David Ben-Shlomo | Ariel University (original) (raw)
Papers by David Ben-Shlomo
In the Highland’s Depth 13/1: *21-*38, 2023
Shai, I., Greenfield, H. J., and Maeir, A. M., eds.,Tell es-Safi/Gath III: Studies on the Early Bronze Age, Part 1. Ägypten und Altes Testament 122. Münster: Zaphon, 2023
Judea and Samaria Research Studies
In the past few years, there has been a significant increase in the archaeological evidence relat... more In the past few years, there has been a significant increase in the archaeological evidence relating to the early Iron Age IIA (early 10 th c. BCE) in the Judean Shephelah, mainly due to the excavations at Khirbet Qeiyafa and Khirbet al-Ra'i. This paper will examine this period through the lens of petrographic analysis of the relevant pottery assemblages of the two sites. The new results of petrographic analysis of 48 mostly restorable early Iron Age IIA pottery vessels from Khirbet al-Ra'i will be discussed in detail; these results will be compared to the previously published petrographic analysis of early Iron Age IIA pottery from Khirbet Qeiyafa (108 samples). The paper will also provide analysis of a group of Iron Age I pottery, including Philistine pottery and other forms, from Khirbet al-Ra'i. The assemblages are relatively homogenous in their fabrics and mostly locally made, with only few imports (mostly from the southern or central coast of Israel). However, the types of local clays that were used in the two sites were somewhat different.
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences
This paper, jointly written by participants of a workshop held in 2021, argues for an increased r... more This paper, jointly written by participants of a workshop held in 2021, argues for an increased recognition and application of neutron activation analysis (NAA) in the archaeology of the ancient Mediterranean. Discussing the methodological strengths and challenges, it highlights the great potential NAA has for collecting proxy data from ceramics in order to develop progressive concepts of archaeological research within and beyond the Mediterranean Bronze and Iron Age, pointing out opportunities to revisit long-held assumptions of scholarship and to refine visual/macroscopic provenance determinations of pottery. To take full advantage of NAA’s strengths toward a better understanding of the socioeconomic background of ceramics production, distribution, and consumption, the paper emphasises the need for both interdisciplinary collaboration and basic data publication requirements.
Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies
The article discusses Philistine iconography and figurative material culture in Philistia during ... more The article discusses Philistine iconography and figurative material culture in Philistia during the Iron Age. The primary archaeological evidence is surveyed, highlighting significant human, zoomorphic, and vegetative motifs. The different traditions and sources reflected by the figurative objects are also discussed. In addition, the archaeological contexts of these objects are surveyed, whether domestic, public, or related to temples or other contexts. Finally, various aspects related to the nature of the Philistine society will be evaluated according to the figurative material culture.
Judea and Samaria Research Studies
This article will describe and discuss the results of the 2020–2021 seasons of the excavations at... more This article will describe and discuss the results of the 2020–2021 seasons of the excavations at Khirbet ‘Aujah el-Foqa, a site in the southern Jordan Valley, north of Jericho. During these seasons, a section of the northern side of the site was excavated, including one complete structure. This structure, as well as the units around it, also contained a hasty abandonment or destruction layer from the Iron Age IIB similar to the one excavated in the southern part of the site. The article will illustrate reconstructed pottery from Area A, along with other finds. A large complex containing rooms and open areas appears to have been located in this area, although its function is still unclear. Finally, the reconstruction of the architecture will be discussed, along with the possible significance and function of the site.
Judea and Samaria Research Studies, 2021
site Tell en-Naṣbeh and dating mostly to the Iron Age II. The vessels analyzed represent main Iro... more site Tell en-Naṣbeh and dating mostly to the Iron Age II. The vessels analyzed represent main Iron Age II types appearing at the site (bowls, kraters, cooking pots, jars, jugs), alongside a number of special groups from this and other periods, including Philistine Bichrome vessels, vessels thought to have been imported, and several Judean pillar and other figurines. The primary aim of the study was to characterize the raw materials used for pottery production at this site and in the region of Benjamin, and to identify evidence for trade in vessels on various scales. The results show that, in general, the vast majority of the vessels were locally made (or made in the central hills region) from two main types of clay related to terra rossa or Moẓa type soils. Different classes of pottery, such as cooking pots or storage vessels, were made of different clay types. As not much compositional analysis of pottery from this region has been published, this study may also prove useful as comp...
