Miriam Pines | Tel Aviv University (original) (raw)

Uploads

Papers by Miriam Pines

'Atiqot, 2022

A small assemblage of 20 bones was retrieved during the excavation in the southern part of Tel Be... more A small assemblage of 20 bones was retrieved during the excavation in the southern part of Tel Bet Yeraḥ (Area AG). The bones were hand-collected from four of the five strata identified in the excavation (see Golani, this volume): the majority (n = 13) belonged to Strata III-I (Loci 110, 117, 121, 123, 131, 136 and 141), dated to EB III; one bone belonged to Stratum IV, dated to EB II (L138); and the other bones were not associated with strata (Loci 120, 130, 135, 162 and 164). All phases of occupation were attributed to domestic activities.

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2022

In this paper we present the analysis of faunal ecofacts retrieved from well-secured features dur... more In this paper we present the analysis of faunal ecofacts retrieved from well-secured features during recent excavation work carried out in 2019 and 2020 by the German-Israeli Tell Iẓṭabba Excavation Project in the Seleucid-founded town of Nysa-Scythopolis. Founded under Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-164 BCE) and destroyed by the Hasmonaeans in the later years of John Hyrcanus (in 107 BCE). The site offers a unique opportunity for observing the dietary habits of its Foreign Hellenistic settlers: the well-secured Seleucid assemblages, together with their varied provenance, offer new information on the Hellenistic southern Levant via a unique case-study employing high-resolution systematic analysis. The faunal assemblage from Tell Iẓṭabba (Nysa) provides a clearer picture of dietary practices in Hellenistic Palestine, focusing on the settlers at the site. By presenting the consumption patterns, based on animal bones and mollusks unearthed from the site's layer of Hellenistic occupation, we offer a comprehensive overview of the meat sources of food at the site and present a distinct cultural practice which is markable different from regional Levantine dietary customs.

Antiquity, 2022

The Seleucid town of Nysa-Scythopolis on Tell Iẓṭabba (Israel) was destroyed by the Hasmoneans ... more The Seleucid town of Nysa-Scythopolis on Tell Iẓṭabba (Israel) was destroyed by the Hasmoneans at the end of the second century BC. In this article, we discuss the exact season and possible year of the destruction using a multimodal approach and argue for its destruction in spring/early summer 107 BC.

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2020

We present archaeozoological evidence that shed light on the economic activities undertaken at th... more We present archaeozoological evidence that shed light on the economic activities undertaken at the Early Roman site Migdal, located on the shores of the Sea of Galilee (Israel), by analysing an animal bone assemblage recovered from the town’s industrial quarter. Focusing on the many fragmented equid bones dotted with reddish stains discovered in unique installations, we bring forth both an intra-site and inter-site study which highlights the important process of sail manufacturing in the Southern Levant during the Early Roman period.

Full text available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2020.102485

In: Tal, O. Apollonia-Arsuf: Final Report of the Excavations, Vol. II: Excavations outside the Medieval Town Walls (Tel Aviv Institute of Archaeology University Monograph Series). Tel Aviv, 2020

Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies, 2020

The contents of a small trash pit discovered in the recent excavations in Hellenistic Philoteria ... more The contents of a small trash pit discovered in the recent excavations in Hellenistic Philoteria (Tel Bet Yerah/Khirbet el-Kerak) offer a unique opportunity to study the components of what appears to have been a single festive meal. Extant remains include numerous mammal bones, mollusc shells, and ceramic tableware; they suggest a rustic Mediterranean cuisine, compatible with the presence of Greek settlers in pre-Hasmonean Galilee.

Full text available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5325/jeasmedarcherstu.8.1.issue-1

In August–September 2016, limited-scale trial excavations were conducted by the Universities of M... more In August–September 2016, limited-scale trial excavations were conducted by the Universities of Mainz and Tel-Aviv at the Umayyad Palace of Horbat Minnim (Khirbat al-Minya; License No. G-81/2016; map ref. 25045–55/75227–35), as part of a restoration project at the site, funded by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, the Axel Springer Foundation in Berlin, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the University of Mainz and the Association of the Friends of the Institute of Ancient Studies at the University of Mainz. The excavations were directed by H.-P. Kuhnen (University of Mainz), and co-directed by M. Pines and O. Tal (Tel Aviv University), with the assistance of C. Rohn (surveying and drafting), K. Kowalski (GPS) and J. Ivanowski and E. Stern (consultation). An IAA team headed by U. Berger assisted with GPS positioning. The restoration was carried out by the Institute of Ancient Studies at the University of Mainz in cooperation with the Israel Nature and Parks Authority (Kuhnen 2016b:14–19). Technical support was provided by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and the Youth Hostel of Karei Deshe.
The excavations sought to obtain archaeological data on the construction history of the Umayyad palace, which was built—as indicated by a fragmentary inscription—during the reign of one of the two caliphs named Walid (I, 705–715 CE; or II, 743–744 CE) and destroyed in the earthquake apparently dated to749 CE. The site was first excavated and measured in 1932–1939 by E.A. Mader and O. Puttrich-Reignard on behalf of the German Görres Society and the Museum of Islamic Art of Berlin (Kuhnen and Bloch 2014:9–14). These excavations established the ground plan of the palace, including its mosque; revealed the heavy damage caused by the earthquake; and found indications for reuse of the site in medieval times as a sugar refinery (Fig. 1; for subsequent excavations at the site, see Cinamon 2012; Cytryn 2016)

