The Flax Basins of the Northeast Church Complex, Hippos, Israel (original) (raw)
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Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting, 2024
In the winters of 2014 and 2015 core samples were taken from the plaster linings of fourteen of the main large pools excavated at the archaeological site of Shikmona, on the northern coast of Israel within the confines of the municipality of modern day Haifa. In their construction these structures are clearly closely concentrated industrial pools. The purpose of this sampling was to gain further insights into the function and possibly the processes associated with these ancient installations by undertaking a fossil pollen analysis of these fourteen plaster samples (one sample core was taken from each of the fourteen pools selected for this study and two additional samples were taken from the Byzantine church for comparison). The laboratory extraction and subsequent analysis of these pollen samples from Shikmona revealed that there is a very strong probabilty that they were primarily utilized for soaking flax stems during the retting stage of processing flax fibers into tow; a necessary step prior to the final stage of weaving them into linen. The fuller picture that the results of these sixteen samples provide us with can be characterized as both expected and unexpected. An inclusive look at the layout of these pools and the fossil pollen recovered from the plasters lining them gives us a uniqique perspective of the economy underlining the coastal trading city state of Shikmona in the Greco-Roman period. The fact that the pools stretch under the later Byzantine Basilica, allows us to approximately date the pools to the period that proceeds it (1 st through 3 rd century CE). What follows is a final report on the sixteen fossil pollen samples taken from all fourteen of the pools sampled from the Greco-Roman period at Shikmona, Israel.
Society of Biblical Literature International Meeting Salzburg, Austria, Ancient Near East program unit
This study focuses on fossil pollen samples taken from plasters lining Channel II and the Siloam Tunnel as well as on mortar samples from their respective termini at the Dam wall and Siloam Pool of ancient Jerusalem. Behavioral and environmental interpretations of the pollen record suggest that though cultivar pollens make up a substantial proportion of the pollen spectrum, they are proportionally unchanging over time, which suggests a shift from an independent agricultural polis with its own nearby sources of cultivars to a religious capital dependent on tithes of food stuffs from further afield.
Society of Biblical Literature Pacific Regional Conference, Bible and the Near East program unit, 2022
This study focuses on pollen samples taken from plasters lining the Canaanite Water Channel and Siloam Tunnel as well as on mortar samples from their respective termini at the Dam wall and Siloam Pool of ancient Jerusalem. Behavioral and environmental interpretations of the pollen record suggest that though cultivar pollens make up a large proportion of the pollen spectrum, they are proportionally unchanging over time, which suggests a shift from an independent agricultural polis with its own nearby sources of cultivars to a religious capital dependent on tithes of food stuffs from further afield.
T his work began as part of a two week excavation scheduled in September of 2009 to further uncover architectural elements of the Early Roman odeum at Hippos-Sussita. During my participation in these excavations, I availed myself of an opportunity to sample the previously excavated winery complex. The results of the pollen samplings taken during this period are briefly presented here, as a preliminary report, but will subsequently be reported on in full, after a further analysis of these preliminary findings is complete. This work was undertaken as part of my sabbatical year at the Zinman.
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany
For thousands of years, flax was a winter crop of major importance in the ancient Levant, second only to wheat and barley. It was cultivated from the beginning of the early Neolithic period through to Roman times and it is still grown there today. Flax seeds (linseed) contain high concentrations of two essential polyunsaturated fatty acids—linoleic acid (ω-6) and α-linolenic acid (ω-3), which cannot be produced by the human body. Their oxidation occurs rapidly in the air. So, long term storage of linseed needed airtight containers, and tightly stoppered bottles could be used to keep its oil as a remedy. However, were flax seeds consumed as a food, oil or medicament in ancient periods? How commonly were flax seeds eaten? From archaeobotanical finds of flax seed, it is difficult to determine whether the flax was cultivated for fibres alone or for its seeds that can be cold-pressed to release the valuable oil. We have therefore studied ancient written documents describing various uses of flax seeds, including their consumption as a food supplement and uses in medical applications. We conclude that until recently flax was grown primarily for textile fibres, and only smaller quantities of flax seeds were consumed. So, the flax seed finds from the early Iron Age site of Tel Beth-Shean also represent seed consumption or oil extraction.
"The Tombs of Nazareth Pollen Analysis"
ASOR Conference Chicago, 2023
Since January of 2010 pollen sampling and analysis of structures and the ceramic artifacts recovered from them within excavations throughout the Galilee region have been an ongoing project sponsored jointly by the Israeli Antiquities Authority and the universities of Haifa and San Diego. This paper focuses primarily on fossil pollen recovered by pollen washes from ceramic storage vessels associated with the four adjacent, but separate, burial caves excavated in the heart of Nazareth. However, a secondary focus of this work will be the gradual transformation of burial rituals within Israel from the Early Bronze to the Late Roman periods. It is the belief of the authors, that fossil pollen recovered from ancient artifacts and structures has and will continue to provide essential economic and anthropogenic perspectives to new and ongoing archaeological research. This study serves as an example of this approach.
Pollen Analysis of the Iron Age II Siloam Tunnel Jerusalem
Five core samples were taken from the surviving plasters of the Iron Age II Siloam Tunnel on March 24, 2010, in the City of David Archaeological Park in Jerusalem. The reasoning behind sampling these surviving plasters has much to do with the type of material to be sampled. Though the opportunity afforded by my association with Dr. Ronny Reich to do such sampling was an essential ingredient in facilitating this research and I thank him for it. My past research had led me to believe that plasters are good repositories of the pollens that they come into contact with. If useful palynological information could be recovered from plasters like those at Bethsaida, Gamla, and Hippos, then it wouldn’t be much of a leap of faith to expect that valuable information could be gleaned from the plasters sealing this ancient water system in Jerusalem. Thus, in many respects, this report reflects our joint efforts to test these premises.