Judea and Samaria Research Studies, 2018
Khirbet Marjameh is a large multi-layered fortified site located on a small hill near the spring ... more Khirbet Marjameh is a large multi-layered fortified site located on a small hill near the spring of 'Ain Samiyeh. The site was excavated over 40 years ago by Amihai Mazar and recently surveyed again by the South Samaria survey team. Its fortification is dated to the Iron Age II. This paper returns to examine once again the nature of this site and the finds from it, combining the Iron Age II pottery recovered from the new survey. The pottery from the excavations and new survey is discussed, in particular in light of new petrographic analysis of Iron Age II pottery from Khirbet Marjameh. Vessels from main morphological types, in particular bowls, kraters, cooking pots, and storage jars, were analyzed. The results and their significance towards the links of the site with other regions will be discussed.
DAN IV - The Iron Age I Settlement, 2019
Judea and Samaria Research Studies, 2021
In the Highland's Depth, 2020
The article describes the results of the first season of excavations at Khirbet ʿAujah el-Foqa. T... more The article describes the results of the first season of excavations at Khirbet ʿAujah el-Foqa. The site, which was surveyed intensively by Adam Zertal about 15 years ago and identified by him as biblical ʿAtaroth, is located on a hilltop controlling the large spring of ʿAujah, 11 km northwest of Jericho. This area is not yet well known from archaeological excavations. The main occupation phase of the 1.5-hectare site is represented by a fortified Iron Age II town with a well-built casemate wall including a destruction layer and rich finds. An upper layer of well-preserved smaller structures probably dates from the Mamluk or Ottoman period, and remains of a pre-fortification phase were also identified. The date, location, and function of the site during the Iron Age II are also discussed; only further excavations in the coming years will clarify its character and layout in more detail
The article presents a detailed compositional analysis of 26 fragments of the much-debated cylind... more The article presents a detailed compositional analysis of 26 fragments of the much-debated cylindrical and ovoid jars. This type of vessel was first defined at Khirbet Qumran in association with the Dead Sea Scrolls (hence the name "scroll" or "archive" jar). The samples include 15 fragments of this jar type and related types from Tel Ḥevron, a site that bears certain similarities to Khirbet Qumran with respect to the Early Roman period, as well as several published examples from Jericho and Masada. The contextual and compositional analysis, employing both petrography and chemical analysis, combined with previous studies, sheds some new light on the function of these vessels and their place(s) of production. Results of analysis of several other vessel types from these sites, not yet published, are presented here as well as support for the compositional groups. Many of these jars may have been produced in the Ḥevron area, with another source in the northern Dead Sea area. The implications of these results and the similarities in material culture at Tel Ḥevron and Qumran are also discussed.
Judea and Samaria Research Studies, 2019
The article discusses a ceramic pomegranate found in the recent excavations at Tel Shiloh. The co... more The article discusses a ceramic pomegranate found in the recent excavations at Tel Shiloh. The context of the find is described as well as other appearances of similar objects in the southern Levant, and the significance of the pomegranate as a symbol in Levantine and Near Eastern iconography. While the context is mixed, it is suggested the object should be dated to the Iron Age, possibly the late Iron Age I or Iron Age II as most parallels come from southern Judah during this period.
Levant, 2021
This article describes and discusses a stamped sealing found at Middle Chalcolithic Tel Tsaf (5th... more This article describes and discusses a stamped sealing found at Middle Chalcolithic Tel Tsaf (5th millennium BCE). This is the earliest stamped sealing found in the southern Levant. The article describes the object, as well as its petrographic composition, find-spot and parallels. Furthermore, the artefact’s implications for the rise of administrative practices in the Levant during the protohistoric periods are discussed.
