Archaeological Views: How Archaeologists Decide Where to Dig

028

We have been friends for a long time. We got our Ph.D.s from Bar-Ilan University under the supervision of Professor Aren Maeir. For 12 seasons we have dug at the Philistine site of Gath (Tell es-Safi), an excavation that Maeir directs. The two of us have also codirected several smaller excavations together. We know that our professional chemistry is right. So we decided to look for a larger, long-term project together—a site where we could jointly direct the excavation.

Starting an archaeological excavation is an exciting but challenging endeavor. How to choose a site? How to plan its excavation? How to navigate the bureaucratic process that ultimately leads to an excavation permit? How to raise the money? How to enlist staff and volunteers? (This latter is made a lot easier, however, by BAR’s Dig Issue and Digs Web site.)

We knew that we wanted to find a site in the general area of Gath, which we know very well. We also wanted a site that would involve our respective periods of interest. One of us (Joe) specializes in the Bronze Age Levant and brings technological know-how and a strong background in archaeological theory. The other (Itzick) has focused more on the Iron Age (the Biblical period) and has a close familiarity with the Biblical texts and research experience that focuses on historical issues. We also had another interest in common: the difficult issues regarding sites in a border area between two different societies. (Gath lies near the border between Philistia and Judah in the Biblical period.)

In 2009, we made a tentative choice of a site: Tel Burna. We proceeded to survey the entire area. With the help of friends, archaeology students, local kibbutz members with an interest in archaeology, and people from all over Israel who heard about the project and wanted to get a taste of fieldwork, we walked around the site for days upon days, collecting artifacts—mostly pottery, but also some flint tools and stone vessels—and mapping different features on the ground, such as burial caves, agricultural installations and architectural features. This fieldwork confirmed our original hypothesis that the site was intensively settled from the Early Bronze Age through Iron Age IIB, which ended with the Babylonian destruction in 586 B.C.E.

One of Tel Burna’s special attractions is that it has never before been touched by the archaeologist’s spade, despite its clear regional prominence. And it should answer questions regarding the way borders affected ancient societies.

The site is located in the Judean Shephelah, along the northern banks of Wadi Guvrin, slightly north of Lachish. In Biblical times, this was the border between Judah and Philistia. In earlier times it was the border between Bronze Age city-states. We intend to examine border behavior not just from a political perspective, but also to look at how day-to-day life differed along the border. Did the people who lived on the boundary between two competing entities interact more than those who lived within their respective regions—and how is this manifested in the archaeological record? How were people affected by the proximity of another social group, on the one hand, and the political pressures of their rulers, on the other? On a more regional level, were frontier towns used as interfaces between cultures, or as protective forts, placed there in order to defend the mainland?

We’re not sure what Tel Burna’s name was in ancient times. One of Israel’s leading historical geographers, Anson Rainey, contends that it was Libnah. In the Bible, Libnah was a Canaanite town conquered by Joshua; he allotted it to the tribe of Judah (Joshua 10:29–30, 15:42). Libnah was also chosen as one of the Levitical cities of refuge (Joshua 21:13), which points to its role as a border site. According to 2 Kings 8:22, in the ninth century B.C.E., Libnah was involved in a rebellion against Jehoram, the king of Judah. In the seventh century another Judahite king, Josiah, married Hamutal from Libnah (2 Kings 23:31–32, 24:17–18). This may suggest the importance of the site along the border and the attempt by Josiah to create a bond through marriage between his capital in Jerusalem and its frontier. There are plenty of questions but few answers at this point.

Another intriguing feature is the upper fortifications of the site, which enclose the entire summit and create a flat-topped tell.

On all counts Tel Burna fits our criteria. If you’d like to join us this summer, from June 13 to July 1, for our ground-breaking season of this promising site, please let us hear from you.

We have been friends for a long time. We got our Ph.D.s from Bar-Ilan University under the supervision of Professor Aren Maeir. For 12 seasons we have dug at the Philistine site of Gath (Tell es-Safi), an excavation that Maeir directs. The two of us have also codirected several smaller excavations together. We know that our professional chemistry is right. So we decided to look for a larger, long-term project together—a site where we could jointly direct the excavation. Starting an archaeological excavation is an exciting but challenging endeavor. How to choose a site? How to plan its excavation? […]