Iron Age IIA (Levant) Research Papers (original) (raw)

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Full citation:
10. Ben-Yosef, E. and Sergi, O. 2018. The Destruction of Gath by Hazael and the Arabah Copper Industry: A Reassessment. In: Hitchcock, L., Shai, I. Uziel, J., and Dagan, A. eds. Tel it in Gath: Studies in the History and Archaeology of Israel, Essays in Honor of Aren M. Maeiron the Occasion of his Sixtieth Birthday (Ägyptum und Altes Testament 90). Münster: 461–480.

- by Omer Sergi and +1
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- Iron Age (Archaeology), Copper extraction and production, Philistines, Iron Age IIA (Levant)

Full citation: Sergi, O. 2017. The Battle of Ramoth-gilead and the Rise of the Aramaean Hegemony in the Southern Levant during the Second Half of the 9th Century BCE. In: Berlejung, A., Maeir, A.M. and Schüle, A. eds. Wandering Aramaean:... more

Full citation:
Sergi, O. 2017. The Battle of Ramoth-gilead and the Rise of the Aramaean Hegemony in the Southern Levant during the Second Half of the 9th Century BCE. In: Berlejung, A., Maeir, A.M. and Schüle, A. eds. Wandering Aramaean: Aramaeans Outside Syria – Textual and Archaeological Perspectives (LAOS 5). Wiesbaden: 81–97.

- by Omer Sergi
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- Tel Dan Inscription, Iron Age IIA (Levant), Hazael, 2 Kings 9

INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH: To-date, there has been a greater focus on Egypto-Asiatic relations in the Late Bronze Age (ca. 1550–1150 BC) than during much of the succeeding Iron Age to early Persian periods (ca. 1150–525 BC). In regards to the Iron Age, the first few centuries of which have sometimes been labeled a “Dark Age,” most studies have relied more upon textual-pictorial evidence and have yet to explore the full potential offered by the extant archaeological record, especially regarding the quantification and analysis of diverse data. Although this deficiency is related to less pertinent archaeological and textual evidence having survived from the Iron Age, sufficient data remain to clarify diverse aspects of Egypt’s relations with the Levant. The following paper addresses these issues, summarizing and augmenting the Iron Age portion of this writer’s Ph.D. dissertation (1998) and related research.

- by Gregory Mumford
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- History, Ancient History, Archaeology, Egyptology

The renewed excavations at Tel Moza brought to light remains of an exceptional temple complex, established in the Iron IIA (10th–9th centuries BCE). 2 An assemblage comprised of figurines and cultic vessels was found lying on the packed earth floor of the temple courtyard. The plan of the temple and the motifs of the figurines and cultic vessels are drawn from conventions prevalent throughout the Ancient Near East. The importance and unique nature of the Tel Moza temple are accentuated by the fact that it is the first Iron Age temple to be excavated in the heart of Judah, just a few km from Jerusalem, and thus provides new insight into early Israelite religion.

- by Shua Kisilevitz
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- Israelite Religion, Terracotta Figurines, Temples, Iron Age IIA (Levant)

The article deals with a late Iron IIA destruction layer at Tel Aphek in the Sharon Plain. The remains, which were uncovered during Moshe Kochavi and Pirhiya Beck’s excavations, have important implications for the history of the central Coastal Plain. The study of the finds suggests that during the late Iron IIA, Aphek increased in size, and that the ceramic tradition of the town exhibited similarities to that of the Northern Kingdom. This may be explained against the background of Israelite expansion to the coast during the 9th century BCE. Detailed analysis of the pottery repertoire indicates that Aphek was destroyed during the final phase of the Iron IIA, presumably in the course of an Aramean military campaign to the south.

- by Assaf Kleiman
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- Iron Age IIA (Levant), Hazael, Aphek, Northern Kingdom

This paper spatially and temporally synthesizes data on Iron Age metallurgy in the
Levant to reveal patterns in development of ironworking in the Levant within its regional,
cultural and chronological framework. The synthesized data was used to produce a series of
maps that visually represent the changes in metallurgy over a 620 year period. The paper focuses
on the dissemination of ironworking technology as well as regional differences in its usage.

- by Christopher Thompson
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- Archaeology, Phoenicians, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Metallurgy

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.

- by Federico Cappella and +1
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- Iron Age Levant, Iron Age IIA (Levant)

A fragment of a painted figurine depicting a female drummer was found in an Iron IIA context at Tel Abel Beth Maacah in Upper Galilee. This article presents the context, iconography, and technology of the figurine and discusses its cultural and chronological significance. The article is published in the festschrift for Beth Alpert Nakahi and is dedicated to her important scholarship on gender in archaeology.