Levant, 2019
During the Persian (or Achaemenid) period, simply band-painted bowls, plates, jugs, table amphora... more During the Persian (or Achaemenid) period, simply band-painted bowls, plates, jugs, table amphorae and hydriae are documented in the Levantin particular in the coastal regionsas one of the most common groups of decorated ceramics. Vessels of this stylemostly drinking vesselswere recorded in significant quantities at most coastal sites in southern Turkey, Syria, Israel, Cyprus, and occasionally also in Egypt. The band-painted decoration resembles East Greek styles and initial studies identified these vessels as variations of East Greek ceramics imported to the eastern Mediterranean from Ionian cities. In this study, we examined a large sample of this pottery from the northern and southern Levant, both stylistically and by fabric analysis, applying Neutron Activation Analyses (NAA), Wavelength Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (WD-XRF) and petrography. We demonstrate that almost all the vessels of this particular, and popular, style were produced at one site only-Kelenderis, in Ciliciawhich during the Persian period distributed its merchandise extensively to large parts of the eastern Mediterranean. The newly identified Mediterranean NAA group was labelled 'Kelenderis A' (KelA). The results require a reconsideration of commercial and other Mediterranean interconnections during this period.
Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, 2009
The article discusses terracotta figurines from Iron Age Philistia that are made in the form of M... more The article discusses terracotta figurines from Iron Age Philistia that are made in the form of Mycenaean figurines or illustrate Aegean iconographic elements. Together with new material published from Ashdod, previously unpublished examples from the new excavations at Tel Miqne-Ekron ...
Near Eastern Archaeology, 2017
NEAR EASTERN ARCHAEOLOGY 80.4 (2017) 273 The Stratum E5 (later EB III) ceramic vessel assemblage ... more NEAR EASTERN ARCHAEOLOGY 80.4 (2017) 273 The Stratum E5 (later EB III) ceramic vessel assemblage at Tell es-Sâfi/Gath is largely reflective of domestic daily-life household functions. The repertoire includes storage, serving, and cooking vessels. It is the same type of assemblage that is commonly found in domestic contexts in other late EB III sites distributed across the region, for example, at Yarmuth (de Miroschedji 1988, 1993, 2003), Lachish (Gophna and Blockman 2004; Tuffnell 1958), Tell el-Hesi (Fargo 1980), and Tel Ira (Beit-Arieh 1999). The assemblage includes large serving platters (fig. 1a), storage jars with flaring rim (the most common vessel type, see fig. 1b), holemouth jars used for storing and cooking (fig. 1c), and bowls and platters used for serving, some decorated with web-pattern burnishing (fig. 1d; Shai et al. 2014; Uziel and Maeir 2012). Some vessels were coated with a white plaster-like matrix after the firing, probably to reduce porosity (Eliyahu-Behar et al. 2016). The petrographic analysis indicated that the holemouths or cooking ware are made of a recipe rich with coarse, mostly calcareous inclusions, while table-ware is made of finer clay, with sometimes grog (crushed sherds) inclusions. The analysis indicates most of the assemblage was of local production, with evidence of some commodity movement between sites. In the absence of direct evidence of production, pottery economics are ordinarily approached at regional scales of analysis. This is sufficient for determining site specialization, but precludes understanding service provision and the organization of manufacture within a settlement, whether household production and/or workshop production. Therefore, the ceramic technology project at Tell es-Sâfi/Gath is experimenting with an alternative approach for investigating producer specialization, based on a classification of shaping techniques. Results from our pilot study (Ross et al. in press) suggest that potters were skilled in different shaping techniques sufficiently enough to specialize in the manufacture of certain vessel categories and functional types. Shaping techniques are identified Ceramic Vessel Production and Use at Early Bronze Age Tell es. -S. âfi / Gath
In the Highland’s Depth 13/1: *21-*38, 2023
Shai, I., Greenfield, H. J., and Maeir, A. M., eds.,Tell es-Safi/Gath III: Studies on the Early Bronze Age, Part 1. Ägypten und Altes Testament 122. Münster: Zaphon, 2023
Judea and Samaria Research Studies
