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Articles 31 - 60 of 115
Full-Text Articles in Other History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology
A Bilingual Greek-Georgian Inscription From Mount Zion, Jerusalem, And The Location Of The “Monastery Of The Iberians”, Michael Chernin
A Bilingual Greek-Georgian Inscription From Mount Zion, Jerusalem, And The Location Of The “Monastery Of The Iberians”, Michael Chernin
'Atiqot
A salvage excavation on the southern part of Mount Zion uncovered building remains dating from the Byzantine period. A bilingual Greek-Georgian mosaic inscription was discovered in one of the rooms of the building complex. Based on this finding, and in light of the early written sources, the author proposes to identify the building with the Monastery of the Iberians.
Two Greek Inscriptions On Mosaics From The Theater At Shuni, Leah Di Segni
Two Greek Inscriptions On Mosaics From The Theater At Shuni, Leah Di Segni
'Atiqot
Two Greek inscriptions, set in a mosaic pavement in the pool adjoining the eastern side of the theater of Shuni, celebrate the foundation of this structure by the otherwise unknown governor of First Palestine Flavius Marcianus Antipater, whose term of office can be dated by his titulature to the second half of the fifth or the early sixth century CE. One of the inscriptions, though fragmentary, can be recognized as an epigram. Both inscriptions exhibit a high level of sophistication, fitting the site where they were found, the location of a renowned Maiumas festival known for its cultural refinement.
A Boundary Stone From Kafr Nafaḥ And The Preservation Of Ancient Place Names In The Northern And Central Golan Heights, Danny Syon, Chaim Ben David
A Boundary Stone From Kafr Nafaḥ And The Preservation Of Ancient Place Names In The Northern And Central Golan Heights, Danny Syon, Chaim Ben David
'Atiqot
A Roman imperial boundary stone, erected under Diocletian in c. 300 CE, was reused as a covering stone of a fourth-century CE grave. It bears the Greek names of the villages Ramathana and Kapharnapha, identified as the late Ottoman villages Ramtaniyye and Kafr Nafaḥ. This is the first instance where ancient names were preserved by the modern ones in the central Golan Heights, overturning previous assumptions in this regard. Archaeological evidence from both sites confirms their existence in the Roman and Byzantine periods. It seems that the preservation of the name of Kafr Nafaḥ is due to its location along …
A Milestone Without A Road: A Distance Marker Below An Arch Of The High Aqueduct To Caesarea, Avner Ecker, Yotam Tepper, Avshalom Karasik
A Milestone Without A Road: A Distance Marker Below An Arch Of The High Aqueduct To Caesarea, Avner Ecker, Yotam Tepper, Avshalom Karasik
'Atiqot
A milestone located in Bet Ḥananya, below one of the arches of the Hadrianic High Aqueduct to Caesarea (Canal B), was subjected to a 3D scan. This technique enabled the reading of the inscription on the milestone and thereby, to date the stone to the period of the dual reign of Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus (161–169 CE). It also became apparent that the stone marked the fourth mile station from Caesarea. This paper suggests that the milestone is in situ and marked a segment of the Roman imperial road between Caesarea and the legionary base at Legio. The …
A Nabataean Inscription Near ‘Avedat, Ohad Abudraham, Alexander Wiegmann
A Nabataean Inscription Near ‘Avedat, Ohad Abudraham, Alexander Wiegmann
'Atiqot
The corpus of surviving Nabataean inscriptions consists of thousands of graffiti written on rock faces and bedrock from Arabia, Jordan, Syria and Egypt, while a few such inscriptions are known from the Negev. The Nabataean inscription presented here was incised in the dark-brown patina of a limestone bedrock outcrop near ‘Avedat, a region dotted with many petroglyphs and inscriptions. The inscription is written in a typical Nabataean signature-type formula, comprising the name of the author preceded by a blessing and ending with the general greeting of well-being. The isolated location of the inscription should probably be connected with the historic …
Analyzing The Organic And Mineral Composition Of Inkwell Residues As Preparation For Characterizing The Ink Of The Dead Sea Scrolls, Ilit Cohen Ofri, Yotam Asscher, Yonah Maor, Roi Porat, Beatriz Riestra, Pnina Shor