- by Nava Panitz-Cohen
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- Archaeology, Gender, Terracotta Figurines, Iron Age IIA (Levant)
- by Filip Vukosavović and +2
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- Fortifications, Jerusalem Archaeology, History of Jerusalem, Iron Age IIA (Levant)

This study discusses the Iron Age IIA (tenth–ninth centuries BCE) cult place at Lachish in the Judahite Shephelah, Israel. The architecture and the artifacts of Sanctuary 49 and of the additional cultic remains in its vicinity are re-evaluated,
and the recently proposed revision of the excavator’s stratigraphic conclusions is critically assessed. The article delineates the rich cultural background and the region-specific features of the evolving Judahite cult and ritual practices as
revealed at Lachish.

- by Alexander Zukerman
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- Archaeology, Iron Age, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Iron Age Levant
- by Ariel Winderbaum
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- Religion, Archaeology, Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Biblical Archaeology

ABSTRACT: Study guide to selected characteristics of Syria-Palestine regarding trade/commerce during the Late Bronze Age to Iron Age IA (1550 - 1150 BCE), the Sea Peoples and collapse of the Bronze Age (1200 - 1150 BCE), the origins and settlement of the Philistines in southwest Palestine (1200 - 1000 BCE), the traditions and evidence for the Exodus, sojourn, and conquest of/by the Ancient Israelites (1300 - 1000 BCE), the emerging and varying archaeological evidence for the Ancient Israelite settlement in Palestine (1200 - 1000 BCE), and the United Monarchy of Saul, David and Solomon, and archaeological and other evidence, during Iron Age 2A (1000 - 925 BCE).

- by Gregory Mumford
- •
- Ancient History, Archaeology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Anthropology

During the 1963 excavation season at Tel Achziv, directed by M.W.
Prausnitz, three cist tombs were unearthed in Area E, on the eastern part of the
mound. These tombs, built of large roughly-hewn stone blocks, previously dated
to the Iron Age IB, display a rich material culture, consisting of pottery vessels,
weapons, jewellery and other small finds. To date, only parts of the assemblage
of these tombs have been published in preliminary publications. Here, for the
first time, we consider the entirety of the tomb assemblages, including ceramic,
metal and other finds, as well as tomb architecture and human remains. We
maintain that the emerging picture points to a more complex narrative of the
Iron Age settlement at Achziv and its population than previously thought.
Rather than dating to the Iron IB, they can be related to the Iron IIA and to the
existence of an elite manifesting its local identity through burial practices that
reflect long-lasting coastal cultural traditions. At the same time, a new date
for the resettlement of Achziv is offered and connected to processes of Tyrian
consolidation of power, accompanied by the establishment of administrative
control in parts of the western Galilee and the Akko Valley in the Iron Age IIA.

- by Meir Edrey and +3
- •
- Phoenicians, Iron Age (Archaeology), Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Iron Age

At least four of the five cities of the "Philistine pentapolis" are absent from the Bubastite Portal toponym lists. There is evidence of trade with Egypt, and both Gath and Ashdod prospered during Iron Age IIA, making it doubtful that the Philistines were enemies of Shoshenq I. This paper therefore looks briefly at alternatives to Gaza as the starting point of the campaign, and then turns to the Yarkon Basin as the northern frontier of the Philistines, finding that the toponyms of the destroyed Row IV of the monument may have been located somewhere to the east of Philistia.

The early 10th-century BCE pottery assemblage from Khirbet al-Ra'i is presented. The assemblage, which came from a few rooms that were suddenly destroyed, offers a large number of complete profiles. This is the second largest pottery... more

- by Kyle Keimer and +1
- •
- Archaeology of Ancient Israel, Early Iron Age Pottery, Iron Age IIA (Levant)

During the 2017 excavation season at Tel Kabri, Iron Age remains
were found cutting into the western part of the Middle Bronze
Age palace. These remains consisted of a segment of a large
structure and a series of sizable pits. Similar Iron Age remains
were unearthed during previous soundings in Areas D and F of
the excavation and were loosely dated to the Iron Age II. The
ceramic assemblage from these soundings demonstrated a
disproportionate number of imports and cooking pots, which
prompted the excavators to suggest that the lower settlement
was engaged in the processing of agricultural products connected
to the nearby forts located elsewhere on the tell. A recent reexamination of the pottery from the previous excavations suggest
that the forts could have only existed during the Iron Age IIA and
IIC. Our examination of the pottery indicates that the imports can
be dated to the Iron Age IIA, while the large number of cooking
pots should mostly be dated to the Iron Age IIC. We would
therefore like to suggest a new interpretation for the function of
the lower settlement at Kabri during the Iron Age II in relation to
the forts and the political reality in the Galilee at that time.

