- The Institute of Archaeology
Martin (Szusz) Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology
Bar-Ilan University
Ramat-Gan 52900
Israel
email: avraham.faust@biu.ac.il
Avraham Faust
Bar-Ilan University, General History, Faculty Member
- Anthropology, Archaeology, Material Culture Studies, Archaeological Method & Theory, Near Eastern Archaeology, Historical Archaeology, and 78 moreBiblical Studies, Hebrew Bible, Ancient economies (Archaeology), Biblical Archaeology, Household Archaeology, Levantine Archaeology, Mediterranean archaeology, History (Archaeology), Archaeology of ethnicity, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Survey (Archaeological Method & Theory), Empires, Assyrian Empire, Archaeology of Colonialisms, Archaeology of Empires, Jerusalem Archaeology, Land of Israel Studies, Ancient Trade & Commerce (Archaeology), Phoenicians, Landscape Archaeology, Funerary Archaeology, Archaeology of Religion, Social Archaeology, Archaeology of Class, Experimental Archaeology, Archaeological Site Formation Processes, Identity (Culture), Archaeology of Identity, Philistines, Archaeology of States, The archaeology of state formation, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, Archaeology of Colonialism, Iron Age, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Theoretical Archaeology, Ancient Near East, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, African Archaeology, Ethnoarchaeology, Sea Peoples, Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Frontier Studies, State Formation, Early State Formation, Rural Archaeology, Death and Burial (Archaeology), Burial Customs, Taboo, Anthropology of Food, Archaeology of Ritual, Gender Archaeology, Urban archaeology, Ancient Israel, Urbanism (Archaeology), Archaeology of Gender, Environmental Archaeology, Archaeological survey, Geoarchaeology, Archaeological field survey, Phoenician trade, Archaeology of food, Burial Practices (Archaeology), Archaeology of death and burial, Archaeology of Ritual and Magic, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Old Testament, Neo-Assyrian studies, Sacrifice (Anthropology Of Religion), Achaemenid archaeology, Persian Empire, Imperial Infrastructure (Archaeology), Mortuary archaeology, Ancient Warfare, Cosmology (Anthropology), Pottery (Archaeology), Neo Assyrian archaeology, and Archaeology of Architecture(Biblical Studies, Hebrew Bible, Ancient economies (Archaeology), Biblical Archaeology, Household Archaeology, Levantine Archaeology, Mediterranean archaeology, History (Archaeology), Archaeology of ethnicity, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Survey (Archaeological Method & Theory), Empires, Assyrian Empire, Archaeology of Colonialisms, Archaeology of Empires, Jerusalem Archaeology, Land of Israel Studies, Ancient Trade & Commerce (Archaeology), Phoenicians, Landscape Archaeology, Funerary Archaeology, Archaeology of Religion, Social Archaeology, Archaeology of Class, Experimental Archaeology, Archaeological Site Formation Processes, Identity (Culture), Archaeology of Identity, Philistines, Archaeology of States, The archaeology of state formation, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, Archaeology of Colonialism, Iron Age, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Theoretical Archaeology, Ancient Near East, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, African Archaeology, Ethnoarchaeology, Sea Peoples, Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Frontier Studies, State Formation, Early State Formation, Rural Archaeology, Death and Burial (Archaeology), Burial Customs, Taboo, Anthropology of Food, Archaeology of Ritual, Gender Archaeology, Urban archaeology, Ancient Israel, Urbanism (Archaeology), Archaeology of Gender, Environmental Archaeology, Archaeological survey, Geoarchaeology, Archaeological field survey, Phoenician trade, Archaeology of food, Burial Practices (Archaeology), Archaeology of death and burial, Archaeology of Ritual and Magic, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Old Testament, Neo-Assyrian studies, Sacrifice (Anthropology Of Religion), Achaemenid archaeology, Persian Empire, Imperial Infrastructure (Archaeology), Mortuary archaeology, Ancient Warfare, Cosmology (Anthropology), Pottery (Archaeology), Neo Assyrian archaeology, and Archaeology of Architecture)edit
- I am Prof. of archaeology at the department of General History, Bar-Ilan University. I received my degrees from Bar-... moreI am Prof. of archaeology at the department of General History, Bar-Ilan University.
I received my degrees from Bar-Ilan University (PhD, 2000), and studied also at the University of Oxford (visiting graduate student, 1997/8) and Harvard University (post-doc, 2002). In 2008 I was Kennedy Leigh fellow at the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, and in 2012/2013 I taught at the department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University as a Visiting Professor.
My research interests include the archaeology of the Land of Israel in the Bronze and Iron Ages (biblical archaeology), especially from social and anthropological perspectives, as well as aspects of settlement archaeology, urban-rural interaction, socio-economic stratification, ethnicity, processes of social complexity, and excavations and survey methods and methodology.
I participated in a number of excavations and surveys in Israel and abroad. In the years 1997-2003 I directed (with Adi Erlich) the excavations at the small rural site of Kh. er-Rasm in the Shephelah (Israel), and from 2006 I am directing the excavations at Tel 'Eton (Israel) and the survey in its surrounding.
I authored many books and articles covering various aspects of Israel's archaeology from the Early Bronze Age to the Byzantine period, with a special focus on Iron Age society.
Among the books I authored are the following:
• Israelite Society in the Period of the Monarchy: An Archaeological Perspective (Jerusalem: Yad Ben Zvi, 2005 [in Hebrew]);
• Israel's Ethnogenesis: Settlement, Interaction, Expansion and Resistance (London: Equinox, 2006; the book won three book prizes: the Irene Levi Sala Prize for books on the Archaeology of Israel, the ASOR's G.E. Wright Book Award and the Biblical Archaeology Society Publication Award);
• The Excavations at Kh. er-Rasm: The Changing Faces of the Countryside (Oxford: Archaeopress, 2011) (with Adi Erlich);
• The Archaeology of the Israelite Society in the Iron Age II (Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 2012);
• Judah in the Neo-Babylonian Period: The Archaeology of Desolation (Atlanta: The Society of Biblical Literature; 2012);
• The Settlement History of Ancient Israel: A Quantitative Analysis (Ramat Gan: Rennert Center for Jerusalem Studies, 2015 [in Hebrew]) (with Zeev Safrai).(I am Prof. of archaeology at the department of General History, Bar-Ilan University.<br /><br />I received my degrees from Bar-Ilan University (PhD, 2000), and studied also at the University of Oxford (visiting graduate student, 1997/8) and Harvard University (post-doc, 2002). In 2008 I was Kennedy Leigh fellow at the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, and in 2012/2013 I taught at the department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University as a Visiting Professor. <br /><br />My research interests include the archaeology of the Land of Israel in the Bronze and Iron Ages (biblical archaeology), especially from social and anthropological perspectives, as well as aspects of settlement archaeology, urban-rural interaction, socio-economic stratification, ethnicity, processes of social complexity, and excavations and survey methods and methodology. <br /><br />I participated in a number of excavations and surveys in Israel and abroad. In the years 1997-2003 I directed (with Adi Erlich) the excavations at the small rural site of Kh. er-Rasm in the Shephelah (Israel), and from 2006 I am directing the excavations at Tel 'Eton (Israel) and the survey in its surrounding.<br /><br />I authored many books and articles covering various aspects of Israel's archaeology from the Early Bronze Age to the Byzantine period, with a special focus on Iron Age society. <br />Among the books I authored are the following:<br />• Israelite Society in the Period of the Monarchy: An Archaeological Perspective (Jerusalem: Yad Ben Zvi, 2005 [in Hebrew]); <br />• Israel's Ethnogenesis: Settlement, Interaction, Expansion and Resistance (London: Equinox, 2006; the book won three book prizes: the Irene Levi Sala Prize for books on the Archaeology of Israel, the ASOR's G.E. Wright Book Award and the Biblical Archaeology Society Publication Award); <br />• The Excavations at Kh. er-Rasm: The Changing Faces of the Countryside (Oxford: Archaeopress, 2011) (with Adi Erlich); <br />• The Archaeology of the Israelite Society in the Iron Age II (Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 2012); <br />• Judah in the Neo-Babylonian Period: The Archaeology of Desolation (Atlanta: The Society of Biblical Literature; 2012); <br />• The Settlement History of Ancient Israel: A Quantitative Analysis (Ramat Gan: Rennert Center for Jerusalem Studies, 2015 [in Hebrew]) (with Zeev Safrai).)edit
The Neo-Assyrian empire-the first large empire of the ancient world-has attracted a great deal of public attention ever since the spectacular discoveries of its impressive remains in the 19th century. The southwestern part of this empire,... more
The Neo-Assyrian empire-the first large empire of the ancient world-has attracted a great deal of public attention ever since the spectacular discoveries of its impressive remains in the 19th century. The southwestern part of this empire, located in the lands of the Bible, is archaeologically speaking the best known region in the world, and its history is described in a plethora of texts, including the Hebrew Bible. Avraham Faust utilises this unparalleled information to reconstruct the outcomes of the Assyrian conquest of the region and how it impacted the diverse political units and ecological zones that comprised it.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Levantine Archaeology, Hebrew Bible, and 13 moreEmpires, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Ancient Near East, Empire, Assyrian archaeology, Archaeology of Empires, Assyrian Empire, History and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Imperialism, Ancient Israel, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, and Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
Research Interests:
The emergence of Israel in Canaan is perhaps the most debated topic in biblical/Syro-Palestinian archaeology, and related fields. Accordingly, it has received a great deal of attention in recent years, both in scholarly literature and in... more
The emergence of Israel in Canaan is perhaps the most debated topic in biblical/Syro-Palestinian archaeology, and related fields. Accordingly, it has received a great deal of attention in recent years, both in scholarly literature and in popular publications.
Generally speaking, however, the archaeology of ancient Israel is wedged in a paradoxical situation. Despite the large existing database of archaeological finds (from thousands of excavations conducted over an extremely limited area) scholars in this (sub)discipline typically do not engage in “theoretical” (anthropological) discussions, thus exposing a large gap between it and other branches of archaeology, in this respect. Numerous ‘archaeologically oriented’ studies of Israelite ethnicity are still conducted largely in the spirit of the ‘culture history school’, and are absent of thorough reference to the work of more recent critics, which, at best, make a selected appearance in these analyses.
Israel’s Ethnogenesis provides an “anthropologically-oriented” perspective to the discussion of Israel’s ethnogenesis. The book traces Israel's emergence in Canaan, and the complex processes of ethnic negotiations and re-negotiations that accompanied it. This monograph incorporates detailed archaeological data and relevant textual sources, within an anthropological framework. Moreover, it contributes to the ‘archaeology of ethnicity’, a field which currently attracts significant attention of archaeologists and anthropologists all over the world. Making use of an unparalleled archaeological database from ancient Israel, this volume has much to offer to the ongoing debate over the nature of ethnicity in general, and to the understudied question of how ethnic groups evolve (ethnogenesis), in particular.
