Yoav Vaknin, Ron Shaar, Erez Ben-Yosef, Oded Lipschits
{"title":"Archaeomagnetic Dating of the Outer Revetment Wall at Tel Lachish.","authors":"Yoav Vaknin, Ron Shaar, Erez Ben-Yosef, Oded Lipschits","doi":"10.1080/03344355.2024.2327801","DOIUrl":"10.1080/03344355.2024.2327801","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The fortifications of Lachish, a key site in archaeology of the Iron Age Southern Levant, are the focus of ongoing debate. The Outer Revetment Wall, encircling nearly the entire site, was traditionally associated with Levels IV-III and was thought to have been in use during the Assyrian campaign in 701 BCE. It has recently been suggested that it was built a millennium earlier. Here we present archaeomagnetic dating of a mudbrick tower incorporated in this wall, indicating that it was burnt during the Iron Age and was most likely built during this period. Combining archaeological, historical and archaeomagnetic data reveals the intense fire that occurred during the 701 BCE Assyrian siege. This fire could have been set by the people of Lachish, in a desperate attempt to damage the Assyrian siege engines or siege ramp, as depicted in the well-known Lachish relief, or by the Assyrians as part of their siege tactics.</p>","PeriodicalId":51839,"journal":{"name":"Tel Aviv-Journal of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University","volume":"51 1","pages":"73-94"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2024-05-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11090153/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140923818","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Editor’s Foreword","authors":"Ido Koch","doi":"10.1080/03344355.2023.2190271","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/03344355.2023.2190271","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":51839,"journal":{"name":"Tel Aviv-Journal of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University","volume":"50 1","pages":"1 - 2"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42836877","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Locating Jerusalem’s Royal Palace in the Second Millennium BCE in Light of the Glyptic and Cuneiform Material Unearthed in the Ophel","authors":"N. Na’aman","doi":"10.1080/03344355.2023.2190284","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/03344355.2023.2190284","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This article argues, on the basis of indirect evidence drawn from the results of the excavations of the Ophel, that during the second millennium BCE, the governing centre of Jerusalem was located on the Temple Mount. The conclusion rests mainly upon a numerical comparison between the glyptic material uncovered in the Ophel vis-à-vis that unearthed in the Southeastern Hill (the City of David) and upon the discovery of two fragmented cuneiform tablets in this area. It is postulated that the findings uncovered in the Ophel might serve as a litmus test for the early urban life in the Temple Mount above it. The city at the time included two distinct quarters: the Temple Mount, the seat of the king and his court, and the Southeastern Hill, consisting of the summit of the hill and the Gihon Spring. This two-part division of the city persisted from its foundation in the MB II down to the early first millennium BCE and continued until the 8th century BCE.","PeriodicalId":51839,"journal":{"name":"Tel Aviv-Journal of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University","volume":"50 1","pages":"111 - 125"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48466728","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Metal Assemblage of Early Iron Age el-Aḥwat: Trade and Metalworking in the Margins of the Southern Levantine Central Highlands","authors":"Tzilla Eshel, O. Tirosh, Yoav Bornstein, S. Bar","doi":"10.1080/03344355.2023.2190274","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/03344355.2023.2190274","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The large metal assemblage of the unique site of el-Aḥwat, a short-lived Iron I settlement, is presented here for the first time. It mainly comprises local tools, jewellery and evidence of bronzeworking, typical of Iron Age I urban settlements in the lowlands, mostly continuing Late Bronze Age traditions. Spatial distribution of the metal finds shows that metals were abundant across the site. Lead isotope analysis reveals that the copper at the site is local, originating from the Arabah, and that the silver is from the Aegaean-Anatolian sphere. Copper spills and ingot suggest that copper and bronze were worked on the site. As metals are rare in the central hill country during this period, the results suggest that el-Aḥwat should be reconsidered as an exceptional site, not only in its large size, unique architecture and marginal location between the highlands and lowlands, but even more so as its inhabitants maintained commercial connections with the lowlands, coast and beyond, and were probably engaged in metalworking.","PeriodicalId":51839,"journal":{"name":"Tel Aviv-Journal of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University","volume":"50 1","pages":"44 - 74"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44281738","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Mace in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic Ancient Near East","authors":"M. Sebbane","doi":"10.1080/03344355.2023.2190285","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/03344355.2023.2190285","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract In recent years it has become apparent that the mace, one of the most important weapons and ceremonial artefacts in the Ancient Near East, first appeared in the tenth millennium BCE, during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A. Given the considerable importance of this new evidence for understanding the role and status of the mace in the Ancient Near East, it is timely to present the state of the research that has recently emerged from sites in Anatolia, Mesopotamia and Jordan. This paper has three aims: 1) to chart the chronological and geographical distribution of mace-heads in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic; 2) to define as far as possible the typological characteristics of mace-heads, taking into account their morphology, raw materials, measurements and weight; and 3) to understand the intended function of mace-heads in light of the archaeological contexts in which they were discovered.","PeriodicalId":51839,"journal":{"name":"Tel Aviv-Journal of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University","volume":"50 1","pages":"126 - 143"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42323997","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Between Israel and Phoenicia: The Iron IIA–B Fortified Purple-dye Production Centre at Tel Shiqmona","authors":"G. Shalvi, A. Gilboa","doi":"10.1080/03344355.2023.2190283","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/03344355.2023.2190283","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The history of Tel