‘Illin Taḥtit, Ḥorvat

INTRODUCTION

Ḥorvat ‘Illin Taḥtit is situated at the edge of the Shephelah, on the lower, southern end of a narrow limestone ridge on the western limit of Wadi en-Najil. The site presently lies within a southern neighborhood of modern Beth-Shemesh, c. 1 km due east of Tel Beth-Shemesh, and c. 1.3 km southeast of Hartuv on Naḥal Sorek. In antiquity, however, it was nestled in an area forested with typical Mediterranean vegetation.

Ḥorvat ‘Illin Taḥtit is the lowest lying of a cluster of archaeological sites on the limestone ridge. It lies astride Naḥal ‘Illin, a narrow, shallow, seasonally dry water course that gently descends westward and debouches into the wide Sorek Basin, just south of Tel Beth-Shemesh. These sites—Ḥorvat ‘Illin ‘Ilit, Ḥorvat ‘Illin Taḥtit, and Ḥorvat ‘Illin Darom—were discovered when the area was included within the limits of the expanding modern town of Beth-Shemesh. In preparation for development work, the site was briefly probed by J. Seligman and N. May in 1990, who recorded evidence of an Early Bronze Age I occupation. E. Braun subsequently undertook a large-scale salvage excavation in 1990–1991, and H. Stark concurrently examined parts of the site on the same ridge, just south of Naḥal ‘Illin, at Ḥorvat ‘Illin Darom. All these excavations were conducted under the auspices of the Israel Antiquities Authority. The results indicated that this end of the ridge was settled in a number of periods. Five strata from intermittent episodes form the basic archaeological profile of the site; some of the artifacts indicate site utilization in other periods.

EXCAVATION RESULTS

STRATUM V. The earliest evidence for the utilization of the site was found in several small probes that reached bedrock. These revealed a layer of occupational debris with white plastered floors, the stone pavement of a small circular structure, and small concentrations of artifacts. The stratum appears to be a series of episodes within the late Neolithic and early Chalcolithic horizons, after which the hill was apparently abandoned for a considerable length of time. Evidence of late Chalcolithic activity was recorded nearby, high above the southern bank of Naḥal ‘Illin.

STRATA IV–III. At some point during a late phase of the Early Bronze Age I, an unfortified village developed on the gently sloping western face at the lower end of the ridge on both sides of Naḥal ‘Illin. The patent continuity in the architectural and ceramic traditions between stratum IV and the succeeding stratum III indicates they belong to the same cultural horizon and represent a relatively short time span, ending with the onset of the Early Bronze Age II. Accordingly, the remains of these strata are discussed together.

Several structures, apparently dwellings with courtyards and storage facilities, were partially unearthed in extensive soundings in stratum IV. This phase of occupation met a violent and abrupt end in a massive conflagration that left an extraordinarily well-preserved record of some of its features, including baked mud bricks and hardened mud plaster. Complete structures had collapsed, later to be filled with stone debris, ash, and soil, and preserving in situ a large and varied assemblage of ceramic vessels. Several large chambers full of pithoi that apparently contained highly flammable commodities (possibly oil or grain) were focal points in this conflagration. The upper part of one pithos was found, indisputably of local manufacture but with a somewhat unusual rim suggesting Egyptian influence. It was incised before firing with a symbol interpreted as a corner of a serekh, a royal Egyptian insignia associated with a king of the Proto-Dynastic period. The remarkable resemblance of this jar fragment to one from Palmaḥim Quarry, which has a complete serekh and is dated on typological grounds to an early Proto-Dynastic Egyptian king known as “Double Falcon,” establishes a correlation between this stratum and Naqada IIIc. A late fourth-millennium BCE date for this phase was confirmed by a series of radiocarbon tests of wood samples taken from stratum IV.

The destruction of stratum IV was so complete that many of the buildings on the steepest part of the slope were filled with rubble and entirely covered, apparently intentionally. The settlers of stratum III were probably the same individuals who had fled the stratum IV destruction, presumably having returned within a short period of time to reoccupy the hillside. An exposure of more than 1,100 sq m yielded indications of superimposed floors and the reuse of wall stubs. However, new buildings and at least one stone-lined pit were constructed above the earlier structures. There is no evidence of destruction by fire, only collapsed houses and a large quantity of pottery, including numerous small portable vessels. The quantity and types of objects found suggest that the village was hastily abandoned. A single sample of emmer wheat from this level is the source for the only ¹⁴C date from the site. It places the end of the Early Bronze Age I late in the fourth millennium BCE and corroborates generally accepted chronologies.

