A Guide to ’98 Digs: The Volunteer's View
Site Gazette
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Abila
Ten is Abila’s magic number as the site enters its tenth year of excavation. Situated about ten miles south of Irbid in northern Jordan, Abila is one of the cities of the Decapolis—a federation of ten cities in eastern Palestine (Matthew 4:25; Mark 5:20, 7:31). Several ancient writers mention the site, including Polybius, Pliny the Elder and the geographer Ptolemy. Evidence of human habitation at Abila ranges from 3500 B.C. to 1450 A.D. Many ruins can be seen on the site’s surface. The site consists of two mounds, Tell Abila in the north and Khirbet Umm el-’Amad (Ruins of the Mother of the Columns) in the south. The two mounds are separated by a saddle depression.
A cache of early church glass lamp fragments, five churches, a life-size statue of Artemis, an aqueduct system, painted tombs and a theater were uncovered during past excavations. In 1997 a large cavity was discovered just behind the main part of the theater. In 1998 dig director W. Harold Mare (Covenant Theological Seminary) plans to continue work on the theater, excavate more of Abila’s churches, uncover tombs, deepen the Early Bronze settlement probes and search for the Bronze Age cemetery. The site is open year round. Guided tours are available during the season; no appointment necessary.
BAR articles: Larry G. Herr, “Magic Carpets,” BAR 22:02; Yoram Tsafrir, “Ancient Churches in the Holy Land,” BAR 19:05.
Ashkelon
“Impressive ramparts towered over us, creating a dramatic backdrop to our daily work. Whole and broken pottery mingled with sand, animal bones, ash and numerous small finds. After years of dirt-floor tents and scorpions in my pack and boots, a hotel room with a personal shower was a welcome change.”
—Adam Aja
The Bible frequently mentions the Philistine city of Ashkelon, a major seaport of the Canaanites and Philistines from 3000 to 604 B.C. Samson, in a rage, killed 30 men there (Judges 14:19); “Proclaim it not in the bazaars of Ashkelon,” David lamented when he learned of the deaths of Saul and Jonathan, slain by the Philistines at the Battle of Gilboa (2 Samuel 1:20); and the prophet Jeremiah, in his oracle against the Philistines, declared that “Ashkelon has perished” and that “the sword of the Lord,” in the hands of King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army, was drawn “against Ashkelon and against the seashore” (Jeremiah 47:5–7).
Previous work at this large site, about 10 miles north of Gaza, uncovered a vast array of remains: the world’s oldest arched gateway, featured on the
BAR articles: Lawrence Stager, “The Fury of Babylon: Ashkelon and the Archaeology of Destruction,” BAR 22:01; “When Canaanites and Philistines Ruled Ashkelon,” BAR 17:02; “Why Were Hundreds of Dogs Buried at Ashkelon?” BAR 17:03; “Eroticism and Infanticide at Ashkelon,” BAR 17:04.
Beit Guvrin
Both Josephus and Ptolemy mention Beit Guvrin, which became the capital of southern Israel in 40 B.C., after the destruction of the former capital, nearby Maresha. Beit Guvrin lay at the intersection of five major roads and at its height covered approximately 110 acres. In 200 A.D., it became a Roman polis (city-state). Emperor Septimius Severus (1933–211 A.D.) granted it the largest amount of land of any city in Palestine. Occupied from 100 B.C. to the present, Beit Guvrin has yielded extensive remains from the Roman, Byzantine and Crusader periods, including a Roman-Byzantine amphitheater, public baths, mosaics and tombs, and a Crusader church and fortifications. In 1998 dig directors Amos Kloner and Michael Cohen (both of Bar-Ilan Univ.) will explore the bath’s underground vaults and further delineate the city plan. The site is open by appointment.
BAR article: Amos Kloner, “Underground Metropolis: The Subterranean World of Maresha,” BAR 23:02.
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Bethsaida
“You will be staying at the kibbutz and eating very healthy food. You will have a pleasant, relaxing vacation (the bus leaves at five every morning).”