Shiqmona, on Israel’s Carmel coast, in the Iron Age has remained almost totally obscure since its excavation some 50 years ago. Recent analysis has revealed the site’s singularity—the only one around the Mediterranean that can be demonstrated to have produced the luxurious purple dye for half a millennium. This article is the first discussion of a central episode (three strata) in the site’s history. We argue that during the Late Iron IIA, the Kingdom of Israel, probably under the Omrides, replaced a small Phoenician village with a fortified casemate enclosure in order to control and institutionalise the production of the dye and other industries. These peaked under Jeroboam II, and subsequently the fort was ravaged during the period of unrest in Israel after this monarch’s reign. We discuss the historical and cultural picture emerging from a meticulous analysis of the stratigraphy and finds and address trade contacts and regional, historical and geopolitical contexts.","PeriodicalId":51839,"journal":{"name":"Tel Aviv-Journal of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University","volume":"50 1","pages":"75 - 110"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48515313","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Secret in the Desert: Preliminary Conclusions from the Excavation of a Unique Burial Complex in the Negev Highlands","authors":"Martin David Pasternak, T. Erickson-Gini","doi":"10.1080/03344355.2023.2190272","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/03344355.2023.2190272","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract In the course of a salvage excavation in the centre of the Negev highlands, near Tlalim Junction and Kibbutz Tlalim, a unique burial site dated to the middle of the first millennium BCE was discovered. The site appears to be located at the head of an ancient crossroad, and it seems that for generations it was used for communal graves and associated burial rituals carried out by travellers. Dozens of burials were found in the structures, along with an extraordinary wealth of special finds, most of which date to the middle of the first millennium BCE, from the end of the Iron II and the beginning of the Persian period. The site opens a gateway to multidisciplinary research related to identifying the origin of the finds, identifying the source of the burials and those interred, understanding its ritual significance, understanding the manner of burial and identifying ancient trade routes.","PeriodicalId":51839,"journal":{"name":"Tel Aviv-Journal of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University","volume":"50 1","pages":"3 - 20"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46341524","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The En-Gedi Spring Site and the Judahite Expansion into the Judaean Desert in the Late Iron Age.","authors":"Avraham Mashiach, Uri Davidovich","doi":"10.1080/03344355.2023.2190273","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/03344355.2023.2190273","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This article discusses the results of the excavations conducted in the Iron II site near the En-Gedi Spring in 1961-1962 and 2019. The site, consisting of a prominent stone platform documented as early as the 19th century and other recently discovered structural remains, is interpreted as a Judahite outpost built in a strategic location within the oasis of En-Gedi. On the basis of the ceramic assemblage, it is suggested that this site was founded during the early 7th century BCE and was abandoned before the end of that century-making it the earliest Iron Age occupation in the oasis. Combined with historical considerations and a regional analysis, the En-Gedi Spring site enhances our understanding of the Judahite expansion into the Judaean Desert during the late Iron Age.</p>","PeriodicalId":51839,"journal":{"name":"Tel Aviv-Journal of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University","volume":"50 1","pages":"21-43"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10273384/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9663717","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Jerusalem’s Growth in Light of the Renewed Excavations in the Ophel","authors":"Ariel Winderbaum","doi":"10.1080/03344355.2022.2102107","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/03344355.2022.2102107","url":null,"abstract":"The archaeological excavations at the Ophel site between 2009–2013, headed by Dr. Eilat Mazar, uncovered, for the first time in the history of Jerusalem, layers with buildings—some of them monumental—that were in use throughout the Iron I, Iron IIA and Early Iron IIB. These buildings are of great importance due to their location on the southern slopes of the Temple Mount. In this article I review these buildings, the relation between them, their date and their function. I then attempt to reconstruct a picture of Jerusalem and Judah in these formative periods.","PeriodicalId":51839,"journal":{"name":"Tel Aviv-Journal of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University","volume":"49 1","pages":"149 - 190"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2022-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46042892","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Papyrus Amherst 63: Shifting between the Heavenly and Earthly Spheres","authors":"Nadav Naʾaman","doi":"10.1080/03344355.2022.2102112","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/03344355.2022.2102112","url":null,"abstract":"Van der Toorn’s 2018 edition of Papyrus Amherst 63 paved the way for a fresh examination of this difficult Demotic–Aramaic text. This article first examines the literary structure of the text and suggests a revised internal arrangement of its constituents, in particular those of Section IV. The revised arrangement serves as the basis for the ensuing discussion. The article discusses the designation ‘Rash’, a term that is key for an understanding of the many episodes related in the papyrus, and suggests that it designated the heavenly abode of the gods, from where they operated in heaven and earth. It then examines the few references to the earthly seats of the gods, and in particular passage viii 1–7a, which relates the heavenly or earthly realms of the gods and their seats in the sanctuaries. The final part of the article examines the way the author of Section II tried to resolve the theological problem of the impotence of god in the face of defeats, destructions and deportations. The author explains god’s silence by his slumber in his heavenly abode. Surprisingly, the theological solution of sin and punishment is absent from the papyrus, in contrast to its frequent appearance in many ancient Near Eastern texts and, above all, in the biblical literature.","PeriodicalId":51839,"journal":{"name":"Tel Aviv-Journal of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University","volume":"49 1","pages":"250 - 266"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2022-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44819890","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}