Generally speaking, however, the archaeology of ancient Israel is wedged in a paradoxical situation. Despite the large existing database of archaeological finds (from thousands of excavations conducted over an extremely limited area) scholars in this (sub)discipline typically do not engage in “theoretical” (anthropological) discussions, thus exposing a large gap between it and other branches of archaeology, in this respect. Numerous ‘archaeologically oriented’ studies of Israelite ethnicity are still conducted largely in the spirit of the ‘culture history school’, and are absent of thorough reference to the work of more recent critics, which, at best, make a selected appearance in these analyses.
Israel’s Ethnogenesis provides an “anthropologically-oriented” perspective to the discussion of Israel’s ethnogenesis. The book traces Israel's emergence in Canaan, and the complex processes of ethnic negotiations and re-negotiations that accompanied it. This monograph incorporates detailed archaeological data and relevant textual sources, within an anthropological framework. Moreover, it contributes to the ‘archaeology of ethnicity’, a field which currently attracts significant attention of archaeologists and anthropologists all over the world. Making use of an unparalleled archaeological database from ancient Israel, this volume has much to offer to the ongoing debate over the nature of ethnicity in general, and to the understudied question of how ethnic groups evolve (ethnogenesis), in particular.
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Theology, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Levantine Archaeology, and 12 moreBiblical Studies, Old Testament, Second Temple Judaism, Biblical Archaeology, Mediterranean archaeology, Assyrian Empire, Neo-Assyrian studies, Iron Age, Neo-Babylonian period, Archaeology of destruction, Jerusalem Archaeology, and Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
Research Interests:
"Kh. er-Rasm is a small site in the upper Shephelah (lowlands), about 1 km south-southwest of Tel ‘Azekah. The site was excavated and surveyed in the years 1997–2003. The remains include mainly a concentration of ruins on top of the hill,... more
"Kh. er-Rasm is a small site in the upper Shephelah (lowlands), about 1 km south-southwest of Tel ‘Azekah. The site was excavated and surveyed in the years 1997–2003. The remains include mainly a concentration of ruins on top of the hill, where many walls were visible before the beginning of the excavations, including a row of still standing monoliths. This concentration is surrounded with remains of additional walls, a heap of stones, terraces and caves of various sorts. The site is small and rural in nature, and is not identified with any known historical sites, and this was in part the reason for its exploration.
Kh. er-Rasm was first settled during the Chalcolithic period, but remains from this period are meagre. The site was then resettled during the late Iron Age I and/or early Iron Age II, but these remains are also very poor, and do not include any architecture (perhaps one wall). More significant remains were dated to the late Iron Age II, and some finds are attributed to the Persian period, but the main period of occupation at the site dates from the early Hellenistic period up to the late second century BCE. The vast majority of the finds at Kh. er-Rasm are dated to the late second century BCE, as this is the time when the site was destroyed, and this is the period for which we have the most data. It appears that the Hellenistic period site served, initially, as a center as of an estate, and was apparently later transformed into an inn. This was apparently an Idumaean site, which was destroyed by the Hasmoneans during the conquest of Idumaea. Some reoccupation took place in the Early Roman period, and from then on the site was abandoned and was used by farmers and herders. During the early years of the State of Israel the site was used as a firing zone, and later on was turned into part of the British Park, where the site is located today.
"
Kh. er-Rasm was first settled during the Chalcolithic period, but remains from this period are meagre. The site was then resettled during the late Iron Age I and/or early Iron Age II, but these remains are also very poor, and do not include any architecture (perhaps one wall). More significant remains were dated to the late Iron Age II, and some finds are attributed to the Persian period, but the main period of occupation at the site dates from the early Hellenistic period up to the late second century BCE. The vast majority of the finds at Kh. er-Rasm are dated to the late second century BCE, as this is the time when the site was destroyed, and this is the period for which we have the most data. It appears that the Hellenistic period site served, initially, as a center as of an estate, and was apparently later transformed into an inn. This was apparently an Idumaean site, which was destroyed by the Hasmoneans during the conquest of Idumaea. Some reoccupation took place in the Early Roman period, and from then on the site was abandoned and was used by farmers and herders. During the early years of the State of Israel the site was used as a firing zone, and later on was turned into part of the British Park, where the site is located today.
"
Research Interests:
This book constitutes a unique attempt to write a quantitative history of settlement in ancient Israel, from the fourth millennium BCE to the end of the Byzantine period (briefly addressing later periods). The analysis in the book is... more
This book constitutes a unique attempt to write a quantitative history of settlement in ancient Israel, from the fourth millennium BCE to the end of the Byzantine period (briefly addressing later periods). The analysis in the book is based on two datasets, one of published salvage excavations and the other of published large-scale excavations (as presented in The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land). The first is strongly biased toward small, rural sites (a form of settlement that is greatly underrepresented in traditional "histories") while the other is of course biased toward large, urban sites. Taken together, the two datasets represent both the rural and urban sector. Notably, the datasets are not meant to be comprehensive and to cover all sites, but rather representative, allowing us to understand settlement processes, and to identify differences between regions, trends in urban and rural settlement across time, patterns of settlement continuity and discontinuity (across the country and in the various sub-regions), the "visibility" of burials in the archaeological record across time and regions, and much more.
Large parts of the book are devoted to methodological discussions, relating both to the advantages and limitations of the datasets, and the ways in which they can be used (and how they cannot be used!), as well as what methodological lessons can be learnt from the research, for example about the reliability of different types of data such as surveys, when their results are compared with those of salvage excavations. The majority of the book comprises an attempt to reconstruct the settlement history of ancient Israel and its various sub-regions. Many of the discussions in the book are preliminary in nature, and present the initial results of the research and a brief analysis of the patterns observed. It is hoped that the book will encourage more research in general, as well as influence it, leading to more in depth research on the history of settlement in ancient Israel and to the furthering of a more quantitative study of the archaeological evidence and to a more systematic utilization of the vast amount of archaeological information at our disposal, which is unparalleled in any other region of the world.
Large parts of the book are devoted to methodological discussions, relating both to the advantages and limitations of the datasets, and the ways in which they can be used (and how they cannot be used!), as well as what methodological lessons can be learnt from the research, for example about the reliability of different types of data such as surveys, when their results are compared with those of salvage excavations. The majority of the book comprises an attempt to reconstruct the settlement history of ancient Israel and its various sub-regions. Many of the discussions in the book are preliminary in nature, and present the initial results of the research and a brief analysis of the patterns observed. It is hoped that the book will encourage more research in general, as well as influence it, leading to more in depth research on the history of settlement in ancient Israel and to the furthering of a more quantitative study of the archaeological evidence and to a more systematic utilization of the vast amount of archaeological information at our disposal, which is unparalleled in any other region of the world.
Research Interests: Historical Geography, Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Urban History, Rural History, and 20 moreArchaeology of Ancient Israel, Levantine Archaeology, Settlement Patterns, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Late Bronze Age archaeology, Rescue Archaeology, Burial Practices (Archaeology), Urban archaeology, Hellenistic Roman and Byzantine Archaeology in the Land of Israel, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Land of Israel Studies, Israel, Iron Age, Rural Archaeology, Ancient Israel, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Historical Geography of the land of Israel, Archaeology of the Levant, and Settlement History(Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Levantine Archaeology, Settlement Patterns, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Late Bronze Age archaeology, Rescue Archaeology, Burial Practices (Archaeology), Urban archaeology, Hellenistic Roman and Byzantine Archaeology in the Land of Israel, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Land of Israel Studies, Israel, Iron Age, Rural Archaeology, Ancient Israel, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Historical Geography of the land of Israel, Archaeology of the Levant, and Settlement History)
(Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Levantine Archaeology, Settlement Patterns, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Late Bronze Age archaeology, Rescue Archaeology, Burial Practices (Archaeology), Urban archaeology, Hellenistic Roman and Byzantine Archaeology in the Land of Israel, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Land of Israel Studies, Israel, Iron Age, Rural Archaeology, Ancient Israel, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Historical Geography of the land of Israel, Archaeology of the Levant, and Settlement History)
Jerusalem is probably the most politically sensitive site in the world, so much so that even an archaeological excavation can become the focus of a discussion in the UN Security Council. This was not always the case. Jerusalem's began... more
Jerusalem is probably the most politically sensitive site in the world, so much so that even an archaeological excavation can become the focus of a discussion in the UN Security Council.
This was not always the case.
Jerusalem's began as a tiny and remote village on a low hill near the Gihon spring. From there history took over in a unique fashion, changing and molding the city, each time bringing a little closer to the unique status it eventually possessed. It was a small town in the Bronze Age, became a regional capital in the time of David, grew with the construction of Temple, originally local and regional, and survived the military challenges of the campaign of Sennacherib, king of Assyria, which greatly boosted its religious glory. It was devastated by the Neo-Babylonian army, but by this time its status as a holy city was well-established and from its ashes, the city was restored during the Return to Zion. The Temple was built anew and expanded during Second Temple Period times. It was the city of Jesus, and early Christianity, becoming holy to both Jew and Christian. It became Muslim and was at the heart of fierce battles between Muslim and Christians at the time of the Crusades, which greatly increased its importance. Finally, its establishment as the capital of the modern State of Israel and the on-going developments ever since brought it again to the center of world attention.
As a city that is sacred to all three monotheistic religions, Jerusalem had received much scholarly attention. Still, a growing rate of research and the hundreds of excavations that were carried out in its over the last two decades have significantly changed our understanding of its history in some periods. As a result of the new discoveries, most of the older books are obsolete, and there is no up-to-date book that tells the history of the city.
We seek to fix this. We bring to the readers an updated summary of the history of the city, incorporating the most recent discoveries and scholarly debates, and we do so in a popular and readable manner. Jerusalem: From its Beginning to the Ottoman Conquest presents the history of the city from its beginning to the end of the Mamluk period, while referring to the most recent findings and through the use of many maps and illustrations.
This was not always the case.
Jerusalem's began as a tiny and remote village on a low hill near the Gihon spring. From there history took over in a unique fashion, changing and molding the city, each time bringing a little closer to the unique status it eventually possessed. It was a small town in the Bronze Age, became a regional capital in the time of David, grew with the construction of Temple, originally local and regional, and survived the military challenges of the campaign of Sennacherib, king of Assyria, which greatly boosted its religious glory. It was devastated by the Neo-Babylonian army, but by this time its status as a holy city was well-established and from its ashes, the city was restored during the Return to Zion. The Temple was built anew and expanded during Second Temple Period times. It was the city of Jesus, and early Christianity, becoming holy to both Jew and Christian. It became Muslim and was at the heart of fierce battles between Muslim and Christians at the time of the Crusades, which greatly increased its importance. Finally, its establishment as the capital of the modern State of Israel and the on-going developments ever since brought it again to the center of world attention.
As a city that is sacred to all three monotheistic religions, Jerusalem had received much scholarly attention. Still, a growing rate of research and the hundreds of excavations that were carried out in its over the last two decades have significantly changed our understanding of its history in some periods. As a result of the new discoveries, most of the older books are obsolete, and there is no up-to-date book that tells the history of the city.