Human skulls and a few long bones found in a room in the village appear to have been stored for ritual purposes. Some of these bones were completely charred, suggesting a connection with the event that destroyed the preceding village or representing additional evidence of cremation practices.

The Early Bronze Age I houses were large, multi-roomed structures, arranged along terraces cut into the sloping hillside. Fieldstone, readily available in the region, was used for all foundations and occasionally for superstructures. However, the walls’ upper courses and even one freestanding pillar were fashioned of flat-planed mud bricks with shallow runnels and one raised margin on top, devices intended to hold mortar and strengthen construction. Evidence from fills and debris suggests that some of these structures may have had at least partial second stories.

The buildings of this period were apparently entered from narrow, winding lanes, which sometimes end in blind alleys. Most of the rooms are rectangular and vary in size; a few houses have rounded corners. One broadroom, probably with an internal bench, is part of a larger building. This type of house, often associated with the Early Bronze Age, is an exception at Ḥorvat ‘Illin Taḥtit. The larger rooms contain flat, roughly rounded stones that served as pillar bases for roof supports. The doorways are indicated by stone door sockets on the right doorjamb.

The ceramic assemblages of these levels include numerous complete vessels. Among these are crude, tiny vessels that suggest amateurish attempts at pottery manufacture; but other types, more regular in appearance, are obviously the product of skilled artisans. Notable types include bowls, amphoriskoi, “teapots,” jugs and juglets, jars of various sizes, and pithoi, as well as miniature versions of many of these types. Highly distinctive vessels include jars with a white lime slip, painted over with thin vertical red stripes; and storage jars and pithoi decorated with horizontal bands of flattened strips depressed at regular intervals in imitation of rope. A ceramic rendition of a water skin, a type of vessel often erroneously identified as a churn, allows for an accurate dating of this type to within the Early Bronze Age I.

A very small assemblage of sherds of Egyptian imported pottery, including “wine jars” and a fragment of a vessel incised with a serekh (lacking a name), represent at least some minimal contact with Egyptian material culture. A fragment of an alabaster piriform mace head and an exotic cream- and yellow-colored flint pressure-flaked knife also seem to be imports from the Nile Valley. The correlation with Egyptian artifacts suggests that the time span for this village falls within Naqada IIIc1 to IIIb1.

Preliminary observations on the flora and fauna of Ḥorvat ‘Illin Taḥtit and an extensive study of the chipped stone industry indicate that the economy of the village was based on agriculture and animal husbandry. The site’s apparently hasty abandonment at the end of the Early Bronze Age I implies instability—perhaps ominous political developments that may be reflected in a general population movement towards larger aggregations in fortified settlements beginning in the Early Bronze Age I and continuing into the Early Bronze Age II. Not coincidentally, the nearby settlement of Tel Jarmuth was probably founded and fortified in this period or slightly later.

STRATUM II. Several agricultural terrace walls of indeterminate date connected by stone steps appear on the upper slopes of the hill, above the remains of stratum III.

STRATUM I. A large fence of upright boulders of indeterminate date, above stratum II terrace walls, was the latest structure found on the hill.

ELIOT BRAUN

INTRODUCTION

Ḥorvat ‘Illin Taḥtit is situated at the edge of the Shephelah, on the lower, southern end of a narrow limestone ridge on the western limit of Wadi en-Najil. The site presently lies within a southern neighborhood of modern Beth-Shemesh, c. 1 km due east of Tel Beth-Shemesh, and c. 1.3 km southeast of Hartuv on Naḥal Sorek. In antiquity, however, it was nestled in an area forested with typical Mediterranean vegetation.

Ḥorvat ‘Illin Taḥtit is the lowest lying of a cluster of archaeological sites on the limestone ridge. It lies astride Naḥal ‘Illin, a narrow, shallow, seasonally dry water course that gently descends westward and debouches into the wide Sorek Basin, just south of Tel Beth-Shemesh. These sites—Ḥorvat ‘Illin ‘Ilit, Ḥorvat ‘Illin Taḥtit, and Ḥorvat ‘Illin Darom—were discovered when the area was included within the limits of the expanding modern town of Beth-Shemesh. In preparation for development work, the site was briefly probed by J. Seligman and N. May in 1990, who recorded evidence of an Early Bronze Age I occupation. E. Braun subsequently undertook a large-scale salvage excavation in 1990–1991, and H. Stark concurrently examined parts of the site on the same ridge, just south of Naḥal ‘Illin, at Ḥorvat ‘Illin Darom. All these excavations were conducted under the auspices of the Israel Antiquities Authority. The results indicated that this end of the ridge was settled in a number of periods. Five strata from intermittent episodes form the basic archaeological profile of the site; some of the artifacts indicate site utilization in other periods.