Guide to Sites

045

Abila of the Decapolis

Located near Jordan’s border with Syria, about 3 miles south of the Yarmuk River, Abila belonged to a confederation of ten hellenized cities in northeastern Palestine referred to in the New Testament as the Decapolis (Matthew 4:25; Mark 7:31). Archaeological surveys and excavations at Abila, overseen by W. Harold Mare (Covenant Theological Seminary), began in 1980 and so far has revealed water tunnels, painted tombs, fine mosaics and seven churches (including a seventh-century A.D. cruciform church), evidence that Late Roman-Byzantine Abila was a town of considerable size and sophistication. An inscription found in one of the water tunnels indicates that Abila had a bishop in the mid-sixth century A.D.

In the 2004 season, director Mare hopes to continue exploring Abila’s Roman and Byzantine remains, and to probe areas of the site associated with the much earlier Bronze and Iron Ages. Abila is open to visitors year-round; guided tours may be arranged in advance.

Bethsaida

The birthplace of at least three of the 12 apostles, Bethsaida is mentioned frequently in the New Testament and other literary sources of the Second Temple period. It was at Bethsaida (its name means “House of the Fisherman”) that Jesus fed the multitude (Luke 9:10-17) and restored sight to a blind man (Mark 8:22-26). The town was destroyed by the Romans during the First Jewish Revolt of 66–70 A.D. Because of the site’s important Christian associations, however, pilgrims searched for Bethsaida—in vain—for 2,000 years.

In 1987, Rami Arav (Univ. of Nebraska at Omaha) began to probe a 21-acre site on the northeastern shore 046of the Sea of Galilee, a site he suspected was ancient Bethsaida. Further excavations revealed a Hellenistic-Roman city, where Arav and his team found Roman era fishing implements. The 1996 season brought a surprise discovery: the remains of an Iron Age city, buried beneath the Hellenistic-Roman settlement. This earlier city was most likely the capital of the kingdom of Geshur (according to 1 Chronicles 3:2, King David married the Geshurite king’s daughter, Ma’achah, who became the mother of Absalom).

In 2004, codirectors Arav and Richard Freund (University of Hartford) hope to continue to explore the Iron Age city-gate complex at Bethsaida. Visitors are welcome at the site every day, and tours are available by appointment.

BAR articles: Rami Arav, Richard A. Freund and John F. Shroder, Jr., “Bethsaida Rediscovered,” BAR 26:01; Arav and Freund, “The Bull from the Sea: Geshur’s Chief Deity?” BAR 24:01; “An Incense Shovel from Bethsaida,” BAR 23:01; Arav, “An Iron Age Amulet from the Galilee,” BAR 21:01.

Caesarea Maritima

A major port city during the Roman period, Caesarea served as the capital of Judea during the rule of Pontius Pilate. The apostle Paul was imprisoned here before he was sent to Rome (Acts 23–26). King Herod built the city between 22 and 10 B.C., on the site of a Phoenician and Hellenistic trading station called Strato’s Tower. The city thrived, thanks to its man-made, all-weather harbor, which was large enough to hold the entire Roman fleet.

Previous underwater excavations have uncovered parts of the harbor, sunken cargoes and remains of shipwrecks. Onshore excavations, which will not be conducted this year, have yielded a theater, a circus, baths, a waterfront warehouse complex, an aqueduct system and a church built over the ruins of Herod’s temple to Roma and Augustus. This coming season, underwater excavators, led by Avner Raban (University of Haifa) and E.G. Reinhardt (McMaster University), will be exploring the submerged Roman quay and wreckage sites along the external edge of the harbor. Volunteers must be qualified 2-star (open water) divers with health and accident insurance. Caesarea, one of the largest antiquities sites in Israel, is a national park open to visitors year-round.

BAR articles: “Caesarea Maritima Yields More Treasures,” BAR 20:01; Barbara Burrell, Kathryn Gleason and Ehud Netzer, “Uncovering Herod’s Seaside Palace,” May/June 1993; Kenneth G. Holum, “From the Director’s Chair: Starting a New Dig,” BAR 17:01; Lindley Vann, “Herod’s Harbor Construction Recovered Underwater,” BAR 09:03; and Robert L. Hohlfelder, “Caesarea Beneath the Sea,” Robert J. Bull, “Caesarea Maritima—The Search for Herod’s City,” BAR 08:03.