We seek to fix this. We bring to the readers an updated summary of the history of the city, incorporating the most recent discoveries and scholarly debates, and we do so in a popular and readable manner. Jerusalem: From its Beginning to the Ottoman Conquest presents the history of the city from its beginning to the end of the Mamluk period, while referring to the most recent findings and through the use of many maps and illustrations.
Research Interests: Religion, Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Jewish Studies, New Testament, and 28 moreArchaeology of Ancient Israel, Levantine Archaeology, Hebrew Bible, Biblical Studies, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Judaism, Quran, Land of Israel Studies, Iron Age, Jerusalem, Roman Period, Religious Studies, Qumran, ancient Israelite religion, Ancient Israel, Biblical Archeology, Fatimid Jerusalem, Jerusalem Archaeology, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, CRUSADER KINGDOM OF JERUSALEM, History of Jerusalem, Archaeology of the Levant, Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, Jerusalem Talmud, Crusader Jerusalem, and Temples of Jerusalem(Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Levantine Archaeology, Hebrew Bible, Biblical Studies, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Judaism, Quran, Land of Israel Studies, Iron Age, Jerusalem, Roman Period, Religious Studies, Qumran, ancient Israelite religion, Ancient Israel, Biblical Archeology, Fatimid Jerusalem, Jerusalem Archaeology, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, CRUSADER KINGDOM OF JERUSALEM, History of Jerusalem, Archaeology of the Levant, Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, Jerusalem Talmud, Crusader Jerusalem, and Temples of Jerusalem)
(Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Levantine Archaeology, Hebrew Bible, Biblical Studies, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Judaism, Quran, Land of Israel Studies, Iron Age, Jerusalem, Roman Period, Religious Studies, Qumran, ancient Israelite religion, Ancient Israel, Biblical Archeology, Fatimid Jerusalem, Jerusalem Archaeology, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, CRUSADER KINGDOM OF JERUSALEM, History of Jerusalem, Archaeology of the Levant, Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, Jerusalem Talmud, Crusader Jerusalem, and Temples of Jerusalem)
The file includes the English abstracts of the articles published in this volume (in Hebrew): David Ussishkin: Was Jerusalem a Fortified Stronghold in the Middle Bronze Age? An Alternative View Amir Feldstein: The Kingdom of Jerusalem in... more
The file includes the English abstracts of the articles published in this volume (in Hebrew):
David Ussishkin: Was Jerusalem a Fortified Stronghold in the Middle Bronze Age? An Alternative View
Amir Feldstein: The Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 'El-Amarna' Period
Yosef Garfinkel and Saar Ganor: Khirbet el Rai: An Iron Age Site in the Judean Shephelah
Shlomo Bunimovitz and Zvi Lederman: A Lost Manuscript, Tomb 1 at Ain Shems and the Earliest Identification of Iron Age IIA in the Shephelah
Ido Koch: Stamp-Amulets from Iron IIA Shephelah: Preliminary Conclusions regarding Production and Distribution, Pictorial Assemblage, and Function
Avraham Faust: Tel ‘Eton and the Colonization of the Shephelah during the Iron Age IIA
Gabriel Barkay and Robert Deutsch: Another Fiscal Bulla from the City of David
Aaron Greener, Gabriel Barkay and Zachi Dvira (Zweig): Iron Age II Figurine Fragments from the Temple Mount Soil
Efrat Bocher and Liora Freud: Persian Period Settlement in the Rural Jerusalem Hinterland
Moran Hagbi: The Strategic importance of Judea and Jerusalem at the 2nd Century BCE - A view from the Fortified Sites
David Gurevich: The Dam Dated to the Hasmonean Period at The Sultan's Pool, Jerusalem
Eyal Regev: How Did the Hasmoneans Build Jewish Collective Identity
Haim Cohen: Distinctive Plaster of Jewish Mikvaoth, Olive and Wine Presses during the Second Temple and the Talmud Period
Zeev Safrai: Dk' lyh
Shimon Gibson and Rafael Lewis: On Determining the Date of Agricultural Terracing Around Jerusalem
Anat Avital: The Representation of Crops and Agricultural Tools in Late Roman and Byzantine Mosaics of Judea and Jerusalem
Bat-Sheva Garsiel: The Description of Jerusalem in Travelers' Books
Shlomo Lotan: The Description of the Fate of Jerusalem and the Crusader Kingdom in the Chronicles of the Roman Emperor Frederick II
Eyal Davidson: Between the Bridge and the Strawberry Tree – The Jewish Cemetery in Jerusalem in the 16th Century
Abraham David: The Travelogue of R. Moses Basola in the Beginning of Ottoman Rule as a Source for the History of Jerusalem and its Jewish Community
David Ussishkin: Was Jerusalem a Fortified Stronghold in the Middle Bronze Age? An Alternative View
Amir Feldstein: The Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 'El-Amarna' Period
Yosef Garfinkel and Saar Ganor: Khirbet el Rai: An Iron Age Site in the Judean Shephelah
Shlomo Bunimovitz and Zvi Lederman: A Lost Manuscript, Tomb 1 at Ain Shems and the Earliest Identification of Iron Age IIA in the Shephelah
Ido Koch: Stamp-Amulets from Iron IIA Shephelah: Preliminary Conclusions regarding Production and Distribution, Pictorial Assemblage, and Function
Avraham Faust: Tel ‘Eton and the Colonization of the Shephelah during the Iron Age IIA
Gabriel Barkay and Robert Deutsch: Another Fiscal Bulla from the City of David
Aaron Greener, Gabriel Barkay and Zachi Dvira (Zweig): Iron Age II Figurine Fragments from the Temple Mount Soil
Efrat Bocher and Liora Freud: Persian Period Settlement in the Rural Jerusalem Hinterland
Moran Hagbi: The Strategic importance of Judea and Jerusalem at the 2nd Century BCE - A view from the Fortified Sites
David Gurevich: The Dam Dated to the Hasmonean Period at The Sultan's Pool, Jerusalem
Eyal Regev: How Did the Hasmoneans Build Jewish Collective Identity
Haim Cohen: Distinctive Plaster of Jewish Mikvaoth, Olive and Wine Presses during the Second Temple and the Talmud Period
Zeev Safrai: Dk' lyh
Shimon Gibson and Rafael Lewis: On Determining the Date of Agricultural Terracing Around Jerusalem
Anat Avital: The Representation of Crops and Agricultural Tools in Late Roman and Byzantine Mosaics of Judea and Jerusalem
Bat-Sheva Garsiel: The Description of Jerusalem in Travelers' Books
Shlomo Lotan: The Description of the Fate of Jerusalem and the Crusader Kingdom in the Chronicles of the Roman Emperor Frederick II
Eyal Davidson: Between the Bridge and the Strawberry Tree – The Jewish Cemetery in Jerusalem in the 16th Century
Abraham David: The Travelogue of R. Moses Basola in the Beginning of Ottoman Rule as a Source for the History of Jerusalem and its Jewish Community
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Historical Archaeology, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Levantine Archaeology, and 10 moreMedieval Archaeology, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Hellenistic Roman and Byzantine Archaeology in the Land of Israel, Land of Israel Studies, Israel, Jerusalem, Ancient Israel, Jerusalem Archaeology, and Roman Archaeology
Research Interests:
The conference was held at Bar-Ilan university in December 16th, 2010. The attached files include the inner cover, table of content and the English abstracts of the Hebrew articles, including the following papers: -Tsvika Tsuk: The... more
The conference was held at Bar-Ilan university in December 16th, 2010.
The attached files include the inner cover, table of content and the English abstracts of the Hebrew articles, including the following papers:
-Tsvika Tsuk: The Water Sources of the First Temple at Jerusalem
-Gershon Galil: King David's First Decade as King of Jerusalem and his Relation with the Philistines in Light of the Qeiyafa Excavation and Inscription
-Moshe Garsiel : The Latent Literary Encounter between Samuel, the Prophet from Shiloh and Ramah, and Nathan, the Prophet of the Jerusalemite Court
-Hillel Geva : The Development of Northern Jerusalem during the Second Temple Period: the Archaeological Evidence and its Significance
-Ram Bouchnick , Guy Bar-Oz, and Ronny Reich : On the Importance of Poultry in the Animal Economy of Judea in the Late Second Temple Period
-Joseph Patrich : The Building Project of Simeon the Just on the Temple Mount: The Literary Sources, Suggested Remains and a Graphical Representation
-Ofer Sion: The Upper Aqueduct of Jerusalem in the Area of Jaffa Gate
-Emmanuel Friedheim : Was There a Meeting between Jewish Monotheism and Polytheism in the Second Temple?
Michael Ben Ari : The Battle of Jerusalem: Destructive Divisiveness or Strategic Coordination: A New Reading of the Writings of Josephus Flavius
-Yehoshua Peleg : The Passover Sacrifice in the Herodian Temple
-Naomi Sidi, Eli Shukron and Ronny Reich: Late Second Temple Period Pottery from the Stepped Street in the Tyropoeon Valley and from the Drain Under It: A Comparative Study
-Boaz Zissu and Amos Kloner: Horvat Midras (Kh. Durusiya): A Reassessment of an Archaeological Site from the Second Temple Period and the Bar-Kokhba Revolt
-Ze'ev Safrai: The Memory of the Temple
-Amos Kloner and Boaz Zissu: A Street Pavement at the Lions Gate Along Lions Gate Street and its Dating to the First Century CE
-Eitan Klein: The Origins of the Rural Settlers in the Judean Mountains and Foothills during the Late Roman Period
-Bat-Sheva Garsiel: The Status of Jerusalem in the Period of the Umayyad and the Abbasid Dynasties (From the mid Seventh to the Ninth Centuries CE)
-Michael Ehrlich: The Ovens of the Holy Sepulchre during the Crusader Period
-Shlomo Lotan: Exploring and Recovering the Concealed Part of the Crusader German Church of Saint Mary in the Heart of the Jewish Quarter in Jerusalem
-Perez Reuven: A Manuscript Fragment in Arabic Written in Hebrew Letters from the Mamluk Period Found at the Al-Aqsa Mosque
-Oded Shay: "Jerusalem is the Washington of Israel": The Journey to Jerusalem of the Zionist Functionary Dr. Otto Abeles, 1925
-Gabriel Barkay: Kathleen Kenyon in Jerusalem – The Excavations which Terminated a Brilliant Career
The attached files include the inner cover, table of content and the English abstracts of the Hebrew articles, including the following papers:
-Tsvika Tsuk: The Water Sources of the First Temple at Jerusalem
-Gershon Galil: King David's First Decade as King of Jerusalem and his Relation with the Philistines in Light of the Qeiyafa Excavation and Inscription
-Moshe Garsiel : The Latent Literary Encounter between Samuel, the Prophet from Shiloh and Ramah, and Nathan, the Prophet of the Jerusalemite Court
-Hillel Geva : The Development of Northern Jerusalem during the Second Temple Period: the Archaeological Evidence and its Significance
-Ram Bouchnick , Guy Bar-Oz, and Ronny Reich : On the Importance of Poultry in the Animal Economy of Judea in the Late Second Temple Period
-Joseph Patrich : The Building Project of Simeon the Just on the Temple Mount: The Literary Sources, Suggested Remains and a Graphical Representation
-Ofer Sion: The Upper Aqueduct of Jerusalem in the Area of Jaffa Gate
-Emmanuel Friedheim : Was There a Meeting between Jewish Monotheism and Polytheism in the Second Temple?