—Dr. Elizabeth McNamer
The Gospels mention Bethsaida more often than any other town except Jerusalem and Capernaum. The birthplace of the apostles Peter, Andrew and Philip, Bethsaida was the town where Jesus restored a blind man’s sight (Mark 8:22–26) and fed the multitude (Luke 9:10–17). But until 1987, Bethsaida (which means “House of the Fisherman”) was a lost city. Important during the first century A.D., Bethsaida was destroyed by the Romans during the First Jewish Revolt (66–70 A.D.) and was never rebuilt. (The historian Flavius Josephus, who led the Jewish forces near here, claims he would have won the battle if he hadn’t fallen from his horse and sprained his wrist.) Rami Arav (Univ. of Nebraska, Omaha) found the Biblical city through probes and surveys; he was responsible for getting it on official state maps for the first time in 1989.
Located on the east side of the Jordan River, slightly north of the Sea of Galilee, Bethsaida has yielded Roman and Hellenistic houses, an unusual statue of the Egyptian god Pataekos (shown on the
BAR article: Rami Arav, “An Iron Age Amulet from the Galilee,” BAR 21:01.
Caesarea Maritima
“Education is first and foremost at Caesarea, the Rolls Royce of digs.”
—Greg Hobson
On the Mediterranean coast between Tel Aviv and Haifa, the site of Caesarea Maritima covers a vast area of 235 acres. Occupied since the third or fourth century B.C. through the Crusader period, Caesarea first became a city under Roman rule, but it reached its zenith during the Byzantine period. Caesarea is where the apostle Paul was imprisoned (Acts 23–25) and where the apostle Peter first converted gentiles to Christianity (Acts 10). According to Josephus, Herod built the city between 22 and 10 B.C. on the site of an earlier Phoenician and Hellenistic trading station known as Strato’s Tower. Herod named it in honor of his patron, Caesar Augustus. The large artificial harbor he built there made the city a major port, the only all-weather haven for ships on his kingdom’s coast. It could hold the entire Roman fleet and was noted in antiquity as an engineering marvel. Caesarea remained a major port for a thousand years.
Marine excavators have been exploring the harbor in recent years. On land their colleagues have uncovered myriad structures—including the ancient city’s street plan, a well-preserved aqueduct system, a theater, a circus, a waterfront warehouse complex, several baths, shops and dwellings, and the remains of an early Christian church built over the ruins of King Herod’s temple to Roma and Augustus. Splendid Crusader fortifications have also been uncovered. Since the 1950s the site has yielded a vast assortment of statuary, inscriptions—including one bearing the name of the Roman governor Pontius Pilate—coins, mosaics, ceramics and other finds. In 1998 dig directors Kenneth G. Holum (Univ. of Maryland, College Park), Joseph Patrich and Avner Raban (both at the Univ. of Haifa) plan to investigate the underwater architectural remains within the harbor. On land, they will explore the Herodian temple to Roma and Augustus, the overlying Christian church and later Islamic mosque, and the Roman period domestic and mercantile buildings in the Jewish and Christian quarter of the ancient city. The site is open to visitors year round, and guided tours are available. No appointment is necessary.
BAR articles: “Caesarea Maritima Yields More Treasures,” BAR 20:01; Barbara Burrell, Kathryn Gleason and Ehud Netzer, “Uncovering Herod’s Seaside Palace,” BAR 19:03; 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; Robert L. Hohlfelder, “Caesarea Beneath the Sea,” BAR 08:03 and Robert J. Bull, “Caesarea Maritima—The Search for Herod’s City,” BAR 08:03.
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Tel Dor
Tel Dor, which lies on the Mediterranean coast about 15 miles south of Haifa, is the site of massive excavations. One of the Canaanite cities defeated by Joshua (Joshua 12:23), Dor was founded by the Canaanites as early as 1900 B.C. and fell to the Sikils—a Sea People tribe—in 1200 B.C. The Phoenicians (Canaanites pushed north by Sea Peoples) reconquered the city in 1050 B.C. and dominated its culture for the next 800 years. Politically, however, Dor came under Israelite control, becoming the capital of one of Solomon’s administrative districts, ruled by Solomon’s son-in-law (1 Kings 4:11). It played an important role in ancient Israel’s economy. The Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser III conquered Dor in 732 B.C. and made it an administrative center. In the Hellenistic period, Dor was a major fortress. In 137 B.C. the Syrian king Trypho withstood a siege there by Antiochus VII before managing to escape (1 Maccabees 15:10–14, 25, 37–39). The city continued to thrive in the Roman period. Its last occupation is marked by the ruins of a Crusader fortress from the 13th century.
