Khalet al-Jam'a a Middle Bronze and Iron Age Necropolis near Bethlehem (Palestine) (original) (raw)

Bethlehem in the Bronze and Iron Ages in the light of recent discoveries by the Palestinian MOTA-DACH

The discovery of the necropolis of Khalet al-Jam'a, around 2.2 Km southeast of Bethlehem (Nigro et al. in this volume), provides new data on the Bronze and Iron Age town which controlled the main route connecting Jerusalem to Hebron, and the access to the wadiat crossing the southern Judean desert and leading to the coastal plain. Intermediate Bronze Age/Early Bronze IV, Middle Bronze shaft tombs, and at least two major Iron II burial caves (Tomb A7 and the Barmil's Tomb) excavated by the Palestinian MOTA-DACH in an Iron Age cemetery allow to draw up a renewed picture of Bethlehem and its environs and give the opportunity to re-appraise its long history.

The Jamma'in EB-IV Tomb: The Impact of Urban Development on Archaeological Resources in Palestine

مجلة منبر التراث الأثري, 2021

The primary archaeological and cultural heritage resources of Palestine are under serious threat due to ongoing urban development activities. Recently, some construction work for a septic tank resulted in the discovery of an EB-IV tomb, which was immediately looted and partially destroyed. Three months later, purely by chance, the relevant authorities became aware of this discovery and of the looted material culture. The two main aims of this present paper are to highlight the impact of urban development on cultural heritage resources, especially tombs, and also the procedures involved in the vandalizing of such subterranean rock-cut tombs.

2009 - Sachet I., Delhopital N., “Area 5, Work in the Monumental Tombs”, dans Nehmé L., al Talhi D. and Villeneuve F. (dir.), Hegra I : Report on the First Excavation Season (2008) at Madâ’in Sâlih, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Supreme Commission for Tourism, p. 205-258. ISBN 978-603-8022-31-3.

Excavations at Khirbet el-Maqatir: the 2009–2011 Seasons With a contribution by

After a hiatus of eight years, the seventh–ninth seasons of salvage excavations at Khirbet el-Maqatir, 15 km north of Jerusalem, were conducted from 2009 to 2011. Four phases of occupation were found: a small fortress from the Middle Bronze III-Late Bronze I period, an Iron Age I settlement, a Late Hellenistic-Early Roman fortified town, and a Byzantine monastery. From the fortress phase, the west fortification wall was investigated and found to be 3.5 m wide. An infant jar burial was discovered beneath a building located inside the gate. On the south side a large limestone monolith was found, which may be the remains of a damaged stela. Excavations on the east side of the site exposed a well-preserved first-century CE house. A church described by early travelers was also investigated. It was determined that it was initially a single-apse, basilica-style church. This was later replaced by a tri-apsidal church with a two-story monastery of the coenobium type built around the basilica church.

An Iron Age II tomb with Phoenician items at Khirbet Bir el-Kharayib, Central Palestine

Vicino Oriente XXIV, 2020

In 2017, during a salvage excavation carried out by the Department of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage of Palestine, an Iron Age shaft tomb close to the site of Khirbet Bir el-Kharayib in Central Palestine came to light. The funerary equipment of the tomb goes within the Iron Age IIA pottery tradition. Vessels of this period primarily consist of Red Slip Ware bowls and juglets, Black Slip Ware juglets, Simple Ware jars, jugs and juglets, and Cooking Ware pots. A Bichrome Ware jug, a bronze bowl and a zoomorphic figurine complete the funerary set.

Megalithic tombs in ‘Ain Dakkar (East Jaulan) : survey report

AKKADIKA 135, pp. 197-212, 2014

This article is the result of a survey conducted in 2005 by the DGA (Deraa) and IFPO (Damascus) in the Eastern Jaulan. The necropolis of 'Ain Dakar was explored in more depth in particular with the mapping of graves and settlement associated to it. This area is part of a larger megalithic phenomenon taking place in South Levant at the beginning of the Early bronze age.

The Jabal Hamrat Fidan Project: Excavations at the Wadi Fidan 40 Cemetery, Jordan (1997)

Levant, 1999

This report describes the excavation and preliminary analysis of the Wadi Fidan 40 cemetery by the Wadi Fidan Regional Archaeological Project during 1997. The cemetery is a large, enigmatic funerary complex. Previous work suggested a link to the nearby Early Bronze Age site of Wadi Fidan 4. During the 1997 season 62 grave features were excavated and human remains of 87 individuals recovered. The aceramic nature of the cemetery and other finds suggests the possibility of a semi-nomadic population. A short life radiocarbon determination for the cemetery indicates an Iron Age date in the tenth/ninth centuries BG. The implications of this date and the potential significance of this population are discussed in terms of recent findings in southern Jordan.