Michael Ben Ari : The Battle of Jerusalem: Destructive Divisiveness or Strategic Coordination: A New Reading of the Writings of Josephus Flavius
-Yehoshua Peleg : The Passover Sacrifice in the Herodian Temple
-Naomi Sidi, Eli Shukron and Ronny Reich: Late Second Temple Period Pottery from the Stepped Street in the Tyropoeon Valley and from the Drain Under It: A Comparative Study
-Boaz Zissu and Amos Kloner: Horvat Midras (Kh. Durusiya): A Reassessment of an Archaeological Site from the Second Temple Period and the Bar-Kokhba Revolt
-Ze'ev Safrai: The Memory of the Temple
-Amos Kloner and Boaz Zissu: A Street Pavement at the Lions Gate Along Lions Gate Street and its Dating to the First Century CE
-Eitan Klein: The Origins of the Rural Settlers in the Judean Mountains and Foothills during the Late Roman Period
-Bat-Sheva Garsiel: The Status of Jerusalem in the Period of the Umayyad and the Abbasid Dynasties (From the mid Seventh to the Ninth Centuries CE)
-Michael Ehrlich: The Ovens of the Holy Sepulchre during the Crusader Period
-Shlomo Lotan: Exploring and Recovering the Concealed Part of the Crusader German Church of Saint Mary in the Heart of the Jewish Quarter in Jerusalem
-Perez Reuven: A Manuscript Fragment in Arabic Written in Hebrew Letters from the Mamluk Period Found at the Al-Aqsa Mosque
-Oded Shay: "Jerusalem is the Washington of Israel": The Journey to Jerusalem of the Zionist Functionary Dr. Otto Abeles, 1925
-Gabriel Barkay: Kathleen Kenyon in Jerusalem – The Excavations which Terminated a Brilliant Career
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Levantine Archaeology, Medieval Archaeology, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, and 8 moreBiblical Archaeology, Hellenistic Roman and Byzantine Archaeology in the Land of Israel, Land of Israel Studies, Jerusalem, Ancient Israel, Jerusalem Archaeology, History of Ancient Israel, and Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
The cemetery that surrounds Tel ‘Eton is one of the largest burial grounds in ancient Israel. Additionally, this burial ground has a unique history. The earliest known caves appear to be dated to the Intermediate Bronze Age, but most of... more
The cemetery that surrounds Tel ‘Eton is one of the largest burial grounds in ancient Israel. Additionally, this burial ground has a unique history. The earliest known caves appear to be dated to the Intermediate Bronze Age, but most of the caves are later, and the evidence suggests that the cemetery was used continuously from the Late Bronze Age to (at least) the 8th century BCE. Since this continuous use covers also the Iron Age I, from which hardly any burials are known in the region, and the Iron IIA, from which only a few burials were discovered, the unique continuity revealed in the Tel ‘Eton cemetery is of great importance to the study of this era at large, and especially for an understanding the unique type of burial that developed in Judah and was popular in the 8th-7th centuries BCE, and is known as the “Judahite Burial”.
The cemetery was first studied as part of a large-scale salvage operation that was carried it in 1968, and a few additional caves were excavated over the years. The Tel ‘Eton expedition is conducting, in addition to the excavations on the mound, a survey in the mound’s immediate vicinity, and took upon itself also to publish previous salvage excavations that were not yet published. The first part of the article briefly presents the cemetery, describe the excavations that were carried out in it over the years, and introduce the results of the current expedition. The paper then analyzes the initial results, summarize the development of the cemetery in time and space, and briefly presents the changes in burial practices over the years, and the connection between the Tel ‘Eton cemetery and the popular Judahite burial of the Iron IIB-C.
The cemetery was first studied as part of a large-scale salvage operation that was carried it in 1968, and a few additional caves were excavated over the years. The Tel ‘Eton expedition is conducting, in addition to the excavations on the mound, a survey in the mound’s immediate vicinity, and took upon itself also to publish previous salvage excavations that were not yet published. The first part of the article briefly presents the cemetery, describe the excavations that were carried out in it over the years, and introduce the results of the current expedition. The paper then analyzes the initial results, summarize the development of the cemetery in time and space, and briefly presents the changes in burial practices over the years, and the connection between the Tel ‘Eton cemetery and the popular Judahite burial of the Iron IIB-C.
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Levantine Archaeology, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, and 9 moreDeath and Burial (Archaeology), Burial Practices (Archaeology), Land of Israel Studies, Mortuary archaeology, Iron Age, Archaeological survey, Cemeteries, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, and Kingdom of Judah
This is the introduction to a special issue of the Jerusalem Journal of Archaeology (JJAR) on Spatial Digital Archaeology and History and Israel. The volume is largely a result of a workshop on digital spatial archaeology conducted in... more
This is the introduction to a special issue of the Jerusalem Journal of Archaeology (JJAR) on Spatial Digital Archaeology and History and Israel.
The volume is largely a result of a workshop on digital spatial archaeology conducted in the National Library of Israel in 2021 in the wake of the establishment of two cutting-edge national knowledge centers for the history and heritage of Jerusalem and its environments (below). Several other spatial projects were invited to participate in the workshop in order to share information and ideas and brainstorm new options and directions. The projects are presented in the various papers.
Table of Contents:
Faust, A., Avni, G. & Altshuler, A., 2023. Spatial Digital Archaeology and History in Israel, pp. 1-6.
Zhitomirsky-Geffet, M. & Krymolowski, Y., 2023. Integrating GIS and Semantic Web Technologies as a Next Step in the Evolution of Spatial Digital Humanities, pp. 7-21.
Faust, A. & Shweka, R., 2023. LISROP: A New Platform for the Spatial Analysis of Massive Archaeological and Historical Information (a Work in Progress), pp. 22-43.
Avni, G. et al., 2023. The Ronnie Ellenblum Jerusalem History Knowledge Center: Conceptual Framework and Implementation, pp. 44-57.
Yoskovich, A. et al., 2023. ALMA Digital Atlas of the Ancient Jewish World: An Introductory Essay, pp. 58-75.
Patrich, J. & Di Segni, L., 2023. A Digital Corpus of Early Christian Churches and Monasteries in the Holy Land: Objectives and Structure, pp. 76-100.
Hysler-Rubin, N., 2023. Digitizing Urban Heritage: The Digitization of Jerusalem’s Architectural Archives, pp. 101-120.
The volume is largely a result of a workshop on digital spatial archaeology conducted in the National Library of Israel in 2021 in the wake of the establishment of two cutting-edge national knowledge centers for the history and heritage of Jerusalem and its environments (below). Several other spatial projects were invited to participate in the workshop in order to share information and ideas and brainstorm new options and directions. The projects are presented in the various papers.
Table of Contents:
Faust, A., Avni, G. & Altshuler, A., 2023. Spatial Digital Archaeology and History in Israel, pp. 1-6.
Zhitomirsky-Geffet, M. & Krymolowski, Y., 2023. Integrating GIS and Semantic Web Technologies as a Next Step in the Evolution of Spatial Digital Humanities, pp. 7-21.
Faust, A. & Shweka, R., 2023. LISROP: A New Platform for the Spatial Analysis of Massive Archaeological and Historical Information (a Work in Progress), pp. 22-43.
Avni, G. et al., 2023. The Ronnie Ellenblum Jerusalem History Knowledge Center: Conceptual Framework and Implementation, pp. 44-57.
Yoskovich, A. et al., 2023. ALMA Digital Atlas of the Ancient Jewish World: An Introductory Essay, pp. 58-75.
Patrich, J. & Di Segni, L., 2023. A Digital Corpus of Early Christian Churches and Monasteries in the Holy Land: Objectives and Structure, pp. 76-100.
Hysler-Rubin, N., 2023. Digitizing Urban Heritage: The Digitization of Jerusalem’s Architectural Archives, pp. 101-120.
Research Interests:
LISROP (Land of Israel Study and Research Online Platform) is an online, bilingual, English-Hebrew, integrative platform (under construction) aiming to allow scholars and interested non-academics to review a vast amount of archaeological... more
LISROP (Land of Israel Study and Research Online Platform) is an online, bilingual, English-Hebrew, integrative platform (under construction) aiming to allow scholars and interested non-academics to review a vast amount of archaeological and historical data from the land of Israel, explore it and dissect in various ways, and then analyze it using sophisticated GIS tools, some of which were specifically developed for the platform. The platform can be used for various types of studies and can be expanded thematically and spatially beyond its current limits by incorporating additional databases and applications and providing information on nature, culture, and heritage, furthering study and research into these areas. The paper briefly presents the project's background, history, development, and current aims. It then describes the platform and its components, including the geographical foundations on which the data is studied, the archaeological and historical data it incorporates, and the various GIS components it includes. The paper then outlines the platform's potential, capacity to advance research on several levels, and expected relevance for non-academics. Toward the end, the paper briefly describes some of the major challenges we encountered in our work and potential avenues for expanding the platform.
Research Interests: Historical Geography, Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Digital Humanities, Digital Archaeology, and 9 moreArchaeology of Ancient Israel, Levantine Archaeology, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Ancient Near East, Land of Israel Studies, Quantitative methods (Archaeology), Ancient Israel, and Computational Archaeology
For most of the Late Bronze Age (ca. 1550-1200/1150 BCE) Canaan comprised part of the Egyptian empire, which controlled it mainly through local clients. During the 13th century BCE the empire tightened its grip over the region, moving to... more
For most of the Late Bronze Age (ca. 1550-1200/1150 BCE) Canaan comprised part of the Egyptian empire, which controlled it mainly through local clients. During the 13th century BCE the empire tightened its grip over the region, moving to a more direct form of control. In the second half of this century, a massive wave of settlement was initiated in the highlands that were mostly outside this direct control. This settlement phenomenon, continuing until the 11th century, had received a great deal of scholarly attention, mainly as part of the debate over the "Israelite settlement". Interestingly, this surge in settlement was one stage in a cyclic process of settlement growth and decline that was typical of the highlands, with earlier – though smaller – peaks in the Early and Middle Bronze Ages. The difference between this and previous settlement waves, however, was not only quantitative but also qualitative, as earlier settlements there formed part of same "culture" as the lowlands, and despite the obvious differences no sharp boundaries were identified between the regions. The settlement surge under discussion, regardless of the population's origins, led to the formation of a different "highland" identity, eventually giving rise to highland kingdoms, transforming the traditional geopolitical composition of the country. Paying more attention to the unique circumstances in which the highland settlements were formed, and the "frontier", highland context in which they subsequently developed, is a key factor in understanding the process's results, including the transformation of highland identities (Israel), and later the formation of a kingdom(s) in the region.
