Jericho And Egypt during The Early Bronze Age: Some evidence of trade and cultural interaction

Italian-Palestinian excavations at Tell es-Sultan have illustrated the growth of Jericho as a city in the Bronze Age, defended by impressive fortifications and the seat of a palace controlling a wide verdant oasis and international trade routes. Since the Early Bronze Age, Jericho established good relationships with Egypt, exchanging goods and importing precious items, often used as status symbols, as the most recent finds at Tell es-Sultan help to illustrate. Its location at an important crossroads of southern Palestine, its resemblance to other Egyptian oases, and the availability of agricultural products and raw materials from the Dead Sea made it a suitable target for Egyptian expeditions. Was it mentioned in Egyptian sources? Where? The paper offers some suggestions.