Analyzing The Organic And Mineral Composition Of Inkwell Residues As Preparation For Characterizing The Ink Of The Dead Sea Scrolls, Ilit Cohen Ofri, Yotam Asscher, Yonah Maor, Roi Porat, Beatriz Riestra, Pnina Shor
'Atiqot
This paper focuses on the study of the contents of inkwells dating to the Early Roman period, using an array of analytical techniques: portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (pXRF), Raman spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy combined with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). Our goal was to shed light on the chemical composition of the inks used for writing in the late Second Temple period in Israel, particularly those which may have been similar to that used in the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS). An understanding of the ancient ink’s chemistry has important implications …
Not A “Signet Ring” Of Pontius Pilatus, Werner Eck, Avner Ecker
Not A “Signet Ring” Of Pontius Pilatus, Werner Eck, Avner Ecker
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Gideon Foerster’s excavations at Herodium in 1968/69 yielded a simple ring, which was published only in 2018. The inscription on the ring was read as Πιλάτο(υ), i.e., ‘of Pilate.’ Various interpretations were offered for the inscription, all generally linking the ring directly or indirectly to Pilate. This paper shows that, apart from the problematic reading, everything we know about the Roman administration in the provinces speaks against such an assumption, especially the use of the Greek language in an administrative context in the first half of the first century. Alternative readings for the letters and other ways to understand them …
A Second Temple Period Inscription On A Stone Ossuary Lid From The City Of David, Jerusalem, Esther Eshel, Nahshon Szanton
A Second Temple Period Inscription On A Stone Ossuary Lid From The City Of David, Jerusalem, Esther Eshel, Nahshon Szanton
'Atiqot
A stone fragment bearing a Hebrew or Aramaic inscription was discovered in the debris piled up along the Early Roman period Stepped Street in the Tyropoeon Valley, on the west slope of the City of David hill. The inscription preserves part of a list mentioning proper names and sums of money. Similar lists are known from the Second Temple period, commonly interpreted as payment received or rendered from individuals. This is the first inscription to be found inside the city. It is unclear whether the inscription was connected to the ossuary on which it was inscribed, perhaps by the ossuary …
Sidonians At Marisa (Maresha), Dalit Regev
Sidonians At Marisa (Maresha), Dalit Regev
'Atiqot
One of the most important epigraphical finds of ancient Idumea, which has led scholars to believe that a Sidonian/Phoenician community was present in Marisa during the Hellenistic period (fourth–second centuries BCE), is the well-known inscription uncovered at the site in 1905, reading “Apollophanes son of Sesmaios, Chief of the Sidonians at Marisa.” This inscription was discovered in a large, lavishly painted tomb in the city’s necropolis, allegedly supporting a presence of a Sidonian/Phoenician community in Marisa. Following a comprehensive examination of the material culture from Marisa vis-à-vis that of other Phoenician sites, this commonly-held assumption is put to question. Phoenician …
An Aramaic-Inscribed Cultic Object From Tulûl Mas‘Ud, Elyakhin, Rafael Y. Lewis, Nir Finkelstein, Rona S. Avissar Lewis, Esther Eshel, Yuval Baruch, Yonah Maor, Tsadok Tsach, Oren Tal
An Aramaic-Inscribed Cultic Object From Tulûl Mas‘Ud, Elyakhin, Rafael Y. Lewis, Nir Finkelstein, Rona S. Avissar Lewis, Esther Eshel, Yuval Baruch, Yonah Maor, Tsadok Tsach, Oren Tal
'Atiqot
A copper-alloy object bearing an incised Aramaic inscription in lapidary script was found on the surface, about halfway up the hill of Tulûl Mas‘ud, in the Sharon plain. The object was recently studied by a multidisciplinary research group of specialists in archaeology, epigraphy, forensic science and analytical archaeology to better understand the artifact in its original cultural and spatial setting. The results attest that the object was probably connected with a nearby Persian-period sanctuary.