ZDPV, 2017

Consumption practices and waste management are two aspects of human behavior which are closely li... more Consumption practices and waste management are two aspects of human behavior which are closely linked together. This relationship varies according to environmental and social circumstances and presents itself in unique ways in different communities. This paper aims at understanding the consumption and disposal practices of a Late Antiquity coastal town (ÆApollvniÂa/ SvÂzoysa [Apollonia / Sozousa]) in the southern Levant. Our analysis reveals a well-organized garbage disposal mechanism that may have been supervised by a governing body. We conclude that waste management and waste utilization in agriculture and various industries were prevalent in the 5th and 6th cent. C.E. in Palestine.

Journal of Islamic Archaeology, 2017

Ottoman and British Mandate periods, rifle cartridges as a dating tool, animal economy In 2016 an... more Ottoman and British Mandate periods, rifle cartridges as a dating tool, animal economy In 2016 another excavation season was carried out at Majdal Yābā, concentrating on three rooms (02, 03 and 22) in the ground floor of the Ottoman-Mandatory manor house. Rooms 02 and 03 are large, adjacent halls apparently designated as storage and working areas, while Room 22 is a smaller living quarter. Each of the rooms revealed evidence for at least two main construction and utilization phases during the late Ottoman and British Mandate periods. In Room 03 were also unearthed—for the first time in the site—substantial foundations belonging to the Crusader castle of Mirabel, associated with well-dated finds. The analyzing of the present excavation included a first study of the faunal remains found in many of the Ottoman and Mandatory contexts, which shed much light on animal exploitation at the manor house and the (sometimes surprising) diet habits of its residents. Also studied were the rifle cartridges discovered in the excavation, the majority of which represent a homogeneous assemblage of First World War German ammunition. This hitherto largely overlooked class of artifacts was found to be much useful as an archaeological dating tool of early modern remains, alongside their contribution to the knowledge about the site's history in the early 20th century.

Oxford Journal of Archaeology, 2017

This paper puts forward an archaeozoological analysis of two sizeable animal bone assemblages fro... more This paper puts forward an archaeozoological analysis of two sizeable animal bone assemblages from the thirteenth-century Crusader town of Arsur (Israel). Each represents a distinct behavioural practice, one of meat eaten in peaceful times and the other of meat consumed under stressful conditions while preparing for and undergoing a siege, when consideration was given to factors of benefits and space. Our results show that the faunal remains from before and during the Mamluk siege enunciate differences of subsistence and identity at the site at two different times and under diverse conditions.

Levant, 2014

ABSTRACT This article examines the faunal remains retrieved from two distinct refuse deposits dat... more ABSTRACT This article examines the faunal remains retrieved from two distinct refuse deposits dated to the Late Byzantine period (6th to early 7th centuries AD) at Apollonia. The refuse deposits were located on the southern (area M) and northern (area O) extremities of the Late Byzantine period occupation at the site, and are recognized as belonging to two different groups. Despite the sample size, a trend can be detected, shedding new light on social diversity at the site. Although both assemblages are dominated by domestic species, there are differences: mainly the relative frequency of domestic and wild game species, in addition to the frequency of skeletal elements and the mortality profiles of the main domesticates. These differences indicate that the inhabitants of the two areas may have employed different modes of economy. This may hint at their usage by different religious groups, Christians and Samaritans, which are known to have inhabited the site.

Conference Presentations by Miriam Pines

ASOR, 2021

Reḥovot-in-the-Negev is located on the road from Elusa to Nessana leading to the Sinai monasterie... more Reḥovot-in-the-Negev is located on the road from Elusa to Nessana leading to the Sinai monasteries. The town was built atop a small hill, situated near the west bank of the Shunra stream, amidst the sand dunes of Shunra and Elusa. The central church in Reḥovot, one of four in the town, was built in the second half of the 4th century C.E., remodeled during the 5th century C.E., and finally abandoned during the late 7th century C.E.—probably along with all the other churches in the town. Coincidentally, during that period, a room in a nearby house (a khan?) was carefully rebuilt using building materials (including two stones adorned with crosses) from the abandoned central church.

The question of what the room was used for, which was built about one meter higher than other floors in the building, will be discussed in this paper. This small room has been altered from a previously secular space and may have been used for a ritual (or perhaps a political[?]) purpose, using the church’s spolia. The relationship between the two buildings will be explored, and then compared with additional examples of spolia use from other Late Byzantine towns in the region.