- by Meir Edrey and +2
- •
- Rural, Caravanserais, Pits (Archaeology), Archaeology of Refuse

Conventional analytical solutions to the statistics of radiocarbon dating are hampered by distributional issues and assumptions of convenience. Fortunately, given rapid advances in computational machinery, numerical methods offer a simple and robust alternative. In this paper we use the radiocarbon age data presented by Finkelstein and Piasetzky (Finkelstein, 2010) to demonstrate a numerical method of generating sampling distributions of calibrated radiocarbon dates that is likely to provide greater precision and utility to archeologists. (Revised March 17 2015)

- by Jamal Munshi
- •
- Deuteronomistic History, Prophets, Radiocarbon, Bootstrap (Statistics)

- by Awni Shawamra
- •
- History, Iron Age Levant, Vicino Oriente, Iron Age IIA (Levant)

The article presents two pottery assemblages exposed in 2017 at Tel Beth Shemesh, in the Level 3 Iron IIA Judahite administrative center that replaced the Iron I Canaanite villages of Levels 7–4. The assemblages contribute to the study of the typological-chronological development of Iron IIA pottery in Judah. Both date to the mid-/late Iron IIA, i.e., the first half/mid-9th century BCE. Two storage jars in the assemblages bear finger impressions. Contrary to recent suggestions that these impressions testify to early Iron IIA Judahite or Israelite centralized administration, we understand them as a Bronze Age phenomenon affiliated with the Canaanite population of the Shephelah and the northern valleys that reached its apogee during the late Iron I/early Iron IIA.

- by Shawn Bubel and +2
- •
- Cultural Studies, Archaeology, Tel Aviv, Iron Age IIA (Levant)

This paper presents a comparative study of textile tools and textile remains from the Iron Age II (c. 1000 – 500 BCE) Levant as a means to investigate production and procurement of textiles made from distinct fibers in international economies. Loom weights are a nearly ubiquitous component of Iron Age II material culture that record widespread use of warp-weighted looms. Yet there is no consensus on the physical characteristics of the textiles weavers used these looms to produce. Thus, it has not been possible to investigate the relationship between Iron Age II textile production and activities such as herding, farming, trade, tribute, or cult. This study reconstructs the fabrics made with Iron Age II warp-weighted looms from measurements of loom weights from twelve sites. These reconstructions are compared to textile remains and textile impressions in order to describe the variation in fabrics that could have been woven with warp-weighted looms. This method shows that Levantine warp-weighted looms were best suited for weaving multiple types of animal fiber (i.e. wool and goat hair) textiles rather than fine bast fiber (i.e. linen and hemp) fabrics.

- by Thaddeus Nelson
- •
- Levantine Archaeology, Textile Production, Iron Age, Warp Weighted Loom

The Iron Age II in the Negev is characterized by extensive settlement and an abundance of remains in an excellent state of preservation. Much research has been conducted on the period since the discoveries of Woolley and Lawrence over 70 years ago. In the Negev Emergency Survey, which began in 1978, over 250 new sites, preserved with most elements intact, were added to the 100 sites previously known: about 150 of these were found by the author in a survey of the western Negev Highlands, 100 by Lender in the region of Ramat Matred, and ten in other areas.1 Most studies of the Negev Highlands in the Iron Age have focused on the architectural nature of the fortresses and the problem of chronology. The wide scope of the Negev Emergency Survey and the abundance of new finds have enabled us to reconsider several issues relating to the settlement of this peripheral desert region.

- by Moti (Mordechai) Haiman
- •
- Iron Age IIA (Levant), Iron Age Fortresses

Beth-Shean has always been a complicated, somewhat problem site, in terms of its stratigraphy and history. Though the Roman–Byzantine city of Scythopolis at the foot of the mound was excavated from 1984 onwards, the only previous extensive work on the tell itself — aside from a brief season by the Hebrew University in 1983 — was by the University of Pennsylvania Museum in the 1920s and 1930s. The early work, which suffered long publication delays, left many questions about the site unanswered, making the new reports, from the 1989–1996 excavations of the Hebrew University, more than welcome.

- by Peter James
- •
- Archaeology of Ancient Israel, 20th Dynasty, Ramesses III, Ancient chronology

This study re-examines the available primary and secondary evidence concerning the
northern borders of Israel during the Iron II period from the reign of Jeroboam I to the fall of Samaria in 722 BCE. To work around the limitations and fragmentary nature of the available evidence, at the heart of this discussion are three major elements: the means of distinguishing tribal and ethnic groups, identifying borders through the available evidence, and the integration text, archaeology, and geography in a historical reconstruction of Israel. This study therefore utilizes a multidisciplinary approach that prioritizes the primary evidence and distinguishes between “long-term” and “short-term” evidence in its investigation of Israel’s interactions with its northern neighbors, especially the kingdom of Aram-Damascus. In doing so this approach works around the limitations of both textual and archaeological evidence, providing a status quaestionis of the available evidence for the ebb and flow of Israel’s northern border, summarizing each textually-attested border claim as it appears in the biblical and Ancient Near Eastern texts. To summarize the results of this study, here it will be demonstrated that the early northern kingdom of Israel could have extended into Dan and Ijon while the evidence does not clearly show that the more powerful Omride dynasty extended further north than the Jezreel area. The period of Jehu and Jehoahaz was a period of weakness due to the pressure of Hazael, but after Hazael’s death Jehoash and Jeroboam II were able to reverse Israel’s fortune and eventually extend into the Galilee region. Following the tumultuous end of the Jehuite dynasty, Israel’s borders quickly shrank before being ultimately captured by the Assyrians.