Evidence Of An Edomite Hebrew Scribal Cooperation From Tel MalhׅAta: One Ostracon–Two Scripts–Three Scribes?, Stefan Jakob Wimmer
Evidence Of An Edomite Hebrew Scribal Cooperation From Tel MalhׅAta: One Ostracon–Two Scripts–Three Scribes?, Stefan Jakob Wimmer
'Atiqot
Among the epigraphic finds that Itzhaq Beit-Arieh published from Tel Malḥata, Inscription No. 4, the focus of this paper, is unique among the Iron Age ostraca, as it is written in both the Edomite and Hebrew languages. The context of the inscription is clear: a registration of amounts of one or more unknown commodities, with certain amounts described as ‘diminished.’ This paper offers a reassessment of Beit-Arie’s interpretation of the inscription, suggesting that it testifies to interaction and cooperation among several scribes adhering to different scribal dialects. It further discusses the broader implications of the inscription for the research of …
From Nasas To Semakhyahu: Two New Engraved Inscriptions From Iron Age Moẓa, Marion Sindel, Haggai Misgav
From Nasas To Semakhyahu: Two New Engraved Inscriptions From Iron Age Moẓa, Marion Sindel, Haggai Misgav
'Atiqot
Two inscriptions recently found on jar fragments at Tel Moẓa help clarify the reading of two previously uncovered inscriptions at the site. The four ancient Hebrew inscriptions, all inscribed on jars before firing, render a unique formula, where both the sender and recipient are mentioned, representing a new, heretofore unattested category of ownership inscriptions. Drawing both on the stratigraphic and epigraphic evidence, all four inscriptions can be placed in the seventh century BCE, a time when Tel Moẓa appears to have been an important economic and administrative center, as well as a cultic one.
A New Assemblage Of ‘Private’ Stamped Jar Handles From The Mordot Arnona Excavations, Jerusalem, Neria Sapir, Nathan Ben-Ari, Ido Koch, Oded Lipschits
A New Assemblage Of ‘Private’ Stamped Jar Handles From The Mordot Arnona Excavations, Jerusalem, Neria Sapir, Nathan Ben-Ari, Ido Koch, Oded Lipschits
'Atiqot
The site of Mordot Arnona is located c. 750 m northeast of Ramat Raḥel, on the eastern outskirts of the Arnona neighborhood of Jerusalem. Recent salvage excavations at the site showed that in the late eighth and the first half of the seventh century BCE, Mordot Arnona held great significance in the physical and political landscape of the area south of Jerusalem, serving as an administrative center, as evidenced by its monumental structures and the dozens of stamped jar handles. In this paper we present for the first time a rare corpus of 17 jar handles bearing ‘private’ stamp impressions, …
Front Matter & Editorial, The Editorial Board
Front Matter & Editorial, The Editorial Board
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Table of contents and Editorial.
A Hellenistic Scale Weight From ‘Akko, Gerald Finkielsztejn
A Hellenistic Scale Weight From ‘Akko, Gerald Finkielsztejn
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A rare Hellenistic lead scale weight was retrieved from a Hellenistic-period accumulation layer (L121) excavated behind the moat counterscarp wall in the ‘Akko Ottoman fortifications (see Gosker, this volume). The well-preserved ‘Akko Moat weight sheds new light on the iconography and metrology of a series of weights, as it is similar to a lead weight of the same series found underwater offshore from ‘Atlit (Finkielsztejn 2016), and it exhibits some similar features to two other lead weights—one from an excavation at the ‘Akko Post Office, and the other from the Moussaief Collection. The ‘Akko Moat weight is described here, followed …
A Ravelin Outwork Uncovered In The Ottoman Fortifications Of The Old City Of ‘Akko, Joppe Gosker
A Ravelin Outwork Uncovered In The Ottoman Fortifications Of The Old City Of ‘Akko, Joppe Gosker
'Atiqot
A small salvage excavation in ‘Akko exposed the remains of a previously unknown ravelin outwork in the counterscarp of the Ottoman-period fortifications—a previously unknown military feature—which cut through earlier Crusader and Hellenistic layers. Ravelins are known components of city fortifications in Europe from the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, continuing in use in the nineteenth century. In ‘Akko, it seems that the construction of the ravelin was not completed.