Past excavations revealed gates and fortifications from the Hellenistic, Persian and Iron Age cities; sling stones from the siege of Antiochus VII; and the Roman city’s aqueduct, main street, sanctuaries, basilicas, forum and stoa. Archaeologists also found two Iron I destruction levels with Philistine pottery, a skeleton crushed beneath a fallen wall and early Phoenician artifacts. An inscribed cow’s collarbone found at the site was reported in the January/February 1995 BAR (see “Prize Find: Priestly Blessing of a Voyage,” BAR 21:01). In 1998 dig directors Ephraim Stern (Hebrew Univ.) and Howard Goldfried (California State Univ., Sacramento) will expand the Late Bronze and Iron Age excavations. They will also concentrate on a Roman bakery. The site is open to visitors during the season in the mornings. Guided tours are available by appointment only.
BAR articles: Ephraim Stern, “Priestly Blessing of a Voyage,” BAR 21:01; “The Many Masters of Dor,” three parts—“The Many Masters of Dor,” BAR 19:01, “The Many Masters Of Dor, Part 2: How Bad Was Ahab?” BAR 19:02 and “The Many Masters Of Dor, Part 3: The Persistence of Phoenician Culture,” BAR 19:03.
Ein Gedi
“Ein Gedi is a beautiful sunlit oasis on the Dead Sea with absolutely amazing flora and fauna and weather. We swam in the Dead Sea—just feet away from the tent camp we lived in—and also enjoyed sulfur baths and mud treatments at nearby spas.”
—Yekaterina G. Umarova, 1996 BAR dig scholarship winner
On the western coast of the Dead Sea between Masada and Qumran, the desert oasis of Ein Gedi enters its third season of excavation in 1998. A Roman-Byzantine Jewish village, Ein Gedi relied primarily on the production of balsam—an expensive aromatic oil—for subsistence. According to Josephus, the Queen of Sheba brought balsam trees to Israel, where she presented them to King Solomon (1 Kings 10:10). In the Talmud, balsam oil is identified as the Balm of Gilead (Jeremiah 8:22).
Past excavations have uncovered the balsam-processing installation of the village, the remains of a bathhouse, water installations, a water mill, ancient terraces, a synagogue, streets and shops. Dig director Yizhar Hirschfeld anticipates work on the small huts and agricultural terraces located on the fringes of the oasis. He hopes to uncover evidence of the Essenes, believed by many scholars to have occupied nearby Qumran. The site is open to visitors, and no appointment is necessary. No guided tours are available.
BAR articles: “The Balm of Gilead,” BAR 22:05; “Clumsy Forger Fools the Scholars—But Only for a Time,” BAR 10:03; “The Ark That Wasn’t There,” BAR 09:04.
El-Ahwat and EP 146
Located on a high hill 9 miles east of Caesarea, el-Ahwat is the site of the northwestern-most Israelite settlement in the region of Manasseh. Previous seasons at the site, which was occupied between the Late Bronze Age and the early Iron Age, revealed a large, heavily fortified Iron Age I village, with a city wall, towers and a gate. Excavator Adam Zertal (Haifa Univ.) believes the site was probably settled by the Shardana, one of the Sea Peoples. Cylinder seals, Egyptian scarabs, several bronzes and pottery were discovered at the site. In 1998 Zertal hopes to expose the city wall and the water system and to clear the stratigraphy. He also plans to conduct a survey called EP 146. If you want to see how the stage is set for a dig and how archaeologists determine whether they will initiate excavations, this combination dig and survey is the place for you. El-Ahwat is open to visitors during the dig and later in the year by appointment. Guided tours are available.
