Editor’s Foreword
In 1990, the archaeological community observed the centenary of archaeological activity in the Holy Land. Sir Flinders Petrie, excavating at Tell
A multitude of publications bearing directly or indirectly on the archaeology of the Holy Land appeared over the years—final and preliminary reports on the results of excavations, summaries, monographs, and other articles dealing with various periods and topics or with specific sites. Yet through most of the twentieth century there was a dearth of reference books that would enable serious studies of the country and its antiquities. In the early 1960s, the Executive Committee of the Israel Exploration Society responded. Joseph Aviram, the society’s director, and the late Professor Yigael Yadin recommended the publication of a comprehensive work summarizing the research being carried out at Israel’s inland and maritime sites. The publication became the first encyclopedia in Hebrew of archaeological excavations in the Land of Israel. It was published in two volumes in 1970, covering the research through 1968. Some years later, an expanded English version was envisioned and Professor Michael Avi-Yonah was entrusted with the task. Following his death, the present editor brought the work to completion. The Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land was updated and published in English between 1975 and 1978. In the 1980s the need was again felt for a new edition of the encyclopedia to cover the latest discoveries and update existing entries. The Executive Committee of the Israel Exploration Society appointed the present editor to this task in 1987, when it was decided to publish a Hebrew edition—updated to 1990—and an English edition—updated to 1991. The Hebrew edition was jointly published by the Israel Exploration Society and Carta, the Israel Map and Publishing Company, Ltd. The latter coordinated the editorial process and designed and produced the volumes. The English edition, Volumes 1–4, was a joint venture of the Israel Exploration Society, Carta, and Simon & Schuster’s Academic Reference Division.
Since the publication in 1993 of the four volumes of the New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land (NEAEH), archaeological excavations have continued at a staggering pace. Many of the entries of those four volumes quickly became outdated, and the need arose for this volume, which updates the NEAEH to the year 2005. It is a joint endeavor of the Israel Exploration Society and the Biblical Archaeological Society. The Israel Exploration Society is directed by Joseph Aviram, who conceived and realized the project. His vision was a guiding force throughout all of its stages. The Biblical Archaeology Society is directed by Hershel Shanks, whose input has been an invaluable contribution.
The volume contains two types of entries: new entries for sites or topics not appearing in Volumes 1–4; and updated information for sites in those volumes. In addition to the comprehensive bibliographies compiled by Nira Naveh for all of the entries in Volume 5, the volume includes bibliographic updates for sites appearing in Volumes 1–4 that have not been otherwise updated in Volume 5; these are presented in a bibliographic appendix. The bibliographies, like the entries, are updated to the year 2005.
The chronological scope of the NEAEH extends from the dawn of human creativity to the Ottoman period, covering the breadth and depth of the history of the Holy Land. The geographical area covered includes the traditional boundaries of the Holy Land on both sides of the Jordan River. In Jordan, as in Israel, a very large number of archaeological excavations have been conducted in recent years. Limited time and resources left the editors no choice but to summarize the main discoveries at sites in Jordan since 1991 in a single lengthy entry under the heading “Jordan.” This entry is subdivided according to major chronological and geographical divisions (excluding, unfortunately, much of prehistory). The presentation of Jordan’s archaeology thus resembles other overviews of geographical regions in the NEAEH. Consequently, the more important sites in Jordan are not presented as individual entries in Volume 5, meaning that certain sites of lesser importance in Israel are given somewhat more thorough treatment than sites arguably of much greater importance in Jordan. Despite this, every effort has been made to cover the full breadth of archaeological inquiry in the region with special attention to its more notable sites.
The editors have striven to maintain the tone of the many voices and the terminological preferences of the individual contributors, while adhering to the stylistic guidelines established in Volumes 1–4. A variety of proper names are used to designate the geographical regions examined in the encyclopedia. Some are ancient, such as Canaan, Judea, Ammon, Moab, Philistia, Transjordan, and Palestine; others are modern, such as Israel, Jordan, and Syria. The editors have done their professional best to maintain consistency and scope, in order to achieve cohesiveness in presenting this mass of information. The conclusions and opinions in these volumes are, however, those of the contributors and must remain their responsibility. Other interpretations of the findings at a site can often be found in works mentioned in the appended bibliographies.
The map appearing on this volume’s endpapers shows all sites covered in Volumes 1–5 of the NEAEH. Map grid references for the sites appearing in these volumes are presented as an appendix in table form in the back of this volume. Noted on the same table are the main chronological periods represented at each site, a feature new to Volume 5 and an invaluable summarizing tool for scholars and students alike. Indices of site names and personal names have been updated to cover all five volumes, and slightly revised chronological tables have been brought in the back of the volume.