The Iron Age Inner City Gate And Gate Shrine At Tel Lakhish (Lachish), Saar Ganor, Igor Kreimerman
The Iron Age Inner City Gate And Gate Shrine At Tel Lakhish (Lachish), Saar Ganor, Igor Kreimerman
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An excavation carried out on the southern side of the six-chambered inner gatehouse at Lakhish exposed the gate passage, four piers and three chambers. The eastern chamber comprised two rooms, with a cultic niche in one of the room’s back wall and an altar in front of it. The chamber probably served as a gate shrine, and was desecrated during Hezekiah’s cult reform, when a toilet seat was placed next to the altar and the altar horns were trimmed. Evidence of Sennacherib’s destruction in 701 BCE was manifest by the presence of arrowheads, slingstones and collapsed burned mud bricks. The …
The Late Bronze Age Iii (Iron Age Ia) Gal’On Fortress In The Shephelah, Saar Ganor, Itamar Weissbein
The Late Bronze Age Iii (Iron Age Ia) Gal’On Fortress In The Shephelah, Saar Ganor, Itamar Weissbein
'Atiqot
A previously unknown square building was uncovered at Gal’on in the Judean Shephelah, located between Tel Zayit and Tel Burna. The building was identified as a fortress, similar in plan and dimensions to several other excavated buildings designated “Governors’ Residencies”, and to a few buildings that were defined as “fortresses”—all associated with Egyptian imperial rule in Canaan in Dynasties XIX and XX. The construction of the isolated building at Gal’on may have been related to the reorganization of Canaan under Egyptian rule, possibly in the reign of Ramses III. The building may have been occupied by an Egyptian military force, …
The Elusive Fortifications Of Yafo (Jaffa), Yoav Arbel
The Elusive Fortifications Of Yafo (Jaffa), Yoav Arbel
'Atiqot
The port city of Yafo was fortified during much of its four millennia of existence. However, today, even its most recent Ottoman walls are dismantled, and only fragmentary parts of its earlier fortifications have been traced despite decades of research and salvage excavations on the mound and its environs. These limited discoveries cannot provide a comprehensive delineation of any pre-Ottoman defensive lines. Nevertheless, new discoveries, the mapping of scattered sites, comparative observations and consultation with historical sources can shed some light on Yafo’s otherwise obscure fortifications through its many phases, as well as on various related issues. Through these we …
Trebuchets Were Not Siege Guns, So Why Use Them?, Michael S. Fulton
Trebuchets Were Not Siege Guns, So Why Use Them?, Michael S. Fulton
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Counterweight trebuchets were the most powerful ballistic weapons of their day, but their association with later siege guns has led to misunderstandings of their destructive capabilities. This article is an attempt to correct some misguided ideas by providing a short overview of the power and value of mechanical artillery and contextualizing its use in the Levant during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. After addressing the origin of certain theories that these engines were far more destructive than seems to have been the reality, a brief assessment of their actual power is conducted by looking at the ways sources exaggerate the …
A Methodological Framework For The Archaeology Of Conflicts In The Southern Levant, And The Battle Of Hattin (July 3–4, 1187), Rafael Y. Lewis
A Methodological Framework For The Archaeology Of Conflicts In The Southern Levant, And The Battle Of Hattin (July 3–4, 1187), Rafael Y. Lewis
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This article presents a research framework for the Archaeology of Conflicts/Battlefield Archaeology. This work was motivated by the methodological challenge posed by the very attempt to study material evidence of events of short duration in the landscape. Such events occurred outside the boundaries of conventional archaeological sites, in the landscape, which is generally subject to more frequent changes. The theoretical model is presented through an examination of the Battle of Hattin, a decisive event that took place on July 3–4, 1187, within the days of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem (1099–1291). This theoretical construct can be applied to the study …
The Old Sword And The Sea: A Medieval European Sword Off The Coast Of Newe-Yam, Joppe Gosker, Jacob Sharvit, Izhak Hershko, Dan Braitman, Yotam Asscher
The Old Sword And The Sea: A Medieval European Sword Off The Coast Of Newe-Yam, Joppe Gosker, Jacob Sharvit, Izhak Hershko, Dan Braitman, Yotam Asscher
'Atiqot
This article examines a sword discovered on the seabed near Newe-Yam, providing an analysis of its physical characteristics. The location of the discovery and the submarine iron corrosion processes are described. The sword, covered in a biogenic crust, was studied using non- and minimally invasive techniques, and compared with contemporary swords. A European origin and an approximate date in the twelfth–thirteenth centuries CE are proposed. The study also discusses the role of swords in Medieval European society, their association with authority and chivalry, and the romantic perceptions concerning Crusader swords.