Gamla
Perched on a narrow spur in the Golan Heights, far above the Sea of Galilee, lies Gamla, surrounded on all sides by steep ravines. The history of its settlement stretches from the Early Bronze Age, when it was one of the largest cities in the Golan, to 67 A.D., when it was annihilated by the Romans. The crucial battle fought and lost here by Jewish forces during the First Jewish Revolt may have been the turning point of that war, which ended in Jewish defeat and the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. The Jewish historian and military leader Flavius Josephus described Gamla’s fall in his works The Jewish War and The Antiquities of the Jews.
Previous excavations revealed the remains of this battle—including more than 1,600 iron arrowheads and 1,000 basalt ballista stones, pieces of Roman armor, a destroyed tower and breached walls. The earliest known 044synagogue was discovered here, as were many unique coins and seals. In 1998 dig director Danny Syon (Israel Antiquities Authority) plans to expand the excavations of the city’s neighborhoods, possibly to include a public building. The site is open to visitors (without an appointment) Fridays to Sundays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and occasionally on weekdays. Guided tours are available by appointment.
BAR articles: Danny Syon, “Gamla—Portrait of a Rebellion,” BAR 18:01; Shlomit Nemlich and Ann Killebrew, “Rediscovering the Ancient Golan—The Golan Archaeological Museum,” BAR 14:06; “Gamla—Masada of the North,” BAR 05:01 and Flavius Josephus, “The Fall of Gamla,” BAR 05:01.
Har Karkom
Touted as Mt. Sinai by dig director Emmanuel Anati (Centro Camuno di Studi Preistorici), Har Karkom was, in the very least, a popular gathering place for nomads over the millennia. The 75-square-mile area around this southern site boasts 40,000 petroglyphs—the largest concentration of rock art in the Negev. A Prehistoric shrine, dating to about 30000 B.C., indicates that the mountain was sacred from the earliest times. Geoglyphs (large pebble drawings) on the mountain appear to be offerings made by a 045Bronze Age people. Har Karkom itself has yielded numerous ceremonial sites, altars, orthostats and funerary mounds, making it one of the major religious high places of the Bronze Age in the Sinai.
After 19 years of study, excavations at Har Karkom have produced enough material to fill four volumes of the site’s final report, and six more will probably be needed to accommodate the 22,000 photos, ten thousand pages of text and hundreds of plans, drawings and tracings. The 1998 expedition will explore new areas; survey caves; study Prehistoric hut basements, flint workshops and fireplaces; investigate stone-built sites from the Bronze Age; and record rock art. But be warned—a dig in the heart of the desert requires particular dedication. The team will camp at the foot of the mountain, and water, fuel and other daily necessities will be brought from more than 60 miles away by desert vehicles.
BAR articles: Emmanuel Anati, “Has Mt. Sinai Been Found?” BAR 11:04; “30,000-Year-Old Sanctuary Found at Har Karkom,” BAR 19:01; and Israel Finkelstein, “Raider of the Lost Mountain,” BAR 14:04.
Tel Harassim
Harassim lies in the center of the Shephelah, the hilly region bordered on the east by the Judean plateau and on the west by the coastal plain and the Mediterranean Sea. David defeated the Philistines twice in battles in this region—once when he killed the Philistine’s champion, Goliath, during King Saul’s reign (1 Samuel 17), and again during his own reign, when he used his knowledge of the climate and terrain to vanquish the Philistines at the valley of Rephaim (2 Samuel 5:22–25). Though occupied at the time, Harassim’s history during this period is largely unknown. Past excavations have uncovered a large Late Bronze Age city-state that was destroyed and later rebuilt by the Israelites and an Iron Age II fortress. Dig director Shmuel Givon (Bar-Ilan Univ.) will continue to explore both settlements in 1998. The site is open to visitors year round. No appointment is necessary, and guided tours are available during the dig season.
Hazor
“Hazor is unparalleled by any other site in the country,” Yigael Yadin wrote, in testament to the site’s “enormous size and peculiar features.” Yadin, Israel’s most famous archaeologist and Hazor’s first excavator, also noted that numerous references to the city in extra-Biblical sources made Hazor “almost unique among Palestinian cities.” These include the Egyptian Execration Texts (c. 19th–18th centuries B.C.), which curse Hazor as an enemy of Egypt, and tablets from the royal archive at the Mesopotamian city of Mari, one of which notes that Hammurabi, the king of Babylon (1792–1750 B.C.), had ambassadors residing in Hazor.
