Dynamics and internationalism during the Late Bronze Age: circulation of raw materials and production between the Western Basin of the Indian Ocean and the southern Levant

Abstract

Although rather distant from the Western Indian Ocean basin, Southern Levant can be considered fairly included into trading dynamics regulating the movement and use of exotic goods, especially luxury raw materials, frequently representing the final destination for this kind of items.During the Late Bronze Age, Southern Levantine jewelry enumerates a wide eclectic group of differentiated artifacts, witnessing a remarkable level of artistic talent and technical expertise. The most part of the products is manufactured in gold and silver, using the decorative shares of precious and semiprecious stones originating from eastern Africa and the Indus Valley.The wealth of jewelry’s arts, and in particular the large use of stones, has given rise to a number of hypothesis that will be briefly discussed in the paper, analyzing raw materials’ origins, finished products’ archaeological contexts, and specialized production of personal ornaments, with particular attention to the actors and the ultimate goal of their production.