Midianite (Qurayyah) Painted Ware
Colorful pottery of the Midianites, found from Arabia to Timna
Found 1968 — Peter J. Parr, G. Lankester Harding and John Dayton (survey of Qurayyah, 1968; published 1970); the ware had already been recognised at Timna by Beno Rothenberg (Hathor shrine, excavated from 1969)
Where Qurayyah (Hejaz) and Timna; also Tell el-Kheleifeh, Amman and Hazor (Saudi Arabia)
Dates from c. 1300–1100 BCE · Late Bronze Age IIB–Iron Age I · Wilderness and Judges (Midianites)
Now at Eretz Israel Museum, Tel Aviv; Israel Museum; National Museum, Riyadh
How Midianite (Qurayyah) Painted Ware was found
A British survey of Qurayyah in northwest Arabia found a large walled town with kilns producing this ware; Rothenberg's Timna excavations showed the same pottery at the Hathor shrine and smelting camps.
What it is
Handmade bowls and jugs of pale clay painted in red, brown and black with birds, ostriches, human figures and geometric bands. Chemical analysis ties the clay to the Hejaz region around Qurayyah, ancient Midian.
Why it matters for the Bible
This pottery is the fingerprint of the Midianites. Its spread from northwest Arabia up through Timna and the Aravah to Transjordan matches the Bible's picture of Midianite herders and traders ranging from their homeland to the borders of Israel. It places a real Midianite material culture in the 13th–12th centuries, the time of Moshe's stay in Midian and of Gideon's war.
The Hebrew word: mid-yah-NEE
מִדְיָנִי
מִדְיָנִי is pronounced mid-yah-NEE and means Midianite (Strong's H4084).
People this discovery connects to
- Zipporah — צִפֹּרָה (tsip-poh-RAH) — bird
- Gideon — גִּדְעוֹן (gid-OHN) — hewer
Places
- Midian — מִדְיָן (mid-YAHN) — strife
Events
Moshe in Midian · Midianite caravans and raids
Midianite (Qurayyah) Painted Ware in Scripture
Genesis 25:2 First mention of Midian in Scripture.
Exodus 2:15-16 Moshe flees to Midian; Qurayyah ware shows where and how the Midianites lived in this era.
Judges 6:1-3 Midianites raiding Israel; the pottery traces Midianite movement far north of Arabia.
Questions people ask
What is Midianite (Qurayyah) Painted Ware?
Handmade bowls and jugs of pale clay painted in red, brown and black with birds, ostriches, human figures and geometric bands. Chemical analysis ties the clay to the Hejaz region around Qurayyah, ancient Midian.
When was Midianite (Qurayyah) Painted Ware discovered?
It was found in 1968 by Peter J. Parr, G. Lankester Harding and John Dayton (survey of Qurayyah, 1968; published 1970); the ware had already been recognised at Timna by Beno Rothenberg (Hathor shrine, excavated from 1969), at Qurayyah (Hejaz) and Timna; also Tell el-Kheleifeh, Amman and Hazor.
Where is Midianite (Qurayyah) Painted Ware today?
Eretz Israel Museum, Tel Aviv; Israel Museum; National Museum, Riyadh.
Which Bible verses does Midianite (Qurayyah) Painted Ware relate to?
Genesis 25:2, Exodus 2:15-16, Judges 6:1-3.
Related discoveries
- בָּמָהThe 'Bull Site' and Bronze Bull FigurineA hilltop shrine in Manasseh with a small bronze bull
- נְחֹשֶׁתTimna Valley Copper MinesEgyptian-run mines in the Aravah, later worked by Edomite and Midianite smelters
- מִדְיָןJabal al-Lawz: The Official Archaeology and the 2019 OpeningWhat Saudi surveys actually found, and how the fenced site became a tour stop
- מִשְׁכָּןTimna Hathor Shrine and Midianite Tent SanctuaryAn Egyptian temple turned into a tent shrine with a copper serpent
- פְּלֶשֶׁתPhilistine Bichrome PotteryRed-and-black painted ware that maps where the Philistines lived
- גֹּשֶׁןTell el-Yahudiya ('Mound of the Jews')A Delta site with a Hyksos-era rampart and, much later, a Jewish temple
Sources
- Parr, Harding & Dayton, 'Preliminary Survey in N.W. Arabia, 1968', Bulletin of the Institute of Archaeology 8–9 (1970)
- Wikipedia: Qurayyah
- Ancient Arabia dictionary, 'Qurayyah' (Parr survey 1968; QPW formerly 'Midianite pottery')
- Eretz Israel Museum, Nehushtan Pavilion (Qurayyah painted ware from Timna on display)