Located in northern Galilee, Hazor played an important role in Joshua’s conquests. Its king, Jabin, gathered together a league of kings to oppose Joshua. After Joshua’s victory, he singled out Hazor and burnt it (Joshua 11:1–13). Jabin also appears in the prose story of the battle between Deborah and Sisera (Judges 4). Solomon apparently rebuilt the city (1 Kings 9:15), which finally disappears from the Biblical record after its conquest by the Assyrian ruler Tiglath-pileser III in 732 B.C. (2 Kings 15:29). Excavations at Hazor have discovered a fragment of a royal letter addressed “To Ibni,” a name similar in derivation to Jabin.
The site contains a wide variety of Canaanite and Israelite structures, including an underground water system, palaces and temples. Cuneiform tablets, sculptures (some architectural, like the lion featured, opposite) and jewelry have also been discovered. In 1998, dig director Amnon Ben-Tor (Hebrew Univ.), still in search of a major cuneiform archive, plans to expand the excavation of the Canaanite palace and cultic area. The site is a national park open to visitors every day from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. No tours are available, and no appointments are necessary.
BAR articles: “Babylonian Tablet Confirms Biblical Name,” BAR 20:05; Hershel Shanks, “Ben-Tor, Long Married, Will Return to Hazor,” BAR 16:01;
Israel Archaeological Society
Choosing the best dig to join can be an overwhelming task. If you just can’t make up your mind, the Israel Archaeological Society (not to be confused with the nonprofit Israel Exploration Society) could solve yourproblem. This private organization offers volunteers the opportunity to explore several sites by joining any one of a combination of archaeological excavations in Jerusalem, Safut (north of Amman) and Ein Gedi. Past excavations uncovered a brick stamped with the imprint of the Tenth Roman Legion (covered in “Searching For Roman Jerusalem,” BAR 23:06), a Jewish village, pagan idols, a Roman amphitheater, Crusader buildings and a church. The 1998 excavations offer volunteers the chance to uncover more of the complete Jewish village and to tour Israelite, Christian, Muslim and Persian sites in Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt. The trip includes a Nile cruise.
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Tall Jalul
The largest and most centrally located site in the Madaba Plains in central Jordan, Tall Jalul promises to provide a better understanding of the area’s sociohistorical development. Occupied from the Early Bronze Age to the late Iron Age II-Persian period, the site lies 20 miles south of Amman. Previous seasons have uncovered a massive destruction during Iron Age I, two superimposed paved roadways leading to a gate, three piers of an early Iron II outer gatehouse, the foundation of an inner gatehouse, a late Iron II pillared building, pottery, a necklace of glass and semiprecious stones, fine clay figurines in Egyptian style, engraved seals in Ammonite script and an incense stand from the Persian period. In 1998 dig director Randall W. Younker (Andrews Univ.) hopes to expose more Iron Age areas. The site is open to visitors weekdays during the season. Guided tours are available. Appointments are helpful.
BAR articles: Larry G. Herr, “Whatever Happened to the Ammonites?” and “The Search for Biblical Heshbon,” BAR 19:06.
Tel Malhata
The Biblical name of this important site 10 miles south of Arad, in the Negev, remains a mystery despite the discovery of Iron Age city walls, buildings and related artifacts. Past suggestions have included Moladah (Joshua 19:2; 1 Chronicles 4:28), Hormah (Numbers 21:3) and even Arad. The site was occupied from the Middle Bronze Age through the Roman period. City walls and towers and Edomite figurines have been discovered at the site. This year dig directors Bruce Cresson (Baylor Univ.) and Itzhak Beit-Arieh (Tel Aviv Univ.) plan to clarify the stratigraphy and the city’s defenses. The site is closed to visitors.
Megiddo
Surrounded by mighty fortifications, equipped with sophisticated water installations and adorned with impressive palaces and temples, Megiddo features some of the most elaborate Iron Age architectural remains in Israel. It lies 12 miles southwest of Nazareth, Jesus’ hometown. Its location in the Jezreel Valley, near important military and trade routes, made it a frequent battleground in ancient times.