Capernaum

Located 7 miles north of Tiberias and overlooking the Sea of Galilee, the village of Capernaum was home to Peter, in whose house Jesus probably lived for part of his Galilean ministry. In Capernaum Jesus healed a centurion’s ailing servant (Matthew 8:5–13) and a paralyzed man (Mark 2:12). Occupying a key position on the border of Galilee and the Golan, Roman Capernaum enjoyed great prosperity—the Gospels record that Jesus formed close relationships with four wealthy families in the upper part of the town. Foundations of large villas, a Roman bath complex, shops and fish pools also suggest a high level of affluence.

Although the western side of the site—which boasts the remains of a monumental synagogue—has undergone 047extensive excavation, the eastern side remained unexplored until Vassilios Tzaferis directed the first dig there from 1978 to 1982. This fall, Tzaferis and Charles Page (Jerusalem Center for Biblical Studies) will return to eastern Capernaum to further investigate the Roman ruins. The site is open to visitors between 8 and 5 daily.

BAR articles: Mendel Nun, “Ports of Galilee,” BAR 25:04; John C.H. Laughlin, “Capernaum from Jesus’ Time and After,” BAR 19:05; Herold Weiss, “Gold Hoard Found at Capernaum,” BAR 09:04; James F. Strange and Hershel Shanks, “Synagogue Where Jesus Preached Found at Capernaum,” BAR 09:06; Strange and Shanks, “Has the House Where Jesus Stayed in Capernaum Been Found?” BAR 08:06.

Dor

An 80-acre site on a gorgeous sweep of Israel’s northern coast, Dor has a rich history dating back to the 20th century B.C., when it was established as a Canaanite city. It achieved importance as a trading center during the Bronze Age, as attested by Cypriot and Mycenaean pottery sherds recovered from the site. Around 950 B.C., King Solomon made Dor his chief port on the Mediterranean, and it became one of his 12 district capitals. The cosmopolitan seaport continued to prosper during the Persian, Hellenistic and Roman periods: Archaeologists have uncovered impressive palaces, temples and mosaics. Although its influence waned after Herod the Great constructed the port of Caesarea 8 miles to the south, Dor remained prominent enough to be the seat of a bishopric in the fifth to seventh century A.D.

Surprisingly, Dor did not receive serious attention from archaeologists until the 1980s, when a long-term excavation under the direction of Hebrew University’s Ephraim Stern began. In the 2004 excavation season, directed by Andrew Stewart (University of California, Berkeley) and Sarah Stroup (University of Washington, Seattle), the team will expand the Roman, Hellenistic and Persian areas on the southern side of the tell and analyze Dor’s Iron Age remains. The enticing beach at the site is “the best kind of R & R for the dusty digger,” according to the directors. Visitors are always welcome at the site, and tours are offered (no appointment necessary).

BAR articles: Sean Kingsley et al., The Ancient Harbour and Anchorage at Dor, and Ephraim Stern, Excavations at Dor, Qedem Reports I & II, reviewed in BAR 23:04; Stern, “Priestly Blessing of a Voyage,” BAR 21:01; Stern, “The Many Masters of Dor,” three parts—BAR 19:01, BAR 19:02 and BAR 19:03; and Stern, “Gorgon Excavated at Dor,” BAR 28:06.

Har Karkom

In 1954, archaeologist Emmanuel Anati discovered a major concentration of rock art on a high plateau in the southern Negev desert. In 1980 he began his ongoing survey of the plateau area, which has proved to be a cultic site of extraordinary antiquity. The discovery in 1992 of a Paleolithic “sanctuary” atop the plateau indicates that Har Karkom (“Mountain of Saffron” in Hebrew) has been a holy site for nearly 40,000 years. Additionally, Karkom has yielded flint workshops from the Paleolithic period, and cultic altars and pillars from the Bronze Age. Important finds include 40,000 examples of religious rock art. Anati (Centro Camuno di Studi Preistorici, Italy) has suggested that Har Karkom is the Biblical Mt. Sinai; though his hypothesis remains controversial, Har Karkom is undoubtedly a site of great archaeological significance.