In the past few years, there has been a significant increase in the archaeological evidence relat... more In the past few years, there has been a significant increase in the archaeological evidence relating to the early Iron Age IIA (early 10 th c. BCE) in the Judean Shephelah, mainly due to the excavations at Khirbet Qeiyafa and Khirbet al-Ra'i. This paper will examine this period through the lens of petrographic analysis of the relevant pottery assemblages of the two sites. The new results of petrographic analysis of 48 mostly restorable early Iron Age IIA pottery vessels from Khirbet al-Ra'i will be discussed in detail; these results will be compared to the previously published petrographic analysis of early Iron Age IIA pottery from Khirbet Qeiyafa (108 samples). The paper will also provide analysis of a group of Iron Age I pottery, including Philistine pottery and other forms, from Khirbet al-Ra'i. The assemblages are relatively homogenous in their fabrics and mostly locally made, with only few imports (mostly from the southern or central coast of Israel). However, the types of local clays that were used in the two sites were somewhat different.
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences
This paper, jointly written by participants of a workshop held in 2021, argues for an increased r... more This paper, jointly written by participants of a workshop held in 2021, argues for an increased recognition and application of neutron activation analysis (NAA) in the archaeology of the ancient Mediterranean. Discussing the methodological strengths and challenges, it highlights the great potential NAA has for collecting proxy data from ceramics in order to develop progressive concepts of archaeological research within and beyond the Mediterranean Bronze and Iron Age, pointing out opportunities to revisit long-held assumptions of scholarship and to refine visual/macroscopic provenance determinations of pottery. To take full advantage of NAA’s strengths toward a better understanding of the socioeconomic background of ceramics production, distribution, and consumption, the paper emphasises the need for both interdisciplinary collaboration and basic data publication requirements.
Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies
The article discusses Philistine iconography and figurative material culture in Philistia during ... more The article discusses Philistine iconography and figurative material culture in Philistia during the Iron Age. The primary archaeological evidence is surveyed, highlighting significant human, zoomorphic, and vegetative motifs. The different traditions and sources reflected by the figurative objects are also discussed. In addition, the archaeological contexts of these objects are surveyed, whether domestic, public, or related to temples or other contexts. Finally, various aspects related to the nature of the Philistine society will be evaluated according to the figurative material culture.
Judea and Samaria Research Studies
This article will describe and discuss the results of the 2020–2021 seasons of the excavations at... more This article will describe and discuss the results of the 2020–2021 seasons of the excavations at Khirbet ‘Aujah el-Foqa, a site in the southern Jordan Valley, north of Jericho. During these seasons, a section of the northern side of the site was excavated, including one complete structure. This structure, as well as the units around it, also contained a hasty abandonment or destruction layer from the Iron Age IIB similar to the one excavated in the southern part of the site. The article will illustrate reconstructed pottery from Area A, along with other finds. A large complex containing rooms and open areas appears to have been located in this area, although its function is still unclear. Finally, the reconstruction of the architecture will be discussed, along with the possible significance and function of the site.
Judea and Samaria Research Studies, 2021
site Tell en-Naṣbeh and dating mostly to the Iron Age II. The vessels analyzed represent main Iro... more site Tell en-Naṣbeh and dating mostly to the Iron Age II. The vessels analyzed represent main Iron Age II types appearing at the site (bowls, kraters, cooking pots, jars, jugs), alongside a number of special groups from this and other periods, including Philistine Bichrome vessels, vessels thought to have been imported, and several Judean pillar and other figurines. The primary aim of the study was to characterize the raw materials used for pottery production at this site and in the region of Benjamin, and to identify evidence for trade in vessels on various scales. The results show that, in general, the vast majority of the vessels were locally made (or made in the central hills region) from two main types of clay related to terra rossa or Moẓa type soils. Different classes of pottery, such as cooking pots or storage vessels, were made of different clay types. As not much compositional analysis of pottery from this region has been published, this study may also prove useful as comp...