The Song of Deborah (Judges 5) describes a battle won on the outskirts of Megiddo, but in Joshua 17 it is listed among the Canaanite cities not conquered by the tribe of Manasseh. During the reign of King Solomon (965–928 B.C.), Megiddo became the center of a royal province (1 Kings 4:12) and one of Solomon’s building projects (1 Kings 9:15). Pharaoh Shishak conquered the city during his campaign against Israel in the days of King Rehoboam (928–911 B.C.); previous excavations found part of a stela that Shishak erected at the site. In 609 B.C. King Josiah of Judah was slain in a battle against Pharaoh Necho’s forces at Megiddo (2 Kings 23:29). Megiddo’s long martial history is aptly reflected in the Book of Revelation (16:12–16), which designates Armageddon (the Mount of Megiddo) as the site where, at the end of days, the demons will gather the hosts of the nations for the ultimate battle against the forces of God.
The remains of more than 20 cities in its occupational layers and an unparalleled number of artifacts, including a hoard of ivories and many inscriptions, have been recovered from the site. In 1998 dig directors Israel Finkelstein, David Ussishkin (both of Tel Aviv Univ.) and Baruch Halpern (Penn. State) plan to unearth a monumental Early Bronze temple and a Solomonic ashlar palace. They want to establish the date of the beginning of the Israelite monarchy. The site is a national park with set hours and an entrance fee. An orientation center offers an overview of the site. No appointment is necessary.
BAR articles: 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.
Khirbet al-Mudayna
Located 24 miles south of Amman, Khirbet al-Mudayna has yielded occupational layers from the Iron Age to the Nabatean period. An Iron Age casemate wall system and a six-chambered gate—similar in style to gates found at Megiddo, Gezer and Hazor—have been discovered there. A piece of armor scale and arrowheads suggest the city suffered a violent end. Other Iron Age finds include female and animal figurines, two large stone basins with inscribed designs, Moabite inscriptions on pottery sherds and seal impressions.
At the foot of the tell a settlement was found dating to the Nabatean-early Roman period. A building (possibly a temple), Nabatean painted ware, terra sigillata pottery, an adjacent reservoir and graffiti all date to this period. In 1998 dig director P.M. Michèle Daviau plans to excavate the road through the six-chambered gate and continue work on the Roman reservoir and Nabatean building. The site is open Sundays through Thursdays by appointment during the season.
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Petra
Petra means stone, and about 50 miles south of the Dead Sea, in Jordan, the city stands, carved in sandstone. Though its occupation has stretched from the Iron Age to the present, Petra was most notably the capital of the Nabatean kingdom in Edom. The Nabateans settled at Petra during the Hellenistic period.
A royal house, national shrines and a necropolis have been discovered at Petra, but few private buildings have been found. Excavators surmise that the city’s residents either lived in Gaia, a small town to the east, or in tents. The focus of the 1998 excavations is the Temple of the Winged Lions. Dig directors Philip C. Hammond (Univ. of Utah) and David J. Johnson (Brigham Young Univ.) plan to further excavate, conserve and study the sculptured stone of the temple.
BAR articles: Avraham Negev, “Understanding the Nabateans,” BAR 14:6; Philip C. Hammond, “New Light on the Nabateans,” BAR 07:02 and Judith W. Shanks, “A Plea for the Bedoul Bedouin of Petra,” BAR 07:02.
Tel Rehov
“The first season at Rehov was both exciting and intimidating. One of the largest mounds in Israel, Rehov has only begun to be uncovered. This tell promises many exciting seasons to come.”
—Jessica Redford, 1997 BAR dig scholarship winner
Located two miles from Beth-Shean in northern Israel, Tel Rehov was one of the largest Iron Age cities in the Beth-Shean valley in Israel. Occupied from the Middle Bronze Age to the Iron Age, Rehov was undoubtedly a major city during the time of the Biblical judges and the Israelite monarchy. The Bible and extra-Biblical historical sources mention Rehov, but the only definite reference to this site is in Egyptian sources dating to the New Kingdom (15th–12th century B.C.).