Every spring Anati’s team sets up a base camp at the foot of the plateau, 60 miles away from running water. All necessities must be transported to the camp by desert trails that are eroded annually by winter floods. In 2004, excavators will continue to survey the plateau and adjacent valleys, and record the rock art and stone monuments they find. The site is open to visitors on Friday 048evenings and Saturdays only; tours may be scheduled in advance.

BAR articles: Emmanuel Anati, “30,000-Year-Old Sanctuary Found at Har Karkom,” BAR 19:01; Israel Finkelstein, “Raider of the Lost Mountain,” BAR 14:04; Anati, “Has Mt. Sinai Been Found?” BAR 11:04.

Hazor

The largest Biblical era archaeological site in Israel, Hazor covers 200 acres about 10 miles north of the Sea of Galilee. Hazor witnessed violence early on, when its king, Jabin, led a coalition of Canaanite cities in battle against Israelite forces headed by Joshua. Joshua crushed Jabin’s army and destroyed Hazor: “He captured the city and put its king to death with the sword…They spared nothing that drew breath, and Hazor itself was destroyed by fire” (Joshua 11:11).

An impressive 20,000 people lived in Hazor in the second millennium B.C., making it the most populous city in the region. (In the period of David and Solomon, Hazor was ten times the size of Jerusalem!) It was politically important, too, thanks to its strategic location on the route connecting Egypt and Babylon. Fortified by King Solomon (1 Kings 9:15), Hazor flourished until its final destruction in 732 B.C. by the Assyrian army under Tiglath-pileser III (2 Kings 15:29).

The 15th season of excavations at Hazor, directed by Amnon Ben-Tor (Hebrew University), will focus on the Canaanite remains on the acropolis (Hazor is divided into two sections: the acropolis, or upper city, and the lower city, a fortified enclosure). A national park, the site is open to visitors daily from 8 to 5.

BAR articles: Amnon Ben-Tor, “Excavating Hazor,” Part 1, BAR 25:02, and Part 2 (with Maria Teresa Rubiato), BAR 25:03; Ben-Tor, “Big Game Hunting: The Lion of Hazor,” BAR 24:01; Bonnie Rochman, “The Pride of Hazor: Lion Statue Regains Its Long-Lost Mate,” BAR 23:06; Dan P. Cole, “How Water Tunnels Worked,” BAR 06:02; Yigael Yadin, “Hazor and the Battle of Joshua—Is Joshua 11 Wrong?” BAR 02:01; Yohanan Aharoni, “Hazor and the Battle of Deborah—Is Judges 4 Wrong?” BAR 01:04.

Hippos/Sussita

A member of the ancient Decapolis (a confederation of hellenized towns), Hippos/Sussita—the first name is Greek for “horse,” and the second is Aramaic for “mare”—sits on a flat hilltop on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. An initial survey of the site in 1999 revealed a well-preserved, carefully planned city incorporating a network of streets, a forum and various public buildings.

Since the first season of excavations in 2000, the team (led by Arthur Segal and Michael Eisenberg, University of Haifa) has focused on two areas: a 049Byzantine church in the northwest sector and a Roman monumental structure that still stands 10 feet high. This fall, excavators will continue to work on the northwest church, on a second church in the northeast and in the Roman forum. Visitors to the dig are welcome.

BAR article: Vassilios Tzaferis, “Sussita Awaits the Spade,” BAR 16:05.

Khirbat al-Mudayna

In only five seasons of excavation, the tell of Khirbat al-Mudayna, about 30 miles south of Amman, Jordan, has yielded some precious clues about life in Iron Age Moab, a region about which relatively little is known. Khirbat al-Mudayna belonged to a series of fortified sites along the Wadi ath-Thamad east of the Dead Sea, sites that may have made up the northern border between the Moabites and the Israelites. Under the supervision of Michèle Daviau (Wilfrid Laurier University), excavators have unearthed a six-chambered gate complex dating to Iron Age II. More work is needed to determine the precise history and use of the gate complex; however, small sling stones and bronze arrowheads found in the vicinity suggest that fierce battles were fought there.

Other important discoveries at the site include a sanctuary with three altars and Nabatean and early Roman structures. Daviau’s goals for the 2004 season are to complete the excavation of a Nabatean villa (a five-room pillared building) and the area in front of the gate, and to begin work on a nearby Neolithic village. The excavators welcome visitors weekdays during the dig season.

