Scholars Bookshelf
056
Early Arad II: The Chalcolithic and Early Bronze IB Settlements and the Early Bronze II City—Architecture and Town Planning
Ruth Amiran and Ornit Ilan
(Jerusalem: Israel Museum and Israel Exploration Society, 1996) 188 pp., 174 photos and 31 plans, $80 +$14 shipping (hardback)
Appearing 20 years after Early Arad I, the second volume of this final excavation report goes a long way toward catching up on the final publication of excavations at this important eastern Negev site.
Arad began as a rural settlement in the Chalcolithic period. Like other Chalcolithic sites in the Negev, it was deserted for about 250 to 350 years in the middle of the fourth millennium B.C.E. This long gap was followed by another rural settlement at Arad in the Early Bronze (EB) Ib period (c. 3200–3000 B.C.E.). Two major strata (Strata III and II) belong to urban phases of this settlement. These were followed by a post-destruction settlement that reverted to a rural way of life again in Stratum I, near the end of the EBII period (c. 2650 B.C.E.).
In Arad II, excavation director Ruth Amiran, one of Israel’s most distinguished archaeologists, and her co-author, Ornit Ilan, publish the 6th to 18th seasons of excavation (1971–1978, 1980–1984). They offer a detailed architectural analysis of the remains of Strata V through I, from the Chalcolithic period (c. 4000–3400 B.C.E.) to the EBII period (c. 3000–2650 B.C.E.).
The stratigraphic report on the architectural remains is followed with a helpful running locus list. The rich array of photos, figures and plans also greatly enhances the presentation. Special studies regarding the climate of the Arad area as well as consideration of the population of the walled settlement (c. 3000–2650 B.C.E.) during its EBII heyday (2,500 people) make the presentation extremely useful when comparing similar data from other sites and periods. In addition, consideration of the urban character of the site and its town planning give special meaning to the interpretive aspect of the report. The urban features point to the existence of a managerial elite who built a system of fortifications, established a planned network of streets and open spaces, separated public from domestic space, adopted the broadhouse and built public granaries. That both EBII cities were destroyed violently, the first in about 2800 B.C.E. and the second around 2650 B.C.E., testifies to the dramatic developments in the third millennium that foreshadowed major changes in subsequent epochs, such as the decline of the Bronze Age in the 14th and 13th century B.C.E.
With this essential volume in hand, we all await the final volume, now in press, which will deal with the small finds of the “early” city and will include full reports on the EBI cave-tomb, the Israelite well and the Herodian settlement within the boundaries of the Canaanite city.
The Architecture of Oboda: Final Report, Qedem 36
Avraham Negev
(Jerusalem: Institute of Archaeology, Hebrew University, 1997) xx + 214 pp., $45 (hardback)
The most exciting pages in this volume are in the foreword, in which the author recalls how the dig at Oboda began in 1958 and how he quickly rose from the level of graduate student to director of the dig. The first phase of his excavation of this Nabatean city, southwest of the Dead Sea, lasted till 1961. Further excavations were carried out from 1975 to 1977 and in 1989.
Avraham Negev is certainly Israel’s most noted scholar of Nabatean culture, especially its ceramics and architecture. This final report is a most welcome addition to his list of impressive writings on the Nabateans (nearly 30 items are listed in the bibliography).
Negev believed all along that the distinctive and elegant Nabatean pottery found in such abundance at Oboda (Avdat) must have been manufactured there. So he searched for a pottery kiln, and ultimately he found it.
The good news about this publication is that it includes 294 photos, many of them never published before. The bad news is that despite all the effort expended on the excavation there has been no effort whatsoever to offer stratigraphic data to support the dating for any of the structures considered. Each section begins with a detailed summary of previous surveys at the site, and then Negev presents his own work. This makes for very interesting reading, but not for critical reading. Not that Negev’s assertions are necessarily incorrect or inaccurate, but it is nearly impossible to check for accuracy. This was an old-fashioned dig, in which the rooms were cleared of all fill, and architectural fragments that were unsuitable to the context were removed. Negev analyzes special finds from the site typologically, without reference to stratigraphic context. Further, of the 27 figures only a few are the excavator’s own—most are straight reprints or slight modifications of older plans.
Is it any wonder that the following issues remain unresolved?
1. What is the nature of Nabatean settlement in Oboda or in the Negev in the Hellenistic period?
2. When was the end of Early Nabatean Oboda in the first century B.C.E.?
3. What was the nature of Oboda in relation to other caravan cities in the Middle Nabatean period?
4. What is the nature of the changes in the transitional period when pagan, Nabatean Oboda converted to Christianity?
There is no one more qualified to answer these questions than Negev. The reader who turns to the present report for answers based on stratigraphical analysis, however, will be sorely disappointed. Even the handful of coins that were saved during the excavation are without context.
Nevertheless, Oboda remains one of the truly magnificent sites of the Negev. Its Nabatean sacred compound, Byzantine churches and other important architectural elements are presented in a general way that will lead the interested scholar to further studies.
Some may turn to Negev’s Final Report on the Late Hellenistic and Early Roman Pottery of Oboda, Qedem 22 (1986). Here, too, are problems. First, there is no report on any late pottery associated with the Byzantine churches, town and bathhouse, or with the final phases of Nabatean occupation. Moreover, despite the great detail and care with which the pottery is presented, it is organized typologically, without reference to associated debris; only its general location is noted (for example, “Nabatean Dump,” “North Churches”). Although Negev’s knowledge and familiarity with comparative materials is exemplary, without the data to support the stratigraphic context, the presentation is of very limited chronological value: The pottery’s true context cannot be reconstructed from the information provided! This format would be unacceptable in any American academic setting. In fact the presentation in Negev’s two volumes is a clear example of how some Israeli scholars do not share the common methodological assumptions of the so-called balk-debris, stratigraphic system used in all American digs since the 1950s. Though Negev belongs to the “older” generation of Israeli scholars, many of whom are known for their failure to ensure an appropriate stratigraphic presentation of the data, the present report is a reminder that there are still digs waiting to be published in reports that will be neither truly reliable nor representative of all chronological horizons.
Early Arad II: The Chalcolithic and Early Bronze IB Settlements and the Early Bronze II City—Architecture and Town Planning
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