WOOD REMAINS FROM TEL-NAMI, A MIDDLE BRONZE IIA AND LATE BRONZE IIB PORT, LOCAL EXPLOITATION OF TREES AND LEVANTINE CEDAR TRADE

Thirteen Middle Bronze Age IIa and four Late Bronze Age IIb (ca. 1950- 1750 B. C. and thirteenth century, B. C., respectively) pieces of char coal or water logged wood were found in the recent excavations of Tel Nami, a small port on the coast near Mount Carmel, Israel. These inclu ded Cedrus libani (cedar of Lebanon) (three samples), and local tree s pecies that still grow today bl the vicinity of the site-Pinus halepen sis (Aleppo pine) (one sample), Olea europaea (olive tree) (five sampl es), Quercus calliprinos (kermes oak) (three samples), Quercus ithabur ensis (Mt. Tabor oak) (four samples), and Quercus sp. (one sample). Th e discovery of Cedrus libani in a Middle Bronze Age IIa port is one of the earliest published examples of cedar wood from Israel. Together w ith other artifactual evidence for maritime trade from Tel Nami, this find suggests that a maritime trade in cedar wood existed along the Le vantine coast.