BAR article: P.M. Michèle Daviau and Paul-Eugène Dion, “Moab Comes to Life,” BAR 28:01.

Khirbet Iskander

Khirbet Iskander, which means “the ruin of Alexander [the Great]” in Arabic, has nothing to do with the great Greek emperor or his age, but in fact dates much earlier—to the Early Bronze Age. Located 30 miles south of Amman, Jordan, the 8-acre site is probably the most significant settlement from the Early Bronze Age IV period (late third millennium B.C.), with the only example of fortifications from that period in the whole of the Levant. The inhabitants of the site at that time were not as sophisticated as their Early Bronze Age II–III (early third millennium B.C.) forebears, but did engage 050in a wide variety of domestic and agricultural activities: Excavators have found tabuns (bread ovens), flint knives, spindle whorls, storage jars and possible cultic vessels, among other objects.

Director Suzanne Richard (Gannon University) hopes that work carried out in the 2004 season will bring about a better understanding of the site’s earlier phases (Early Bronze Age II and III). The site is open to visitors, and tours may be arranged in advance.

Kinneret

Kinneret (Tel Kinrot/Tell el-’Oreimeh) sits atop a hill looking over the Sea of Galilee from the northwest. From this commanding position, Kinneret once controlled local traffic on the Via Maris—the major trade route through the ancient Near East. Recent excavations at the site have yielded the well-preserved remains of an Iron Age city. Although only a fraction of the city has been unearthed so far, Kinneret was clearly one of the largest cities in Iron Age Israel, and was notable for its heavy fortifications and its high degree of town planning. The rich material culture unearthed in the Iron Age strata (finds include goods imported from Egypt, Syria and the Phoenician coast) bears witness to a lively and culturally diverse urban center.

Following fruitful excavations in the 1980s and 1990s, a joint German-Finnish-Swiss team—led by Jürgen Zangenberg (University of Wuppertal), Juha Pakkala (University of Helsinki) and Stefan Münger (University of Bern)—has been probing the site and its environs since 2002. The main aim of the 2004 season is to learn more about the Iron Age I (1150–1000 B.C.) city. In addition, the directors are planning a deep “vertical” cut (in contrast to excavations over a wide but shallow area) that might shed light on the history of Kinneret during the various phases of the Bronze Age.

Kursi

In the Gospels, Kursi is the site of the so-called “swine miracle,” in which Jesus drives “unclean 051spirits” out of a raving man and into a nearby herd of swine (Mark 5:19). In recent years, Kursi—just east of the Sea of Galilee—has emerged as a key site for the study of early Christianity. The fourth-century A.D. monastery at Kursi is the largest known Byzantine monastery in the Holy Land and was an important center of early Christian pilgrimage.

In the 2001 and 2002 seasons, excavations directed by Vassilios Tzaferis and Charles Page (Jerusalem Center for Biblical Studies) made the exciting discovery of a 26-by-36-foot Roman bathhouse containing jewelry, glass bottles and, intriguingly, a cache of Persian weapons—indicating that Persian invaders of the seventh century A.D. may have descended on Kursi and killed a group of pilgrims. This summer, Tzaferis and Page plan to explore what may have been a Christian community within the monastic walls. They invite visitors to join them at the site between 9 and 5 daily.

BAR article: Vassilios Tzaferis, “A Pilgrimage to the Site of the Swine Miracle,” BAR 15:02.

Megiddo

One of the most famous—and visually striking—archaeological sites in Israel, the mound of Megiddo rises 100 feet above the Jezreel Valley, overlooking what was the Via Maris trade route. Its history is long and battle-scarred. The Canaanite city that thrived through most of the second millennium B.C. was destroyed by fire, as was the slightly later Israelite-Philistine settlement. (Pharaoh Shishak I’s campaign through Israel in 925 B.C. was almost certainly responsible for one of these destructions.)

The first-century A.D. Book of Revelation designates the site as Armageddon, where the great battle at the end of days will take place. Megiddo even hosted a decisive battle in World War I, when the British Field Marshal Edmund Allenby and his forces routed a group 052of Turkish fighters from the tell. (Allenby borrowed his tactics from Pharaoh Thutmose III, who had captured the city after a long siege in the late 15th century B.C.)

