GPR Mapping of buried monumental retaining walls at biblical Kiriath-Yearim near Jerusalem

ABSTRACT In 2019 a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) investigation was conducted at Kiriath-Yearim near Jerusalem, one of the largest Bronze and Iron Ages mounds in the highlands of the southern Levant. The main objective was to test an archaeological hypothesis regarding the existence of an Iron Age summit compound which was supported by monumental stone retaining walls. We used a wheeled GPR with simultaneous central frequencies of 200, 400, and 800 MHz. Despite attenuation in the topsoil, scattering by distributed rock fragments, and asphalt pavement, we were able to penetrate almost a meter and detect anomalies. Some of the GPR anomalies are consistent with the above-mentioned theory, meaning that their locations agree with data retrieved in nearby control trenches and with the plan of the site. The excavation findings, jointly with the GPR interpretation, indeed imply the existence of a rectangular monumental summit compound that dates to the 8th century BCE.