Research Interests: History, Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Levantine Archaeology, and 15 moreBiblical Studies, Empires, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Ancient Near East, Ethnicity, Empire, New Kingdom (Egyptology), Ancient Egyptian History, Archaeology of Empires, Imperialism, Ancient Israel, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Ethnogenesis, and Hebrew Bible/Old Testament(Biblical Studies, Empires, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Ancient Near East, Ethnicity, Empire, New Kingdom (Egyptology), Ancient Egyptian History, Archaeology of Empires, Imperialism, Ancient Israel, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Ethnogenesis, and Hebrew Bible/Old Testament)
(Biblical Studies, Empires, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Ancient Near East, Ethnicity, Empire, New Kingdom (Egyptology), Ancient Egyptian History, Archaeology of Empires, Imperialism, Ancient Israel, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Ethnogenesis, and Hebrew Bible/Old Testament)
The paper is an updated discussion and review of the information on villages in ancient Israel during the Bronze Age and (mainly) the Iron Age.
Research Interests:
The paper is an updated discussion and review of the information on houses in ancient Israel during the Bronze Age and (mainly) the Iron Age.
Research Interests:
Until about 25 years ago, the history of ancient Israel was largely based on a critical reading of the biblical narrative. Although parts of the narrative were agreed to be non-historical, and some were disputed, the major components of... more
Until about 25 years ago, the history of ancient Israel was largely based on a critical reading of the biblical narrative. Although parts of the narrative were agreed to be non-historical, and some were disputed, the major components of the story – from the tribal social organization of the period of the Judges onward – were seen as mostly historical. The minimalists challenge of the 1990s and the subsequent debates had a major impact on the discipline, and altered the discourse, leading to the separation of the literary, biblical Israel, from the historical Israel. At the heart of this development is the relationship between the biblical text and archaeological record, and in particular, the degree of historicity contained in the former and the way in which the latter mirrors specific sociocultural realities.
The present chapter will not only provide a synthesis of this debate, but it will provide evidence for the historicity or non-historicity of specific biblical “histories.” The first part of the paper will outline the development of scholarship, and how the distinction between “biblical Israel” and “historical Israel” came into being. This will be followed by an examination of the historical epochs that are currently debated, including a review of the implications of these developments on the growing role of archaeology in reconstructing Israel’s history. The main part of the article will briefly review the history of ancient Israel as it stands today – what is regarded as historical, what is viewed as a-historical, and what is debated – and will offer outlines to this history. The final part of the chapter will offer new directions for biblical archaeology, and new ways to integrate texts and artifacts in reconstructing the history of ancient Israel in its broadest sense.
The present chapter will not only provide a synthesis of this debate, but it will provide evidence for the historicity or non-historicity of specific biblical “histories.” The first part of the paper will outline the development of scholarship, and how the distinction between “biblical Israel” and “historical Israel” came into being. This will be followed by an examination of the historical epochs that are currently debated, including a review of the implications of these developments on the growing role of archaeology in reconstructing Israel’s history. The main part of the article will briefly review the history of ancient Israel as it stands today – what is regarded as historical, what is viewed as a-historical, and what is debated – and will offer outlines to this history. The final part of the chapter will offer new directions for biblical archaeology, and new ways to integrate texts and artifacts in reconstructing the history of ancient Israel in its broadest sense.
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Biblical Archaeology, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Ancient Near Eastern History, and 6 moreAncient Israel, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Biblical History, History of Ancient Israel, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, and ancient Israelite History and Historiograohy
The paper presents the finds from three Iron Age tombs near Tel 'Eton, excavated in 1968 by Israel Department of Antiquities and Museums
Research Interests:
The southern Levant is probably the most excavated and surveyed part of the world. While many past studies have attempted to use this wealth of information, they usually focused on certain phenomena and, moreover, the data was not... more
The southern Levant is probably the most excavated and surveyed part of the world. While many past studies have attempted to use this wealth of information, they usually focused on certain phenomena and, moreover, the data was not systematically quantified. This study presents a new, quantitative, approach to the data. We rely on two datasets: (1) the published results of salvage excavations, carried out mainly in small sites; (2) the excavations published in the New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land, which includes mainly central sites. These databases not only cover both large-scale excavations of major sites and salvage excavations in the countryside, but also enable a quantitative analysis which has a potential to transform our understanding of past social and demographic phenomena. To exemplify this potential, we study the proportion of burials within the different subsets of the databases. This broad overview reveals some drastic changes over time, including periods from which very few burials were identified (Early Bronze Age II-III, Iron Age, Middle Ages), and others in which burials comprised around half of the finds (Intermediate Bronze Age, Roman period). The paper analyzes these phenomena and highlights the potential of the data to illuminate other questions.
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Levantine Archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Death and Burial (Archaeology), and 9 moreQuantitative Archaeology, Land of Israel Studies, Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Mortuary archaeology, Anthropological Archaeology, Ancient Israel, Burial Customs, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, and Settlement History
Research Interests:
The first encounter between archaeologists and the sites or areas of their study is the topsoil. Still, very little attention is paid to the processes that create the matrix of the topsoil and the archaeological assemblage contained... more
The first encounter between archaeologists and the sites or areas of their study is the topsoil. Still, very little attention is paid to the processes that create the matrix of the topsoil and the archaeological assemblage contained within it, and hence to what data can be obtained from it. This paper, which is part of a larger study on the formation of the archaeological record at Tel 'Eton, aims to reconstruct the way the topsoil was formed. For this purpose, we studied not only the mound's topsoil and archaeological layers below it, but also the site's environment, in terms of texture (sedimentation/decantation method), color (Munsell charts), phosphate concentration (Olsen method) and vegetation (aboveground plant biomass). Results showed differentiation between the sampling groups and geographical settings in all the measured parameters – in both values and variance. The data imply that the mound's topsoil was created by an upward movement of materials and their...
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Geoarchaeology, Landscape Archaeology, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Levantine Archaeology, and 7 moreSyro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Archaeological Site Formation Processes, Ancient Israel, Soils, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, and Archaeology of the Levant
This introduction presents a context for the collection of 15 articles published in the first volume of the new journal: Jerusalem Journal of Archaeology. These publications are the outcome of the conference on state formation processes... more
This introduction presents a context for the collection of 15 articles published in the first volume of the new journal: Jerusalem Journal of Archaeology. These publications are the outcome of the conference on state formation processes in the 10th century BCE Levant
Research Interests: History, Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Near Eastern Studies, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, and 12 moreLevantine Archaeology, Hebrew Bible, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Ancient Near East, Iron Age, Ancient Israel, Jerusalem Archaeology, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Biblical History, Archaeology of the Levant, and Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
Research Interests: History()
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ABSTRACT Building 101 at Tel ‘Eton was a large longitudinal four-spaces (‘four-room’) house, that was destroyed by fire in the late 8th century bce, during an Assyrian military campaign. Its size, location, quality of construction and the... more
ABSTRACT Building 101 at Tel ‘Eton was a large longitudinal four-spaces (‘four-room’) house, that was destroyed by fire in the late 8th century bce, during an Assyrian military campaign. Its size, location, quality of construction and the finds unearthed in it suggest that it was an elite dwelling, that perhaps served as a governor’s residency. In 2018 we published several radiocarbon dates, taken from the floor make-up in two separate rooms, as well as from a foundation deposit, and from the earlier material into which the foundation deposit was embedded. These, along with other considerations, suggested that the building was built in the 10th century bce, and existed for some 250 years, prompting us to draw attention to the potential longevity of houses, and to what we called the ‘old house effect’. We also noted the significance of the finds for understanding social or political complexity in the region of Judah already during the 10th century bce. In a recent issue of this journal, Israel Finkelstein criticized our dating of the house, raising arguments from ‘traditional archaeology’ perspective and concerning ‘radiocarbon dating’. It is the aim of the present article to (1) properly present the relevant finds, to (2) refute Finkelstein’s argument, expose the weaknesses of his claims and the issues he failed to address, and, more importantly, to (3) elaborate on his methodological argument, which exposes a biased methodology that instead of improving our ability to study the past, only perpetuates an already existing shortcoming in addressing site histories. Finally, we (4) briefly suggest a method of dating the construction of buildings.
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Research Interests:
It is commonly held in recent scholarship that biblical law, like the society in which it was generated, did not regard premarital sex as a severe offence. The law of the slandered bride (Deut 22:13-22), which determines that a bride that... more
It is commonly held in recent scholarship that biblical law, like the society in which it was generated, did not regard premarital sex as a severe offence. The law of the slandered bride (Deut 22:13-22), which determines that a bride that was found non-virgin on her wedding night shall be killed, has therefore become during the last decades a riddle for biblical law researchers, who try to explain the girl’s sin in various ways. We claim that this view ignores the wealth of ethnographic data that shows that harsh treatment of premarital sex is common, especially in patrilineal and patrilocal societies (as was ancient Israelite society). Moreover, a reexamination of other biblical laws regarding sexual conduct in light of the same ethnographic data shows that they reflect the very same attitudes. The different laws are not contradictory but rather complementary—all reflecting a typical patriarchal, androcentric, traditional society.
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... This paper will attempt to reconstruct the economy of the seventh century as it is represented in the ... Accord ing to Gitin (1998: 276-78), &amp;quot;in this new [post-701 bce] world economy, Assyria ... ways served as a land... more
... This paper will attempt to reconstruct the economy of the seventh century as it is represented in the ... Accord ing to Gitin (1998: 276-78), &amp;quot;in this new [post-701 bce] world economy, Assyria ... ways served as a land bridge connecting Syria and Mesopotamia to the north and east with ...
Research Interests: History, Ancient History, Cultural Studies, Archaeology, Production, and 10 moreMediterranean, Wine, Iron Age, Economy, Commerce, Oil, System, Port, Mediterranean Climate, and Expansion(Mediterranean, Wine, Iron Age, Economy, Commerce, Oil, System, Port, Mediterranean Climate, and Expansion)
(Mediterranean, Wine, Iron Age, Economy, Commerce, Oil, System, Port, Mediterranean Climate, and Expansion)
Research Interests:
The “governor’s residency” at Tel ‘Eton was destroyed in the late 8th century BCE in an Assyrian military campaign. While the numerous finds enable a detailed reconstruction of life on the eve of the destruction, this elite house was... more
The “governor’s residency” at Tel ‘Eton was destroyed in the late 8th century BCE in an Assyrian military campaign. While the numerous finds enable a detailed reconstruction of life on the eve of the destruction, this elite house was cleaned continuously, and since no floor raisings were identified, little was known of the building’s period of use. Radiocarbon (14C) samples taken from within a foundation deposit and from the floor make-up, however, indicate that the earliest phase of the residency was built in the late 11th–10th century BCE. This has bearings on the date in which social complexity evolved in Judah, on the debate regarding the historicity of the kingdom of David and Solomon, and it also provides the earliest date for the use of ashlar stones in Judah. Finally, the long life of the “governor’s residency” exemplifies a little addressed phenomenon—the old-house effect—in which buildings and settlements existed for a few centuries, but only left significant remains from ...