In 2003 the Megiddo Expedition, directed by Israel Finkelstein (Tel Aviv University), Baruch Halpern (Pennsylvania State University) and David Ussishkin (Tel Aviv University), marked the centenary of the first excavation at Megiddo. This year the team will investigate the Early Bronze Age monumental temple, the Iron Age ashlar palace and the enigmatic Iron Age II stables. The site is a national park, open daily from 8 to 5.

BAR articles: Timothy P. Harrison, “The Battleground,” BAR 29:06; Amos Nur and Hagai Ron, “Earthquake! Inspiration for Armageddon,” BAR 23:04; Israel Finkelstein and David Ussishkin, “Back to Megiddo,” BAR 20:01; John D. Currid, “Puzzling Public Buildings,” BAR 18:01; Valerie M. Fargo, “Is the Solomonic City Gate at Megiddo Really Solomonic?” BAR 09:05; Dan Cole, “How Water Tunnels Worked,” BAR 06:02; Yigael Yadin, “In Defense of the Stable at Megiddo,” BAR 02:03.

Nahal David Caves

Are there more Dead Seas Scrolls waiting to be found? This excavation hopes to find out. Led by Haim Cohen (University of Haifa), the team plans to explore two caves in the rugged Judean desert near the Dead Sea. Both have a mikveh, a Jewish ritual bath, at their entrance. Preliminary investigations last year found that both caves were probably used by Jewish fighters during the Second Jewish Revolt (the Bar-Kokhba revolt) against Rome (132–135 A.D.); the caves were occupied during the Iron Age, as well. Why would the cave occupants have gone to so much trouble to build ritual baths in such a hostile environment? Cohen speculates that they might have been built for use by priests, who needed to purify themselves often. The caves are in the same area as the Cave of Letters and Cave of the Treasure, which yielded many great finds. All volunteers must be in excellent shape and have a doctor’s certificate of health. Hiking will be required; volunteers must have proper shoes, clothing and a hat.

Petra

This popular site among visitors to the Middle East, about 50 miles south of the Dead Sea in Jordan, is approached through a narrow ravine that abruptly opens to reveal a dramatic tableau of an entire city carved into towering rose-red sandstone cliffs. Though it was occupied from the Iron Age to the 20th century, Petra is best known as the capital of the Nabateans, who settled there during the Hellenistic 053period. The site is also associated with the Biblical city of Sela, in the land of the Edomites (Judges 1:36; 2 Kings 14:7).

Discoveries at Petra include the Temple of the Winged Lions (the most important Nabatean temple yet found), the Treasury of Pharaoh (a spectacular edifice carved into a cliff wall), a Roman-style theater and a necropolis. Philip C. Hammond (Arizona State University) will be leading the site’s season and will focus on the Temple of the Winged Lions. Guided tours of Petra are available, and the site is open to visitors all year.

BAR articles: Hershel Shanks, “The Petra Scrolls,” BAR 23:01; Avraham Negev, “Understanding the Nabateans,” BAR 14:06; Philip C. Hammond, “New Light on the Nabateans,” and Judith W. Shanks, “A Plea for the Bedoul Bedouin of Petra,” BAR 07:02.

Ramat Ha-Nadiv

This picturesque site lies on the southern edge of Mount Carmel and enjoys cool coastal breezes. Past excavations have uncovered a palatial complex dating to the time of King Herod (end of the first century B.C.); it was in use until the First Jewish Revolt against Rome (66–70 A.D.). The site contains very rich remains: palace walls found standing 7 feet high, lamps, glassware, coins and metal objects. In 2003, dig director Yizhar Hirschfeld (Hebrew University) and his team uncovered the palace garden; this year they will be excavating the palace’s residential area. The site is open daily from 8 to 4, and guided tours are available.

Tell es-Safi (Gath)

Identified as Biblical Gath, one of five important Philistine cities and the home of the giant Philistine warrior Goliath, Tell es-Safi was continuously inhabited from the Chalcolithic period until modern times. Previous excavations at the site, roughly halfway between Jerusalem and Ashkelon, have unearthed a unique dry siege moat from the Iron Age (perhaps built by Hazael of Aram; see 2 Kings 12:17) and an exceptionally well-preserved, late-ninth-century B.C. destruction level with many intact pottery vessels.

