and that he maintained relations with Ebla. This article argues that both the supposed Asiatic origin and the relation to Avaris are based on false assumptions, and that the supposed contact with Ebla rests on very meager evidence.

Until recently the material culture of Syria and Lebanon in the years between ca. 700 and 300 B.C. was one of the most obscure topics in Near Eastern archaeology. While the general outline of the history of events over these centuries is known to some extent, there have been only a few studies on the local material culture, the pottery, and small finds. Although a number of studies on isolated groups of finds, such as metalwork, seals, or coins, have been published, there is still no comprehensive archaeological study about this period like Ephraim Stern's Material Culture of the Land of the Bible in the Persian Period 538-332 B.C. (1982). As a step toward providing such a study, this article outlines the local pottery development of late Iron Age and Persian period Syria and Lebanon as well as its distribution patterns and the historical and economic implications that result from these observations.

Four bronze artifacts were found at Mispe Yamim, a sacred site on a mountain peak in the Upper Galilee. Thefind spot was close to a temple that was built in the Persian period and continued as an open air sanctuary in the Hellenistic period. The bronze pieces are a situla bearing Egyptian motifs and inscriptions and a Phoenician votive inscription to Astarte by 'akbor son of bod 'esmun; an Apis bull typical in stance and attributes except for unusual "winged scarabs" on its back; a recumbent ram, almost certainly a weight and probably from the Persian period; and a prancing lion cub that originally was an accessory, probably a handle, of a larger vessel, unusual in form and probably made locally. The bronzes were probably votive gifts to the temple in the Persian period but the find spot and the smashing of the Apis bull and of another figurine of an Egyptian deity found at the site suggest a connection to thefinal stage of the cultic center and probably to desecration by Hasmonean capturers of the site.

Three silver jewelry hoards dated to the seventh century B.C.E. were found at Tel Mique-Ekron during the 1985, 1988, and 1992 excavation seasons. These hoards are important for three reasons. First, no other local late Iron Age jewelry collection is as securely dated as the Ekron hoards, which make them a basis for evaluating other, less securely dated jewelryfinds from thefirst millennium B.C.E. Second, the contents of the hoards and the context in which they were found can help to define their function. The 1985 and 1988 hoards are composed primarily of broken or damaged silver jewelry along with cut silver (Hacksilber) pieces, while the 1992 cache contains mostly intact jewelry items. A study of the composition and character of these collections suggests that the 1985 and /988 hoards were probably currency hoards, while the 1992 cache may have been a jeweler's inventory or a private hoard of valuable objects. Finally, such a large and securely dated collection of silver jewelry is of great importance for understanding the late Iron Age jeweler's craft and the cultural influences prevalent at Tel Miqne-Ekron during the seventh century B.C.E. The style of the silverwork shows strong Phoenician influence, while a few pieces also exhibit Neo-Assyrian characteristics.

Until recently, Mandaic incantations were known only from lead rolls, earthenware bowls, or paper. The existence of an incantation incised on a gold sheet is a novelty. The amulet itself is a tiny sheet inscribed in a varying Mandaic script on both sides with an incantation against infertility, and against problems during pregnancy and birth, a topic of relevance hardly ever attested in Aramaic incantation texts of Late Antiquity. Of further interest is the occurrence of a heretofore unknown minor Iranian deity, S&dya, among well-known Mesopotamian deities like Nabu, Nirig (Nergal), and Nanay, which are employed in the incantation formula to ban the evil elements.

Josepho Naveh septuagenario dedicate

"It will save you from the way of evil." (Prov 2:12)