Cypriot pottery sherds were found in the same stratum as the clay jar. The presence of these Cypriot sherds at Dor, dating to the late 11th or early 10th century B.C.E., confirms that the Phoenicians traded with Cyprus—an important fact because the hoard dates to the period commonly known as the Dark Age, when maritime trade and commercial activity had supposedly ceased. Clearly, the Dark Age at Dor didn’t last as long as previously thought.