Excavations initiated last year revealed successive occupational layers; large, well-preserved buildings; the remains of the Iron Age II city, which was destroyed by the Assyrians in the eighth century B.C.; a unique pottery cult stand from the tenth century B.C.; and clay figurines. In 1998 dig director Amihai Mazar (Hebrew Univ.) will continue work on the five areas opened last season, especially the tenth-century B.C. layers.
Tell Safut
Eight miles southwest of Amman, Jordan, Tell Safut has been proposed as the site of Nobah, a city Gideon passed through as he pursued the Midianite army (Judges 8:11). As part of the Ammonite kingdom, Safut served as an defensive-administrative center overseeing the large valley below it. It has yielded major buildings from the Late Bronze Age and from the late Iron Age to the Persian period, Ammonite painted ware and a Baal-type seated figure. In 1998 dig director Donald Wimmer (Seton Hall Univ.) will explore Iron Age and possibly Late Bronze Age occupations. The site is open to visitors year round. Tours are available in July. No appointment is necessary.
Sepphoris
When Josephus saw Sepphoris he called it “the ornament of all Galilee.” Three miles northwest of Nazareth, the hometown of Jesus, 048Sepphoris is the traditional birthplace of Mary, his mother. Continuously occupied from the Iron Age to the present, Sepphoris was the capital of the district of Galilee from 57 to 55 B.C. after Herod Antipas, an heir of Herod the Great, rebuilt the city on a grand scale. Following the Second Jewish Revolt against Rome (132–135 A.D.), Sepphoris became the seat of the Sanhedrin, the central legal and spiritual council of the Jewish people. Around 200 A.D. Sepphoris resident Rabbi Judah HaNasi (Judah the Prince) compiled the Mishnah, the first major collection of rabbinical legal rules and the core of the Talmud. The city continued to serve as a major regional capital until the invasion of the Arabs in 640 A.D.
Finds at Sepphoris include a Roman villa, tower, theater, reservoir and an aqueduct; a ritual bath for the Jewish inhabitants (dating from the first to fourth centuries A.D.); a colorful mosaic synagogue floor depicting the zodiac; and a peristyle building with the famous “Mona Lisa of the Galilee” mosaic (from the third century A.D.). In 1998 dig director James F. Strange (Univ. of South Florida) plans to disclose the stratigraphy and architecture on the north side of the basilica building. The site is a national park, open to visitors for a fee from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. Guides may be hired at the park. No appointment is necessary.
BAR articles: Ehud Netzer and Zeev Weiss, “New Mosaic Art from Sepphoris,” BAR 18:06; Richard A. Batey, “Sepphoris—An Urban Portrait of Jesus,” BAR 18:03; and “Mosaic Masterpiece Dazzles Sepphoris Volunteers,” BAR 14:01.
Sha’ar ha-Golan
One mile south of the Sea of Galilee, Sha’ar ha-Golan is one of the oldest sites covered in this section. Dating back to prehistory, the site has yielded a large number of finds, particularly from the Neolithic period (8300–4500 B.C.). The earliest pottery in Israel yet discovered was found there, as well as monumental Neolithic architecture. More than 150 human figurines found at Sha’ar ha-Golan make it the largest prehistoric art center discovered in Israel. In 1998 dig directors Yosef Garfinkel (Hebrew Univ.) and Michele Miller plan to uncover a monumental Neolithic complex. The museum at Kibbutz Sha’ar ha-Golan is open to the public.
BAR article: Yonathan Mizrachi, “Mystery Circles,” BAR 18:04.
Tell Tanninim
Although Tanninim was occupied from the middle Persian period to the Crusader period, much about this Mediterranean coastal site, which lies 3 miles north of Caesarea Maritima, remains unknown. Water installations, fishponds, a bath and mosaics were discovered in the previous two seasons of excavation. In 1998 dig director Robert R. Stieglitz (Rutgers Univ.) plans to uncover more of the site. Visitors are welcome all year. No guided tours are available, and no appointment is necessary.