Research Interests: History, Ancient History, Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Geology, and 15 moreGeochemistry, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Levantine Archaeology, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Radiocarbon, Biblical Archaeology, Ancient Near East, Iron Age, Chronology, Radiocarbon Dating, Ancient Israel, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Elite, Human Settlement, and Governor
The distinction between clean and unclean, often associated with bodily functions, is a common feature of human societies. Consequently, diverse groups developed different ways of maintaining separation between the realms. Despite its... more
The distinction between clean and unclean, often associated with bodily functions, is a common feature of human societies. Consequently, diverse groups developed different ways of maintaining separation between the realms. Despite its prominence in many ethnographies and in anthropology at large, and although the spatial expression of this separation is susceptible to archaeological enquiry, the concept of purity had received less attention by archaeologists. The completion of the excavation of a large house at Tel ʿEton supplied us with detailed information on household life and practices in Iron Age Israel. The finds from this house, along with a very large archaeological dataset about Iron Age Israelite society at large and the wealth of textual data from this period, give us insights into the practices associated with purity/impurity. The article reconstructs how Iron Age Israelite society coped with the implications of impurity (mainly women during menstruation) in its daily li...
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The article presents the first synthesis of the large cemetery that surrounds Tel &#39;Eton, Israel
Research Interests: Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Art, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Levantine Archaeology, and 15 moreSyro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Ancient Near East, Mortuary archaeology, Iron Age, History and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Mortuary Practices, Archaeology of death and burial, Ancient Israel, Burial Customs, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Death and Burial Archaeology, Shephelah, Iron Age Burials, and Death and Burial In the Hebrew Bible(Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Ancient Near East, Mortuary archaeology, Iron Age, History and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Mortuary Practices, Archaeology of death and burial, Ancient Israel, Burial Customs, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Death and Burial Archaeology, Shephelah, Iron Age Burials, and Death and Burial In the Hebrew Bible)
(Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Ancient Near East, Mortuary archaeology, Iron Age, History and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Mortuary Practices, Archaeology of death and burial, Ancient Israel, Burial Customs, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Death and Burial Archaeology, Shephelah, Iron Age Burials, and Death and Burial In the Hebrew Bible)
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Identifying previously unknown sites is a fundamental goal of the archaeological inquiry. In this article, after reporting the results of our work at Tel ‘Eton (Israel), we propose a new method that can increase the effectiveness of... more
Identifying previously unknown sites is a fundamental goal of the archaeological inquiry. In this article, after reporting the results of our work at Tel ‘Eton (Israel), we propose a new method that can increase the effectiveness of surveys. As part of a study of site formation processes, molehills (mole-rat back-dirt hills) were systematically sifted at Tel ‘Eton and its surroundings. It was apparent that the number and size of sherds in molehills on the mound greatly exceeded those found in its surroundings. The incidental identification of many sherds in molehills northwest of the mound, therefore, led us to suspect that this area was settled. This was tested by transecting the area. The finds, along with discoveries in the wadis cutting the plain, support this suggestion and allowed us to detect the lower city’s boundary. An examination of the site’s environments, moreover, enabled us to identify additional anomalies, like the co-occurrence of concentrations of sherds, red-soile...
Research Interests: Geography, Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Landscape Archaeology, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, and 15 moreLevantine Archaeology, Archaeological Method & Theory, Survey (Archaeological Method & Theory), Biblical Archaeology, Archaeological Fieldwork, Rodentia, Field Archaeology, Archaeological survey, Ancient Near Eastern archaeology, Archaeological field survey, Rodents, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Dirt, Archaeological Surveys, and Archaeological Practice(Levantine Archaeology, Archaeological Method & Theory, Survey (Archaeological Method & Theory), Biblical Archaeology, Archaeological Fieldwork, Rodentia, Field Archaeology, Archaeological survey, Ancient Near Eastern archaeology, Archaeological field survey, Rodents, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Dirt, Archaeological Surveys, and Archaeological Practice)
(Levantine Archaeology, Archaeological Method & Theory, Survey (Archaeological Method & Theory), Biblical Archaeology, Archaeological Fieldwork, Rodentia, Field Archaeology, Archaeological survey, Ancient Near Eastern archaeology, Archaeological field survey, Rodents, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Dirt, Archaeological Surveys, and Archaeological Practice)
Résumé/Abstract The synagogues of the Roman-Byzantine period have been the subject of much scholarly discussion, particularly relating to typology, dating, architecture, and religion. It is the aim of the present article to examine the... more
Résumé/Abstract The synagogues of the Roman-Byzantine period have been the subject of much scholarly discussion, particularly relating to typology, dating, architecture, and religion. It is the aim of the present article to examine the issue from a different perspective, and to ...
Research Interests: History, Ancient History, Archaeology, Anthropology, Pottery, and 4 moreCave, Anthropological, Elite, and Indigenous
Abstract The paper deals with the finds from the Late Persian-Early Hellenistic period settlement unearthed at Tel ͑Eton. The settlement, which existed during the 4th and early 3rd centuries BCE, was comprised of a fort at the top of the... more
Abstract The paper deals with the finds from the Late Persian-Early Hellenistic period settlement unearthed at Tel ͑Eton. The settlement, which existed during the 4th and early 3rd centuries BCE, was comprised of a fort at the top of the mound and a large village that surrounded it. The article presents the architectural, ceramic and additional finds and discusses the possible circumstances involved in the establishment of the site in the 4th century BCE, after a settlement hiatus of some 300-350 years. It also examines the possible causes for its abandonment during the course of the 3rd century BCE.
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Résumé/Abstract The so-called four-room house was the typical dwelling in the southern Levant during the Iron Age. Hundreds of four-room houses are known today from Iron Age sites mainly concentrated in the Highlands, ie, the Galilee, the... more
Résumé/Abstract The so-called four-room house was the typical dwelling in the southern Levant during the Iron Age. Hundreds of four-room houses are known today from Iron Age sites mainly concentrated in the Highlands, ie, the Galilee, the Central hill-country and the ...
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Research Interests:
Research Interests:
RefDoc Refdoc est un service / is powered by. ...
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Page 1. Published by Maney Publishing (c) Palestine Exploration Fund © Palestine Exploration Fund 2005 doi: 10.1179/003103205x62981 Palestine Exploration Quarterly, 137, 2 (2005), 139–158 SALVAGE EXCAVATIONS AS A SOURCE FOR ...
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Research Interests:
... A fine example of identifying eth-nicity by an analysis combining many facets of material culture and behavioral patterns can be seen in recent re-search concerning the Uruk expansion. ... 1996a The Archaeology of the United Monarchy:... more
... A fine example of identifying eth-nicity by an analysis combining many facets of material culture and behavioral patterns can be seen in recent re-search concerning the Uruk expansion. ... 1996a The Archaeology of the United Monarchy: An Alternative View. Levant 28: 177-87. ...
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The first encounter between archaeologists and the sites or areas of their study is the topsoil. Still, very little attention is paid to the processes that create the matrix of the topsoil and the archaeological assemblage contained... more
The first encounter between archaeologists and the sites or areas of their study is the topsoil. Still, very little attention is paid to the processes that create the matrix of the topsoil and the archaeological assemblage contained within it, and hence to what data can be obtained from it. This paper, which is part of a larger study on the formation of the archaeological record at Tel 'Eton, aims to reconstruct the way the topsoil was formed. For this purpose, we studied not only the mound's topsoil and archaeological layers below it, but also the site's environment, in terms of texture (sedimentation/decantation method), color (Munsell charts), phosphate concentration (Olsen method) and vegetation (aboveground plant biomass). Results showed differentiation between the sampling groups and geographical settings in all the measured parameters-in both values and variance. The data imply that the mound's topsoil was created by an upward movement of materials and their homogenization in the topsoil. Our results strongly suggest that these processes are likely to be more frequent on mounds, compared to their uninhabited environment. Beyond new insights on the processes of archaeological soil formation, this study has implications for both chemical and archaeological phenomena, such as the presence of artifacts on the surface, the color of archaeological soils, the widespread use of archaeological sites for agriculture (from antiquity to the 20 th century), and the provenance of mud-brick material.
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Geoarchaeology, Landscape Archaeology, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Levantine Archaeology, and 7 moreSyro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Archaeological Site Formation Processes, Ancient Israel, Soils, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, and Archaeology of the Levant
The Shephelah, one of Judah's 8th century B.C.E. settlement hubs, was sparsely settled during the Iron Age I, when only a small Canaanite enclave survived in its eastern part. The resettlement of the Shephelah, beginning during the Iron... more
The Shephelah, one of Judah's 8th century B.C.E. settlement hubs, was sparsely settled during the Iron Age I, when only a small Canaanite enclave survived in its eastern part. The resettlement of the Shephelah, beginning during the Iron Age I-II transition and lasting over 200 years, was a complex process that had two different facets. The first, better-known facet is the gradual establishment of dozens of new sites, the vast majority of which had clear connections to the highlands polity (e.g., Lachish, Tel Zayit, Tel Burna). The second, less-discussed facet is the transformations experienced by the few settlements that existed in the region in the Iron Age I, most notably Tell Beit Mirsim, Beth-Shemesh, Tel ʿEton, and Tel Halif. After presenting background data, the article will offer a detailed reconstruction of the processes through which the Shephelah became part of the highland polity, with a special focus on Tel ʿEton and on the enigmatic, earlier, and short-lived site of Khirbet Qeiyafa. The paper will conclude with a detailed refutation of the recent suggestion that the small Iron Age I Canaanite enclave that existed in the eastern Shephelah developed into a large Iron Age IIA Canaanite polity.
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Levantine Archaeology, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, and 9 moreSpatial archaeology, Spatial analysis (Archaeology), Iron Age, Philistines, Ancient Israel, King David, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Archaeology of the Levant, and History of Ancient Israel
Archaeology is important for the creation and maintenance of identities, and is therefore heavily involved with politics. This is true for most parts of the world, and the Middle East and Israel are no exceptions. After briefly... more
Archaeology is important for the creation and maintenance of identities, and is therefore heavily involved with politics. This is true for most parts of the world, and the Middle East and Israel are no exceptions.
After briefly addressing the broader issue of archaeology and nationalism, the first part of the paper will address a number of previous studies on Israeli archaeology, which accused it of being Orientalist and racist, of paying attention only to "Jewish" remains and consequently of destroying "Arab" sites. The final part of the paper will critically examine those accusations and the evidence used in establishing them, and will examine the place of the various criticisms within wider academic discourse. Due to space limitations, this article does not aim to cover the issues discussed, but rather to present the reader with a very brief précis of the topic.
After briefly addressing the broader issue of archaeology and nationalism, the first part of the paper will address a number of previous studies on Israeli archaeology, which accused it of being Orientalist and racist, of paying attention only to "Jewish" remains and consequently of destroying "Arab" sites. The final part of the paper will critically examine those accusations and the evidence used in establishing them, and will examine the place of the various criticisms within wider academic discourse. Due to space limitations, this article does not aim to cover the issues discussed, but rather to present the reader with a very brief précis of the topic.