Power And Control In Crusader Acre (‘Akko): The Fortifications Of The Genoese Quarter, Edna J. Stern, Eliezer Stern, Fabrizio Benente
Power And Control In Crusader Acre (‘Akko): The Fortifications Of The Genoese Quarter, Edna J. Stern, Eliezer Stern, Fabrizio Benente
'Atiqot
An impressive fortification system on the northern border of the Genoese Quarter at Crusader-period Acre was discovered, comprising a defensive wall built of bossed ashlars and incorporating arrow slits, a fortified gate leading to the quarter through a vaulted passageway and a projecting tower with two levels of arrow slits. The gate and parts of the passageway were blocked, apparently during the Crusader period, as a consequence of the Saint Sabas War. This war broke out following a dispute between Venice and Genoa over ownership of a monastery located on the border between their quarters, near the port, which was …
The Principia Of The Sixth Legion At Legio/Caparcotani: Ground Penetrating Radar And Excavations In A Legionary Base, Yotam Tepper, Matthew J. Adams, Eileen Ernenwein
The Principia Of The Sixth Legion At Legio/Caparcotani: Ground Penetrating Radar And Excavations In A Legionary Base, Yotam Tepper, Matthew J. Adams, Eileen Ernenwein
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The legionary base at Legio (Legion II Trajana and Legion VI Ferrata) is the first full-scale legionary base of the Principate excavated in the Eastern Empire. The 2015–2019 excavation seasons of the Jezreel Valley Regional Project focused on the headquarters compound, the principia. While many components of the compound are typical of those of permanent legionary bases throughout the Empire, several unique features of the principia at Legio offer new research avenues concerning the function of these buildings within the Roman army administrative system and community life. This paper summarizes the results of the 2015–2019 seasons of excavation and remote …
Were There Jewish Gladiators? A Re-Evaluation Of The Available Archaeological And Textual Evidence, Haggai Olshanetsky
Were There Jewish Gladiators? A Re-Evaluation Of The Available Archaeological And Textual Evidence, Haggai Olshanetsky
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The participation of Jews in the arena, especially as gladiators, has received relatively little attention. The few articles written on this matter suggest that Jews were both spectators and participants. The present paper relates to all previously suggested indications for the existence of Jewish gladiators and also introduces new ones. Although the possibility that Jewish gladiators were active in the first–fourth centuries CE cannot be ruled out entirely, the evidence remains inconclusive, suggesting that their number was very limited at best. It is also suggested that if Jews had participated in the games, they possibly preferred to fight beasts rather …
Evidence Of The Roman Attack On The Third Wall Of Jerusalem At The End Of The Second Temple Period, Kfir Arbiv
Evidence Of The Roman Attack On The Third Wall Of Jerusalem At The End Of The Second Temple Period, Kfir Arbiv
'Atiqot
Remains of a first-century CE wall segment and a tower base uncovered in the Russian Compound, Jerusalem, shed light on the course of the Third Wall in the west of the city and the fierce battle that took place there in the First Jewish Revolt. A concentration of ballista stones and other weapons at the site support the evidence furnished by Josephus in Jewish War, describing the battle at the Third Wall and the siege imposed by Titus on Jerusalem in 70 CE. The archaeological evidence and the historical sources enable a reconstruction of the battle between the Roman army …