A work of this scope could only have been a team effort. A total of 163 archaeologists contributed to this volume alone. The editors have been guided by the principle that entries on sites should be authored by someone heading excavations or at least working as part of the expedition. Only in cases when excavators were not available were others invited to contribute. A second principle was to invite the latest archaeologist to conduct a dig at any given site. Authors’ names are indicated at the end of each entry.
Heartfelt thanks are due to each of these authors, who contributed the fruits of their research. The Israel Antiquities Authority merits special credit in this regard, given the scope of its archaeological excavation projects and encouragement of its staff to contribute to this volume. I would also like to express my gratitude to the members of the editorial board—Dan Bahat, Uzi Dahari, Gideon Foerster, Avi Gopher, Raphael Greenberg, Eliezer D. Oren, Ronny Reich, and Myriam Rosen-Ayalon—and to the members of the advisory board. Each has contributed to the success of this project. The bibliographies were meticulously generated and organized by Nira Naveh, whose arduous efforts merit the highest praise. The map reference points for sites in Volume 5 were compiled by Yehuda Dagan. The remainder of the appended table on which those points appear was composed by Amit Re’em, who noted the main chronological periods represented at each site in all five volumes of the work. The manuscript editor of this volume was Ben Gordon, who offered crucial insight and input throughout the editing and publication process. I also offer thanks to other assistant manuscript editors and translators who contributed to the project; to Ravit Nenner-Soriano for assisting with graphics; to Yoni Gamliel of Tavim Publishing, the typesetter and layout assistant; and to Avraham Pladot of Old City Press, who loyally and willingly came to our aid at every stage of the project, and so competently guided the layout of this massive volume. Finally, it is with great pleasure that I acknowledge the perseverance, diligence, and devotion of Hillel Geva and Alan Paris, our associate editors.
Most of the illustrations in these volumes have been provided by the authors and the institutions with which they are affiliated, too numerous to mention here. I extend grateful thanks to all of them and particularly to the Israel Antiquities Authority, the Israel Museum, the Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the École Biblique et Archéologique Française (Jerusalem), the Nelson Glueck School of Biblical Archaeology of the Hebrew Union College (Jerusalem), the Palestine Exploration Fund (London), the British Museum, the Louvre, the Oriental Institute (University of Chicago), the Department of Antiquities of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and the American Center of Oriental Research. I would like to make special mention of Gabi Laron, photographer of the Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, whose photographs appear throughout this volume (pp. 1619, 1625–1643, 1678, 1719, 1749, 1750, 1779, 1780, 1799, 1801, 1816, 1936–1939, 2005, 2014–2016, 2030–2034, 2037, 2053, 2054, Color Pls. II, XIX, XX, XXIV–XXVI).
I wish to end on a personal note. Every editor is interested in serving the audience he or she addresses. From the reception of the previous editions, I understood how important this encyclopedia is to researchers and all those interested in the archaeology and history of the Holy Land. It has also been my desire to continue the production of the encyclopedia for the benefit of my colleagues, those true stalwarts whose love of the land is revealed in their life’s work. Their enthusiasm and expertise have been a source of inspiration to me throughout my professional life. To all of them, this work is dedicated.
EPHRAIM STERN
In 1990, the archaeological community observed the centenary of archaeological activity in the Holy Land. Sir Flinders Petrie, excavating at Tell
A multitude of publications bearing directly or indirectly on the archaeology of the Holy Land appeared over the years—final and preliminary reports on the results of excavations, summaries, monographs, and other articles dealing with various periods and topics or with specific sites. Yet through most of the twentieth century there was a dearth of reference books that would enable serious studies of the country and its antiquities. In the early 1960s, the Executive Committee of the Israel Exploration Society responded. Joseph Aviram, the society’s director, and the late Professor Yigael Yadin recommended the publication of a comprehensive work summarizing the research being carried out at Israel’s inland and maritime sites. The publication became the first encyclopedia in Hebrew of archaeological excavations in the Land of Israel. It was published in two volumes in 1970, covering the research through 1968. Some years later, an expanded English version was envisioned and Professor Michael Avi-Yonah was entrusted with the task. Following his death, the present editor brought the work to completion. The Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land was updated and published in English between 1975 and 1978. In the 1980s the need was again felt for a new edition of the encyclopedia to cover the latest discoveries and update existing entries. The Executive Committee of the Israel Exploration Society appointed the present editor to this task in 1987, when it was decided to publish a Hebrew edition—updated to 1990—and an English edition—updated to 1991. The Hebrew edition was jointly published by the Israel Exploration Society and Carta, the Israel Map and Publishing Company, Ltd. The latter coordinated the editorial process and designed and produced the volumes. The English edition, Volumes 1–4, was a joint venture of the Israel Exploration Society, Carta, and Simon & Schuster’s Academic Reference Division.