Tall al-‘Umayri
When Jephthah subdued the Ammonites, “he smote them … as far as Abel Keramim” (Judges 11:33), the ruins of which today constitute Tall al-‘Umayri, a site in Jordan nearly 7 miles south of Amman. Occupied from about 3000 B.C. to 500 B.C., the site has been linked with the Ammonite king Baalis (Jeremiah 40:14) and with Pharaoh Thutmose III (c. 1479–1425 B.C.). During the Biblical period, the city served as an administrative center for the Ammonites. It was near their southern border with the Moabites.
In past seasons, excavators have found an Early Bronze Age megalithic tomb; an Early Bronze Age jar containing more than 4,000 chickpeas; a jar handle stamped with the cartouche of Thutmose III; an 11th-century B.C. casemate defense system with a moat; a late Iron Age acropolis and citadel; a Persian administrative complex; and a sixth-century B.C. impression bearing Baalis’s name. Part of the Madaba Plains Project, Tall al-‘Umayri will be excavated next season by dig director Larry G. Herr (Canadian Univ. College), who plans to continue exposing the early Iron I defenses and settlement on its northwestern escarpment and on the southwestern side toward the south. He also hopes to excavate the Persian administrative complex further. The site is open 049to visitors weekdays during the season. Guided tours are available. No appointments are necessary.
BAR articles: Larry G. Herr, “What Ever Happened to the Ammonites?” BAR 19:06 and “The Search for Biblical Heshbon,” BAR 19:06.
Khirbet Yatir
In Joshua 15:48 Yatir is allotted to Judah. After defeating the Amalekites, David shared the spoils with the elders of Judah, including one in Yatir (1 Samuel 30:27). The Bible also identifies the site as a Levite town assigned, along with its pastures, to Aaron and his descendants (Joshua 21:14).
Located among rolling hills about 9 miles northwest of Arad, Yatir was occupied from the Early Bronze Age through the Mameluke period (1291–1516 A.D.). The remains of two Byzantine public buildings and a Byzantine monastery paved with a mosaic floor have been discovered. The floor is decorated with what appear to be magical symbols and a dated inscription. In 1998 dig directors Hanan Eshel (Bar-Ilan Univ.), Jodi Magness (Tufts Univ.) and Eli Shenhav (Jewish National Fund) will focus on those two public buildings.
Yavneh-Yam
The site of ancient Jamnia, Yavneh-Yam lies on the Mediterranean coast, 9 miles south of Tel Aviv. This maritime stronghold of Hellenized Phoenicians played a significant role in the second-century B.C. Maccabean Revolt, the Jews’ struggle to free themselves from their Greek rulers. The Jewish leader Judas Maccabeus pursued the army of Gorgias to the plain of Jamnia (1 Maccabees 4:15) and burned the harbor of Jamnia and the fleet that was in it (2 Maccabees 12:8–9). In other incidents, Gorgias defeated a Jewish army that was marching on Jamnia (1 Maccabees 5:58–61), and Apollonius, governor of Syria, assembled in Jamnia the army that would be defeated by Jonathan at Azotous (1 Maccabees 10:69). The Book of Judith (2:28) also mentions the city as one of several terrorized by Nebuchadnezzar’s general, Holofernes.
Remains from the Hellenistic to the Persian periods have been uncovered at the site, along with sherds of Greek red-figure pottery and a statuette of a girl playing a stringed instrument. In 1998 dig director Moshe Fischer will continue uncovering the Hellenistic and Persian strata. The site is open to visitors. Guided tours are available. No appointment is necessary.
Our thanks to all those who sent us photographs this year, especially Ilan Stzulman/Ashkelon; Rami Arav and Wendi Chairbos/Bethsaida; Scott Ewald, Aaron Levin, Arik Baltinester, Avner Raban and Fred Winter/Combined Caesarea Expedition; Yizhar Hirschfeld/Ein Gedi; Amnon Ben-Tor/Selz Foundation Hazor Excavations in Memory of Yigael Yadin; Arthur Greenberg/Israel Archaeology Society; Eric H. Cline and Israel Finkelstein/Megiddo; Philip C. Hammond/Petra; John Camp/Tel Rehov Archaeological Project; Arlan Blodgett/Sha’ar ha-Golan Excavation; Jodi Magness/Yatir.
Abila
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