New insight into Canaanite mortuary practices through organic residue analysis of ceramic funerary gifts associated with anthropoid coffin at Tel Shaddud (Jezreel Valley, Israel) ca. 1200-1100 BCE

This study presents the results of organic residue analysis (ORA) of ceramic vessels recovered from a local anthropoid coffin and associated pit burials dating to the Late Bronze Age III (ca. 1200–1100 BCE) at Tel Shaddud in the Jezreel Valley, Israel. Using gas chromatography–flame ionization detection (GC-FID) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), a range of lipid compounds was detected, including saturated and unsaturated fatty acids and, in some cases, long-chain n-alkanes. Preservation varied across the assemblage, and several vessels yielded only low-abundance or non-diagnostic lipid profiles. Four vessels, TS-04 (storage jar), TS-06 (stirrup jar), TS-08 (bowl), and TS-09 (chalice), exhibited fatty-acid distributions enriched in medium-chain components, particularly lauric (C₁₂) and myristic (C₁₄) acids, consistent with palm-derived oils and compatible with palm kernel oil. Within the context of an Egyptian-style anthropoid coffin used for a locally derived individual, these findings offer new insight into Canaanite mortuary practices in the Southern Levant and suggest that palm-derived oils formed part of funerary provisioning and reflect access to agricultural products circulating through regional exchange networks under Egyptian imperial administration. Additionally, these findings reveal a notable influence and appropriation of Egyptian mortuary customs within local Canaanite traditions, indicating a more pronounced cultural interaction than previously recognized. The results highlight both the interpretive potential and the analytical limits of ORA in mortuary contexts and underscore the importance of cautious, context-driven interpretation when working with degraded lipid residues.