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Although literally hundreds of houses were excavated in the Southern Levant, it is not easy to use them to study past spatial activities. While modern excavations allow high resolution reconstructions, due to the costs involved only a... more
Although literally hundreds of houses were excavated in the Southern Levant, it is not easy to use them to study past spatial activities. While modern excavations allow high resolution reconstructions, due to the costs involved only a limited number of houses are excavated nowadays in their entirety, and the recording of the hundreds of houses excavated until the 1960's, was partial and much of the information (e.g., botanical remains, bones, charred material, etc.) was not even collected. Some of the older reports recorded the distribution of macro-artifacts, mainly pottery, and a concentration of storage vessels, for example, may indicate that a room served for storage. The products stored, however, cannot usually be determined. This article suggests that funnels' volume and form may indicate whether they funneled dry products, liquids, or precious fluids, and can therefore identify specialized activities even in older reports, when other lines of evidence are lacking.
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It is commonly held in recent scholarship that biblical law, like the society in which it was generated, did not regard premarital sex as a severe offence. The law of the slandered bride (Deut 22:13-22), which determines that a bride that... more
It is commonly held in recent scholarship that biblical law, like the society in which it was generated, did not regard premarital sex as a severe offence. The law of the slandered bride (Deut 22:13-22), which determines that a bride that was found non-virgin on her wedding night shall be killed, has therefore become during the last decades a riddle for biblical law researchers, who try to explain the girl's sin in various ways. We claim that this view ignores the wealth of ethnographic data that shows that harsh treatment of premarital sex is common, especially in patrilineal and patrilocal societies (as was ancient Israelite society). Moreover, a reexamination of other biblical laws regarding sexual conduct in light of the same ethnographic data shows that they reflect the very same attitudes. The different laws are not contradictory but rather complementary-all reflecting a typical patriarchal, androcentric, traditional society.
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This is an introduction to first issue of the Jerusalem Journal of Archaeology (2021), which was devoted to the transition from the Iron Age I to the Iron Age II in the Levant, and to the 10th century debate (i.e., the debate over... more
This is an introduction to first issue of the Jerusalem Journal of Archaeology (2021), which was devoted to the transition from the Iron Age I to the Iron Age II in the Levant, and to the 10th century debate (i.e., the debate over Israel's "united monarchy").
Research Interests: Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Near Eastern Studies, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Levantine Archaeology, and 10 moreHebrew Bible, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Ancient Near East, Iron Age, Ancient Israel, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Biblical History, Archaeology of the Levant, and Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
It is commonly agreed that the Iron Age I-II transition was gradual and that processes of social complexity initiated in the Iron Age I simply matured in the Iron Age II. The emergence of Levantine kingdoms-whether the so-called "United... more
It is commonly agreed that the Iron Age I-II transition was gradual and that processes of social complexity initiated in the Iron Age I simply matured in the Iron Age II. The emergence of Levantine kingdoms-whether the so-called "United Monarchy" (i.e., the highland polity) or other polities-was therefore seen as an outcome of this gradual maturation, even if the date of their emergence is hotly debated. The present paper challenges both the perceived gradual nature of Iron Age complexity and the dated understanding of state formation processes that lies behind the common scholarly reconstructions of Iron Age political developments. Instead, the paper shows that the Iron Age I-II transition was troubled and was accompanied by drastic changes in many parameters, whether settlement patterns, settlement forms, or various material traits. Acknowledging these transformations is therefore the first step in understanding the process through which local kingdoms emerged. The main part of the paper briefly outlines these changes, which are later incorporated into a suggested historical scenario, reconstructing the processes leading to the emergence of the monarchy in Iron Age Israel and accompanying it. The final part of the paper briefly embeds these processes within a broader discussion of state formation in general and within the debate about the highland polity
Research Interests: Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Near Eastern Studies, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Levantine Archaeology, and 11 moreHebrew Bible, State Formation, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Archaeology of Empires, Iron Age, Ancient Near Eastern archaeology, Ancient Israel, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, and Bible History and Archaeology
Research Interests: Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Levantine Archaeology, Biblical Studies, and 9 moreSocial Archaeology, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Iron Age, Anthropological Archaeology, Ancient Israel, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Archaeology of the Levant, and Kingdom of Judah
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The Priestly source (P) is a common designation in scholarship for significant parts of the Pentateuch, which are assumed to have been written in priestly circles. While the social circles and theological background of P are more agreed... more
The Priestly source (P) is a common designation in scholarship for significant parts of the Pentateuch, which are assumed to have been written in priestly circles. While the social circles and theological background of P are more agreed upon, its dating is hotly debated, and various textual, intertextual, linguistic and historical evidence were employed in an attempt to date its composition. The present paper aims to examine the material world that is assumed by a number of Priestly texts, and the landscape in which the writings are embedded, in order to shed new light on their dating. The paper concludes that much of the priestly writings (inclusive of some of the texts commonly attributed to the Holiness school) are quite intelligible on the background the late Iron Age, mainly the 8th-7th centuries BCE.
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Dozens of Roman-Byzantine synagogues have been uncovered in the Land of Israel over the years, and they have received a great deal of scholarly attention, regarding their typology, dating, architecture, and cultural origins, as well as... more
Dozens of Roman-Byzantine synagogues have been uncovered in the Land of Israel over the years, and they have received a great deal of scholarly attention, regarding their typology, dating, architecture, and cultural origins, as well as their religious and social functions. In this article we will examine an additional social aspect of these synagogues which has not yet received sufficient scholarly attention. We suggest that the construction and maintenance of the ancient buildings played a crucial role in the social cohesion of rural Jewish communities during the Roman and Byzantine periods. We will show that the mechanisms used to fund the construction and the upkeep of these public structures, as well as the way public offices in these communities were managed and distributed, prevented (or at least delayed) the development of socioeconomic stratification within the community, and increased social solidarity. These mechanisms "drew" resources from the wealthier families and prevented them from becoming richer, which subsequently maintained an internal economic balance within the community that, to an extent, enabled its existence.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Levantine Archaeology, Talmud, and 11 moreSocial Archaeology, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Hellenistic Roman and Byzantine Archaeology in the Land of Israel, Land of Israel Studies, Rural Archaeology, Synagogues, Integration of Archaeology and Texts, Anthropological Archaeology, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, and ancient Synagogues(Social Archaeology, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Hellenistic Roman and Byzantine Archaeology in the Land of Israel, Land of Israel Studies, Rural Archaeology, Synagogues, Integration of Archaeology and Texts, Anthropological Archaeology, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, and ancient Synagogues)
(Social Archaeology, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Hellenistic Roman and Byzantine Archaeology in the Land of Israel, Land of Israel Studies, Rural Archaeology, Synagogues, Integration of Archaeology and Texts, Anthropological Archaeology, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, and ancient Synagogues)
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Socioeconomics, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Levantine Archaeology, Hebrew Bible, and 9 moreSocial Stratification, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Iron Age, Social Inequality, Inequality, Ancient Israel, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, and Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
The "governor's residency" at Tel 'Eton was destroyed in the late 8th century BCE in an Assyrian military campaign. While the numerous finds enable a detailed reconstruction of life on the eve of the destruction, this elite house was... more
The "governor's residency" at Tel 'Eton was destroyed in the late 8th century BCE in an Assyrian military campaign. While the numerous finds enable a detailed reconstruction of life on the eve of the destruction, this elite house was cleaned continuously, and since no floor raisings were identified, little was known of the building's period of use. Radiocarbon (14 C) samples taken from within a foundation deposit and from the floor make-up, however, indicate that the earliest phase of the residency was built in the late 11th-10th century BCE. This has bearings on the date in which social complexity evolved in Judah, on the debate regarding the historicity of the kingdom of David and Solomon, and it also provides the earliest date for the use of ashlar stones in Judah. Finally, the long life of the "governor's residency" exemplifies a little addressed phenomenon-the old-house effect-in which buildings and settlements existed for a few centuries, but only left significant remains from their last phase. The earlier phases are hardly represented in the finds, barely studied, and rarely published. We suggest that the old-house effect influences archaeological interpretations worldwide , and is also responsible for recent attempts to down-date social complexity in Judah.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Levantine Archaeology, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, and 8 moreBiblical Archaeology, Ancient Near East, 14C dating (Archaeology), Iron Age, Chronology, Ancient Israel, Radiocarbon Dating (Archaeology), and Archaeology of the Southern Levant
German translation of: Bunimovitz, S., and Faust, A., 2002, Ideology in Stone, Understanding the Four Room House, Biblical Archaeology Review 28/4: 32-41, 59-60
Research Interests: Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Levantine Archaeology, Hebrew Bible, and 13 moreSyro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Ancient Near East, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Land of Israel Studies, Iron Age, Ancient Israel, Iron Age Israel, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Ancient Architecture and Construction History, History of Ancient Israel, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, and Four room House(Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Ancient Near East, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Land of Israel Studies, Iron Age, Ancient Israel, Iron Age Israel, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Ancient Architecture and Construction History, History of Ancient Israel, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, and Four room House)
(Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Ancient Near East, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Land of Israel Studies, Iron Age, Ancient Israel, Iron Age Israel, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Ancient Architecture and Construction History, History of Ancient Israel, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, and Four room House)
Faust, A., Baruch, E., and Schwartz, J., 2017, Five-Thousands Years of History in Jerusalem: An Introduction, in Faust, A., Schwartz, J., and Baruch, E. (eds.), Jerusalem: From its Beginning to the Ottoman Conquest, Ramat Gan: The... more
Faust, A., Baruch, E., and Schwartz, J., 2017, Five-Thousands Years of History in Jerusalem: An Introduction, in Faust, A., Schwartz, J., and Baruch, E. (eds.), Jerusalem: From its Beginning to the Ottoman Conquest, Ramat Gan: The Ingeborg Renner Center for Jerusalem Studies, pp. 7-10 (Hebrew).
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The Shephelah was one of the most important regions in the kingdom of Judah, and Tel ‘Eton is a central site in its eastern part, near the trough valley which separates it from the Judean highlands. The article discusses the history of... more
The Shephelah was one of the most important regions in the kingdom of Judah, and Tel ‘Eton is a central site in its eastern part, near the trough valley which separates it from the Judean highlands. The article discusses the history of the settlement at Tel ‘Eton during the Iron Age, its relations with its surroundings at the time, and the implications for our understanding the overall history of the Shephelah.
