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The site of Al Mina in northern Syria was selected for excavation by C. L. Woolley as an adjunct to his work at Alalakh, which aimed to clarify the relationship between Minoan Crete and the Near East. In this respect, Alalakh was more rewarding than Al Mina because no material at the latter site antedated the eighth century B.C.; the shifting course of the Orontes River had caused erosion of part of the mound at Al Mina and by constant silting had obscured the stratigraphy of the site. Despite the fact that it did little to advance Woolley's theories about Minoan interaction with the Near East, the site is crucial for understanding Greek involvement with the Orient in the Iron Age. Al Mina was a port with shops and warehouses dating from the eighth century to the third century B.C., a focal point for Greek traders. In spite of its inhospitable harbour, Al Mina ,ras a centre of Greek commercial activities perhaps because the Phoenicians controlled the best natural harbours on the Levantine coast.!
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