Image Details

COURTESY OF MICHAEL FREIKMAN

CASEMATES AND SILOS. The first spot archaeologists began digging at ‘Auja el-Foqa was Area A, which contained part of the city wall, a stone-lined silo, some pits, and several installations. The type of wall surrounding the city is a casemate wall, composed of two parallel walls with hollow cells in between them. During the Iron Age, such cells or rooms were often incorporated into houses abutting the city wall—but not at ‘Auja el-Foqa. Nevertheless, the plan and size of these excavated cells is very similar to those at Khirbet Qeiyafa in ancient Judah. The round stonelined silo, located in the open area near the fortification wall, is also similar to those known from the monarchic period in the Kingdoms of Judah and Israel.