Judea and Samaria Research Studies, 2018
Khirbet Marjameh is a large multi-layered fortified site located on a small hill near the spring ... more Khirbet Marjameh is a large multi-layered fortified site located on a small hill near the spring of 'Ain Samiyeh. The site was excavated over 40 years ago by Amihai Mazar and recently surveyed again by the South Samaria survey team. Its fortification is dated to the Iron Age II. This paper returns to examine once again the nature of this site and the finds from it, combining the Iron Age II pottery recovered from the new survey. The pottery from the excavations and new survey is discussed, in particular in light of new petrographic analysis of Iron Age II pottery from Khirbet Marjameh. Vessels from main morphological types, in particular bowls, kraters, cooking pots, and storage jars, were analyzed. The results and their significance towards the links of the site with other regions will be discussed.
DAN IV - The Iron Age I Settlement, 2019
Judea and Samaria Research Studies, 2021
In the Highland's Depth, 2020
The article describes the results of the first season of excavations at Khirbet ʿAujah el-Foqa. T... more The article describes the results of the first season of excavations at Khirbet ʿAujah el-Foqa. The site, which was surveyed intensively by Adam Zertal about 15 years ago and identified by him as biblical ʿAtaroth, is located on a hilltop controlling the large spring of ʿAujah, 11 km northwest of Jericho. This area is not yet well known from archaeological excavations. The main occupation phase of the 1.5-hectare site is represented by a fortified Iron Age II town with a well-built casemate wall including a destruction layer and rich finds. An upper layer of well-preserved smaller structures probably dates from the Mamluk or Ottoman period, and remains of a pre-fortification phase were also identified. The date, location, and function of the site during the Iron Age II are also discussed; only further excavations in the coming years will clarify its character and layout in more detail
The article presents a detailed compositional analysis of 26 fragments of the much-debated cylind... more The article presents a detailed compositional analysis of 26 fragments of the much-debated cylindrical and ovoid jars. This type of vessel was first defined at Khirbet Qumran in association with the Dead Sea Scrolls (hence the name "scroll" or "archive" jar). The samples include 15 fragments of this jar type and related types from Tel Ḥevron, a site that bears certain similarities to Khirbet Qumran with respect to the Early Roman period, as well as several published examples from Jericho and Masada. The contextual and compositional analysis, employing both petrography and chemical analysis, combined with previous studies, sheds some new light on the function of these vessels and their place(s) of production. Results of analysis of several other vessel types from these sites, not yet published, are presented here as well as support for the compositional groups. Many of these jars may have been produced in the Ḥevron area, with another source in the northern Dead Sea area. The implications of these results and the similarities in material culture at Tel Ḥevron and Qumran are also discussed.
Judea and Samaria Research Studies, 2019
The article discusses a ceramic pomegranate found in the recent excavations at Tel Shiloh. The co... more The article discusses a ceramic pomegranate found in the recent excavations at Tel Shiloh. The context of the find is described as well as other appearances of similar objects in the southern Levant, and the significance of the pomegranate as a symbol in Levantine and Near Eastern iconography. While the context is mixed, it is suggested the object should be dated to the Iron Age, possibly the late Iron Age I or Iron Age II as most parallels come from southern Judah during this period.
Levant, 2021
This article describes and discusses a stamped sealing found at Middle Chalcolithic Tel Tsaf (5th... more This article describes and discusses a stamped sealing found at Middle Chalcolithic Tel Tsaf (5th millennium BCE). This is the earliest stamped sealing found in the southern Levant. The article describes the object, as well as its petrographic composition, find-spot and parallels. Furthermore, the artefact’s implications for the rise of administrative practices in the Levant during the protohistoric periods are discussed.