This summer, dig director Aren Maeir (Bar-Ilan University) will be exploring levels that mark the transition from Iron Age I to Iron Age II (about 1000 B.C.) and from the Late Bronze Age to Iron Age I (about 1200 B.C.). Visitors are welcome year-round, 054and tours are available by appointment.

BAR article: Aren M. Maeir and Carl S. Ehrlich, “Excavating Philistine Gath,” BAR 27:06.

Sha‘ar Hagolan

Sha‘ar Hagolan’s Excavators have called the site, located a mile south of the Sea of Galilee, a “prehistoric art center” because of the abundance of figurines produced there by a Neolithic people belonging to the Yarmukian culture. The finds include anthropomorphic figures made out of river cobbles and unique figurines made of clay and stone, including a very large female figure, possibly a goddess (featured in WorldWide, BAR, May/June 1999). Some of the finds from Sha’ar Hagolan have been exhibited at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and at the Louvre, in Paris.

Excavators have also uncovered monumental courtyard houses, the earliest street in Israel, decorated pottery vessels, many flint tools and arrowheads, stone bowls and numerous lithics. Dig director Yosef Garfinkel (Hebrew University) hopes to uncover more remains of architecture and of ancient art. The nearby Kibbutz Sha‘ar Hagolan has a museum largely devoted to finds from past digs; it is open to visitors daily between 9 and noon. Guided tours of the site are available by appointment.

BAR article: Yonathan Mizrachi, “Mystery Circles,” BAR 18:04. See also Yosef Garfinkel and Michele Miller, “The Yarwhosians?” in Archaeology Odyssey 03:03.

Tiberias

Tiberias was, and still is, the Sea of Galilee’s most important harbor; the Gospel of John calls the lake the Sea of Tiberias (John 21:1). The city was also an important center of Jewish life following the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Many important Jewish leaders during the Roman period resided here, and the Palestinian Talmud was compiled and edited in the city.

This spring will mark the excavation’s premier season and will be led by dig director Yizhar Hirschfeld (Hebrew University); associate director Katarina Galor (Brown University) will lead the field school and give lectures throughout the season. The excavators expect to make many finds that will require much registration work and are therefore opening the dig to volunteers of all ages.

Ya’amun

This site in northern Jordan was continuously occupied from the Early Bronze Age to the Islamic period. Excavators have uncovered 165 tombs at various necropoli at the site, a sixth-century A.D. church with a mosaic floor and two marble columns from the church’s chancel screen. Last year, the team, led by Jerome C. Rose (University of Arkansas) and Mahmoud El-Najjar (Yarmouk University) surveyed and mapped the entire site; that work will be the basis of excavations this summer. Tours are available by appointment.

Yotvata

Yotvata may be the oasis mentioned in Deuteronomy 10:7 as “Jotbathah, a land with brooks and water,” which served as one of the Israelites’ encampments during their desert wanderings. A late Roman period fort now occupies the site, 28 miles north of Eilat in the Great Rift Valley (the Arava). A monumental dedicatory inscription in Latin has already been exposed, and this year the directors (Jodi Magness, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Uzi Avner, Hebrew University; and Gwyn Davies, Florida International University) will continue to excavate the Roman fort and to expose other parts of the Roman occupation level. Visitors are welcome at any time during the dig, but tours are by appointment.

055

Zayit

Zayit (“olive”) lies 30 miles southwest of Jerusalem in an area rich in olive orchards. In ancient times it stood at the crossroads of four major routes that connected Egypt and the Philistia plain with Jerusalem and the highlands of Judah. As a result, people from many different cultures interacted at Zayit; for this reason, it was the site of fierce violence. Excavations have revealed two major destruction levels. The first occurred in the 13th century B.C.; the city recovered and even thrived but then was destroyed again in the ninth century B.C., perhaps by an invasion of Arameans from Damascus.

In earlier excavation seasons at Tel Zayit, volunteers helped discover a large Late Bronze Age public building, perhaps an Egyptian palace. This year dig director Ron E. Tappy (Pittsburgh Theological Seminary) will continue to expose the public building and complete the excavation of the ninth-century B.C. destruction level. Tel Zayit is open to visitors by appointment, and guided tours are available.

Abila of the Decapolis