The Fortifications Of Tel Burna: A Reappraisal After Twelve Seasons Of Excavations (2010–2022), Aharon Tavger, Chris Mckinny, Deborah Cassuto, Jane Gaastra, Steven Ortiz, Itzhaq Shai
The Fortifications Of Tel Burna: A Reappraisal After Twelve Seasons Of Excavations (2010–2022), Aharon Tavger, Chris Mckinny, Deborah Cassuto, Jane Gaastra, Steven Ortiz, Itzhaq Shai
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Tel Burna’s prominent summit, encompassed by a 70 × 70 m casemate fortification, has attracted attention since at least the nineteenth century CE. An analysis of the archaeological data collected during ongoing excavations at the tell indicates that these fortifications were built in the late tenth or early ninth century BCE. The fortification of this Judahite stronghold, located on the border with Philistia, remained in use for the next 200 years. Recently, evidence has come to light of a massive undertaking to reinforce and strengthen the western side of the casemate wall in the late eighth century BCE. The authors …
Weapons, Warrior Burials And Agency In The Intermediate Bronze Age Southern Levant: Some Theoretical Observations, Naama Walzer, Yitzhak Paz
Weapons, Warrior Burials And Agency In The Intermediate Bronze Age Southern Levant: Some Theoretical Observations, Naama Walzer, Yitzhak Paz
'Atiqot
The Intermediate Bronze Age (c. 2500–2000 BCE) is known for its abundance of formal cemeteries and various other types of burial sites. These comprise a substantial number of internments that contain metal artifacts, identified as weaponry and associated with warfare, and typically defined ‘warrior burials.’ In this paper, we discuss some theoretical issues concerning the identification and role of the so-called weapons, the ideology of warriors and warriorhood, and the mutual agency of objects and society during the Intermediate Bronze Age. Reference is made to examples and research in Europe, where similar patterns have been extensively studied. Through this examination, …
Hematite Mace-Heads: A Specialized Craft Unique To The Late Chalcolithic Period, Michael Sebbane
Hematite Mace-Heads: A Specialized Craft Unique To The Late Chalcolithic Period, Michael Sebbane
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The mace was one of the most important and commonly used weapons for striking and smashing in hand-to-hand combat in the battlefields of the ancient Near East, from the tenth to the second half of the third millennia BCE. Outside the battlefield, the mace served ceremonial and ritual functions, which persisted long after its use as a weapon ceased. Hematite mace-heads are unique in the Late Chalcolithic culture that flourished in the region of Israel and Transjordan from the second half of the fifth to the first half of the fourth millennia BCE. They seem to be one of the …
Up In Arms: Slingstone Assemblages From The Late Prehistoric Sites Of ‘En Ẓippori And ‘En Esur, Gil Haklay, Hendrik Bron, Dina Shalem, Ianir Milevski, Nimrod Getzov
Up In Arms: Slingstone Assemblages From The Late Prehistoric Sites Of ‘En Ẓippori And ‘En Esur, Gil Haklay, Hendrik Bron, Dina Shalem, Ianir Milevski, Nimrod Getzov
'Atiqot
This paper presents the slingstone assemblages recovered from two large-scale excavations at the Late Pottery Neolithic/Early Chalcolithic (c. 5800–4500 cal BCE) sites of ‘En Ẓippori and ‘En Esur. Based on contextual, morphometric and other archaeological data, we suggest that during this time, the slings and slingstones were used as weapons. The high number of slingstones found within the settlements, and the traits of systematic production they reflect (formalization, standardization and time-consuming manufacturing), point to an organized production of weapons, interpreted as an escalation in the preparations for war, alluding to the possible existence of local power centers in the region.