Levant, 2019
During the Persian (or Achaemenid) period, simply band-painted bowls, plates, jugs, table amphora... more During the Persian (or Achaemenid) period, simply band-painted bowls, plates, jugs, table amphorae and hydriae are documented in the Levantin particular in the coastal regionsas one of the most common groups of decorated ceramics. Vessels of this stylemostly drinking vesselswere recorded in significant quantities at most coastal sites in southern Turkey, Syria, Israel, Cyprus, and occasionally also in Egypt. The band-painted decoration resembles East Greek styles and initial studies identified these vessels as variations of East Greek ceramics imported to the eastern Mediterranean from Ionian cities. In this study, we examined a large sample of this pottery from the northern and southern Levant, both stylistically and by fabric analysis, applying Neutron Activation Analyses (NAA), Wavelength Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (WD-XRF) and petrography. We demonstrate that almost all the vessels of this particular, and popular, style were produced at one site only-Kelenderis, in Ciliciawhich during the Persian period distributed its merchandise extensively to large parts of the eastern Mediterranean. The newly identified Mediterranean NAA group was labelled 'Kelenderis A' (KelA). The results require a reconsideration of commercial and other Mediterranean interconnections during this period.
Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, 2009
The article discusses terracotta figurines from Iron Age Philistia that are made in the form of M... more The article discusses terracotta figurines from Iron Age Philistia that are made in the form of Mycenaean figurines or illustrate Aegean iconographic elements. Together with new material published from Ashdod, previously unpublished examples from the new excavations at Tel Miqne-Ekron ...
Near Eastern Archaeology, 2017
NEAR EASTERN ARCHAEOLOGY 80.4 (2017) 273 The Stratum E5 (later EB III) ceramic vessel assemblage ... more NEAR EASTERN ARCHAEOLOGY 80.4 (2017) 273 The Stratum E5 (later EB III) ceramic vessel assemblage at Tell es-Sâfi/Gath is largely reflective of domestic daily-life household functions. The repertoire includes storage, serving, and cooking vessels. It is the same type of assemblage that is commonly found in domestic contexts in other late EB III sites distributed across the region, for example, at Yarmuth (de Miroschedji 1988, 1993, 2003), Lachish (Gophna and Blockman 2004; Tuffnell 1958), Tell el-Hesi (Fargo 1980), and Tel Ira (Beit-Arieh 1999). The assemblage includes large serving platters (fig. 1a), storage jars with flaring rim (the most common vessel type, see fig. 1b), holemouth jars used for storing and cooking (fig. 1c), and bowls and platters used for serving, some decorated with web-pattern burnishing (fig. 1d; Shai et al. 2014; Uziel and Maeir 2012). Some vessels were coated with a white plaster-like matrix after the firing, probably to reduce porosity (Eliyahu-Behar et al. 2016). The petrographic analysis indicated that the holemouths or cooking ware are made of a recipe rich with coarse, mostly calcareous inclusions, while table-ware is made of finer clay, with sometimes grog (crushed sherds) inclusions. The analysis indicates most of the assemblage was of local production, with evidence of some commodity movement between sites. In the absence of direct evidence of production, pottery economics are ordinarily approached at regional scales of analysis. This is sufficient for determining site specialization, but precludes understanding service provision and the organization of manufacture within a settlement, whether household production and/or workshop production. Therefore, the ceramic technology project at Tell es-Sâfi/Gath is experimenting with an alternative approach for investigating producer specialization, based on a classification of shaping techniques. Results from our pilot study (Ross et al. in press) suggest that potters were skilled in different shaping techniques sufficiently enough to specialize in the manufacture of certain vessel categories and functional types. Shaping techniques are identified Ceramic Vessel Production and Use at Early Bronze Age Tell es. -S. âfi / Gath
Philistine Iconography: A Wealth of Style and Symbolism. , 2010
Decorated Philistine Pottery: An Archaeological and Archaeometric Study, 2006
The Iron Age Pottery of Jerusalem: A Typological and Technological Study. Ariel University Institute of Archaeology Monograph Series No. 2, 2019