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Faust, A., 2017, Jebus, the City of David, and Jerusalem: Jerusalem from the Iron I to the Neo-Babylonian Period, in Faust, A., Baruch, E., and Schwartz, J. (eds.), Jerusalem: From its Beginning to the Ottoman Conquest, Ramat Gan: The Ingeborg Rennert Center for Jerusalem Studies, pp. 35-72 (Hebrew)more
The paper summarizes the available information on Iron Age Jerusalem
Research Interests: Near Eastern Archaeology, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Levantine Archaeology, Hebrew Bible, Biblical Studies, and 8 moreSyro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Iron Age, Jerusalem, Ancient Israel, Jerusalem Archaeology, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, and Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This is the schedule of the 22nd annual conference on New Studies on Jerusalem, to be held at Bar-Ilan University on January 26, 2017
Research Interests: Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Near Eastern Studies, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Levantine Archaeology, and 13 moreSyro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Ancient Near East, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Land of Israel Studies, Jerusalem, Ancient Israel, Jerusalem Archaeology, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Archaeology of the Levant, Shephelah, and Archaeology of Jerusalem(Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Ancient Near East, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Land of Israel Studies, Jerusalem, Ancient Israel, Jerusalem Archaeology, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Archaeology of the Levant, Shephelah, and Archaeology of Jerusalem)
(Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Ancient Near East, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Ancient Near East (Archaeology), Land of Israel Studies, Jerusalem, Ancient Israel, Jerusalem Archaeology, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Archaeology of the Levant, Shephelah, and Archaeology of Jerusalem)
A poster presented at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Schools of Oriental Research in San Diego. The poster presents the results of a study on Iron Age buildings at Tel 'Eton, in which we were able to identify constructional... more
A poster presented at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Schools of Oriental Research in San Diego.
The poster presents the results of a study on Iron Age buildings at Tel 'Eton, in which we were able to identify constructional phases on the basis of an analytical study of the mud-bricks (firing temperatures, texture, carbonate content, color and dimensions). We therefore suggest that such a study can be carried out in any site in which mud-bricks were a common construction material, helping the archaeologists in identifying subtle architectural phases (which sometimes do not leave any other traces). Additionally, understanding the development of the house allowed us to gain some insights into the cognitive processes involved in planning it, and into the use of Iron Age four room houses in general.
The full (and updated) paper is now online:
Sapir Y, Avraham A, and Faust A, Mud-brick Composition, Archaeological Phasing and Pre-Planning in Iron Age Structures: Tel 'Eton (Israel) as a Test-Case. Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences. DOI: 10.1007/s12520-016-0350-z.
link: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12520-016-0350-z
The poster presents the results of a study on Iron Age buildings at Tel 'Eton, in which we were able to identify constructional phases on the basis of an analytical study of the mud-bricks (firing temperatures, texture, carbonate content, color and dimensions). We therefore suggest that such a study can be carried out in any site in which mud-bricks were a common construction material, helping the archaeologists in identifying subtle architectural phases (which sometimes do not leave any other traces). Additionally, understanding the development of the house allowed us to gain some insights into the cognitive processes involved in planning it, and into the use of Iron Age four room houses in general.
The full (and updated) paper is now online:
Sapir Y, Avraham A, and Faust A, Mud-brick Composition, Archaeological Phasing and Pre-Planning in Iron Age Structures: Tel 'Eton (Israel) as a Test-Case. Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences. DOI: 10.1007/s12520-016-0350-z.
link: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12520-016-0350-z
Research Interests: Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Geoarchaeology, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Levantine Archaeology, and 12 moreCognition, Israel/Palestine, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Ancient Near East, Iron Age (Archaeology), Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Iron Age, Ancient Israel, Mudbrick architecture, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, and Archaeology of the Levant(Cognition, Israel/Palestine, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Ancient Near East, Iron Age (Archaeology), Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Iron Age, Ancient Israel, Mudbrick architecture, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, and Archaeology of the Levant)
(Cognition, Israel/Palestine, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Ancient Near East, Iron Age (Archaeology), Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Iron Age, Ancient Israel, Mudbrick architecture, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, and Archaeology of the Levant)
A poster presented at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Schools of Oriental Research in San Diego. The poster presents the results of a study on Iron Age buildings at Tel 'Eton, in which we were able to identify constructional... more
A poster presented at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Schools of Oriental Research in San Diego.
The poster presents the results of a study on Iron Age buildings at Tel 'Eton, in which we were able to identify constructional phases on the basis of an analytical study of the mud-bricks (firing temperatures, texture, carbonate content, color and dimensions). We therefore suggest that such a study can be carried out in any site in which mud-bricks were a common construction material, helping the archaeologists in identifying subtle architectural phases (which sometimes do not leave any other traces). Additionally, understanding the development of the house allowed us to gain some insights into the cognitive processes involved in planning it, and into the use of Iron Age four room houses in general.
The full (and updated) paper will be published soon in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences.
The poster presents the results of a study on Iron Age buildings at Tel 'Eton, in which we were able to identify constructional phases on the basis of an analytical study of the mud-bricks (firing temperatures, texture, carbonate content, color and dimensions). We therefore suggest that such a study can be carried out in any site in which mud-bricks were a common construction material, helping the archaeologists in identifying subtle architectural phases (which sometimes do not leave any other traces). Additionally, understanding the development of the house allowed us to gain some insights into the cognitive processes involved in planning it, and into the use of Iron Age four room houses in general.
The full (and updated) paper will be published soon in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Archaeological Science, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Archaeological Method & Theory, and 16 moreSyro-Palestinian archaeology, Cognitive archaeology, Ancient construction (Archaeology), Biblical Archaeology, Archaeology of Architecture, Household Archaeology, Archaeological Fieldwork, Iron Age, Field Archaeology, Mudbrick architecture, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Bricks, Ancient Architecture and Construction History, Shephelah, Four room House, and Mud brick Architecture(Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Cognitive archaeology, Ancient construction (Archaeology), Biblical Archaeology, Archaeology of Architecture, Household Archaeology, Archaeological Fieldwork, Iron Age, Field Archaeology, Mudbrick architecture, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Bricks, Ancient Architecture and Construction History, Shephelah, Four room House, and Mud brick Architecture)
(Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Cognitive archaeology, Ancient construction (Archaeology), Biblical Archaeology, Archaeology of Architecture, Household Archaeology, Archaeological Fieldwork, Iron Age, Field Archaeology, Mudbrick architecture, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Bricks, Ancient Architecture and Construction History, Shephelah, Four room House, and Mud brick Architecture)
The workshop will introduce the beta version of a new online platform, the unique databases it uses with information on approximately 25,000 sites and the ways to study and sift them, the various maps available (including a unique,... more
The workshop will introduce the beta version of a new online platform, the unique databases it uses with information on approximately 25,000 sites and the ways to study and sift them, the various maps available (including a unique, detailed map, developed specifically for the platform), and the special GIS applications that can be used to study the data and analyze it. The workshop will show how the platform can be best used, its current limitations/glitches, and how to overcome most of them.
Research Interests: Historical Geography, Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Digital Humanities, Cultural Heritage, and 12 moreDigital Archaeology, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Levantine Archaeology, Biblical Studies, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Digital Cultural Heritage, Land of Israel Studies, Jerusalem, Ancient Israel, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, and Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
The study of this 10th century (or the Iron I - Iron II transition) in the Levant seems to have reached a stalemate, with different "schools" simply repeating claims and countering their opponents' claims. The aim of the workshop,... more
The study of this 10th century (or the Iron I - Iron II transition) in the Levant seems to have reached a stalemate, with different "schools" simply repeating claims and countering their opponents' claims. The aim of the workshop, therefore, is not to repeat the maximalist-minimalist debate, but rather to allow different scholars to present possible "positive" reconstructions of the reality at the time, either based on the finds from a certain site, region, or wider synthesis.The workshop will therefore bring together a group of leading scholars in order to present new data and new synthesis concerning the 10th century BCE, or on the nature of the Iron I-Iron II transition.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Levantine Archaeology, Hebrew Bible, and 12 moreState Formation, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Ancient Near East, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Social Complexity, Social Complexity (Archaeology), Ancient Israel, Transitional Periods, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Archaeology of the Levant, and Hebrew Bible/Old Testament(State Formation, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Ancient Near East, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Social Complexity, Social Complexity (Archaeology), Ancient Israel, Transitional Periods, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Archaeology of the Levant, and Hebrew Bible/Old Testament)
(State Formation, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Ancient Near East, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Social Complexity, Social Complexity (Archaeology), Ancient Israel, Transitional Periods, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Archaeology of the Levant, and Hebrew Bible/Old Testament)
In every traditional society, there are situations and objects which are considered defiled or impure, and others that might be considered pure or sacred. Much of this might be culturally specific. Iron, for example, is considered in some... more
In every traditional society, there are situations and objects which are considered defiled or impure, and others that might be considered pure or sacred. Much of this might be culturally specific. Iron, for example, is considered in some societies to be sacred. Other phenomena, for example menstruation taboos, are more widespread, and are perhaps even universal. Still, whether we are discussing defiled objects and situational impurity or pure and/or sanctified objects or places, they all influence the placement of household objects and their use in domestic space, and even the construction of space itself, enabling the separation of the pure and from the impure, and the daily from the sacred.
Indeed, purity and impurity, sacred and profane are universal phenomena, and have influenced individuals and families in all traditional societies, for example in the need to separate or to include those who are or who have become impure. In the case of menstruation, for example, it was necessary to build structures, huts, shacks and the like for the "impure" women, or to designate particular spaces for them within the domicile. All, of course, have physical and spatial dimensions that can be easily observed by ethnographers and visitors. Still, although spatial analysis and studies of distribution comprise the backbone of archeological research, only limited work has been focused on identifying aspects of such universal behaviors in archaeological case-studies.
In light of the understanding that the distinction between purity and impurity, sacred and profane is found in all societies, and that these distinctions are translated into the expression of physical objects and actions, our conference will seek to examine a wide range of archaeological and historical test cases in order to identify unique examples and expressions of object dispersion and use of space which reflect or determine these phenomena. This will enable us to further sharpen and focus the research tools at our disposal and advance the study of the specific case studies we examine, as well as to identify new manifestations of these phenomena and their implications for the study of society in general.
Indeed, purity and impurity, sacred and profane are universal phenomena, and have influenced individuals and families in all traditional societies, for example in the need to separate or to include those who are or who have become impure. In the case of menstruation, for example, it was necessary to build structures, huts, shacks and the like for the "impure" women, or to designate particular spaces for them within the domicile. All, of course, have physical and spatial dimensions that can be easily observed by ethnographers and visitors. Still, although spatial analysis and studies of distribution comprise the backbone of archeological research, only limited work has been focused on identifying aspects of such universal behaviors in archaeological case-studies.
In light of the understanding that the distinction between purity and impurity, sacred and profane is found in all societies, and that these distinctions are translated into the expression of physical objects and actions, our conference will seek to examine a wide range of archaeological and historical test cases in order to identify unique examples and expressions of object dispersion and use of space which reflect or determine these phenomena. This will enable us to further sharpen and focus the research tools at our disposal and advance the study of the specific case studies we examine, as well as to identify new manifestations of these phenomena and their implications for the study of society in general.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Anthropology, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Levantine Archaeology, and 13 moreHebrew Bible, Second Temple Judaism, Social Archaeology, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Ancient Near East, Near estern archaeology, Ancient Israel, Sacred Spaces, Sacred Space, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Ritual Purity, and Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
Research Interests:
Review of William Dever, Beyond the Texts: An Archaeological Portrait of Ancient Israel and Judah, Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2017.