The is the final excavation report of the Iron Age I levels of Tel Dan, Israel. It includes a number of contributions by specialist authors. The download is only the front material, not the book!
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This journal is the window front for the excavation work of the Nelson Glueck School of Biblical Archaeology. Edited by David Ilan, it includes both preliminary and final reports, mainly of our contract and community archaeology field... more
This journal is the window front for the excavation work of the Nelson Glueck School of Biblical Archaeology. Edited by David Ilan, it includes both preliminary and final reports, mainly of our contract and community archaeology field projects. These are free access. And have a look at the website while you're at it.
Global climate change has sharpened focus on the social and economic challenges associated with water deficits, particularly in regions where anthropogenic demands exceed supply. This modern condition was also experienced by the people of... more
Global climate change has sharpened focus on the social and economic challenges associated with water deficits, particularly in regions where anthropogenic demands exceed supply. This modern condition was also experienced by the people of ancient western Asia, where chronic water shortages were accentuated by recurrent droughts. However, human societies may react to climate change, particularly desiccation, in different ways depending on specific local conditions. Focusing on the biblical site of Tel Dan (present-day Israel), we show the effects of severe precipitation decline in an environment that was well watered and fertile even in times of drought. Such local niches of prosperity became attractive targets for predation when food resources became scarce in surrounding rain-fed areas. We propose that predation forced urban populations to either flee or adopt new subsistence strategies. Predation and abandon-ment, even if only partial, led to the poor maintenance of water networks in and around the city. Once stagnant water surrounded the area, water-borne disease proliferated. Our study shows how climate changes can disrupt social and political structures, cause water system management to collapse, and facilitate marshland expansion.
Fenestrated domed vessels have been found in Bronze and Iron Age contexts at a number of sites in the central and eastern Mediterranean, western Asia, and Egypt. In the Levant, they have been interpreted as “snake houses” and house... more
Fenestrated domed vessels have been found in Bronze and Iron Age contexts at a number of sites in the central and eastern Mediterranean,
western Asia, and Egypt. In the Levant, they have been interpreted as “snake houses” and house models, but more often as model sanctuaries
or portable shrines. In this presentation, I reexamine their attributes and find-spot contexts and propose that they represent grain silos—modeled
on the original Egyptian conception. Referencing mythological and ritual texts from ancient Western Asia and from Ugarit in particular, it is proposed that the model silos were an attribute of the grain god – Ba’al-Hadad or Dagan – and housed figurines of that deity. The model silos would have been considered instrumental in communicating
with the deity to encourage agrarian fecundity. They might also have been a vehicle of communication with ancestors.
western Asia, and Egypt. In the Levant, they have been interpreted as “snake houses” and house models, but more often as model sanctuaries
or portable shrines. In this presentation, I reexamine their attributes and find-spot contexts and propose that they represent grain silos—modeled
on the original Egyptian conception. Referencing mythological and ritual texts from ancient Western Asia and from Ugarit in particular, it is proposed that the model silos were an attribute of the grain god – Ba’al-Hadad or Dagan – and housed figurines of that deity. The model silos would have been considered instrumental in communicating
with the deity to encourage agrarian fecundity. They might also have been a vehicle of communication with ancestors.
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Pilgrimage--a journey to a shrine of other sacred place undertaken to gain divine aid, as an act of thanksgiving or penance, or to demonstrate devotion within a particular religious system--has been the subject of archeological... more
Pilgrimage--a journey to a shrine of other sacred place undertaken to gain divine aid, as an act of thanksgiving or penance, or to demonstrate devotion within a particular religious system--has been the subject of archeological investigation in recent years. The site of Tel Dan (Tell el-Qadi), Israel, provides a unique opportunity to explore pilgrimage because its remains have been exposed over a wide expanse and it has produced a great deal of archeological data. Dan is also remembered in the Hebrew Bible as an Israelite pilgrimage destination. In this paper we attempt to recreate the experience of a pilgrim moving through the stations of the pilgrimage itinerary of Holy Dan. We end by providing a synthetic analysis of pilgrimage at the site invoking biblical, archeological, iconographic, and ancient anear Eastern textual data, viewed through a phenomenological lens.
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This article discusses a cache of artifacts--bronze weapons and utensils, beads and miniature pottery vessels--from Middle Bronze Age IIA (1900-1700 BCE) Tel Dan, Israel. After a typological description of the contents, a series of... more
This article discusses a cache of artifacts--bronze weapons and utensils, beads and miniature pottery vessels--from Middle Bronze Age IIA (1900-1700 BCE) Tel Dan, Israel. After a typological description of the contents, a series of possible interpretations is offered, with the conclusion that this is a ritual offfering desposit, perhaps a sort of quid pro quo gift to a deity with the aim of achieving a desired action or result.
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The serendipity of discovery can determine the process and progress of the archaeological interpretation of religious belief and ritual practice. The Chalcolithic period (4500–3600 B.C.E.) of the southern Levant is used as a case study.... more
The serendipity of discovery can determine the process and progress of the archaeological interpretation of religious belief and ritual practice. The Chalcolithic period (4500–3600 B.C.E.) of the southern Levant is used as a case study. Had the material expressions of Chalcolithic religion been discovered in a different sequence, our understanding of that religion might have been distinctly altered. We first present a chronological narrative of discovery, with summary headlines, and then proceed to dismantle previous syntheses. Finally, we construct our own framework for understanding Chalcolithic religion, which is essentially a life-cycle religion with extensive, almost ever-present, ritual reference to death and the regeneration of life. [ritual, mortuary landscape, ossuary, iconography, secondary burial]
This paper explores ritual behaviour, religious belief and their nexus to power during the Chalcolithic period (c. 4500–3600 BC) of the southern Levant. Recurring symbolically charged artefacts and their contexts suggest an... more
This paper explores ritual behaviour, religious belief and
their nexus to power during the Chalcolithic period
(c. 4500–3600 BC) of the southern Levant. Recurring
symbolically charged artefacts and their contexts suggest
an overarching, region-wide cosmology or religious
framework. At the same time, we argue for diverse,
coexisting modes of ritual behaviour practiced by different
sorts of ritual specialist. The Chalcolithic seems to exhibit
the earliest evidence for the incorporation and control of
ritual and ideology by the elite as a power strategy.
their nexus to power during the Chalcolithic period
(c. 4500–3600 BC) of the southern Levant. Recurring
symbolically charged artefacts and their contexts suggest
an overarching, region-wide cosmology or religious
framework. At the same time, we argue for diverse,
coexisting modes of ritual behaviour practiced by different
sorts of ritual specialist. The Chalcolithic seems to exhibit
the earliest evidence for the incorporation and control of
ritual and ideology by the elite as a power strategy.
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Bronze and Iron Age ring kernoi found in eastern Mediterranean contexts have been interpreted as artifacts used for liquid libation. In this paper I make the case that they were used for the ingestions of psychotropic substances in both... more
Bronze and Iron Age ring kernoi found in eastern Mediterranean contexts have been interpreted as artifacts used for liquid libation. In this paper I make the case that they were used for the ingestions of psychotropic substances in both liquid and as smoke. I first trace the temporal and geographical distribution of the ring kernos and then examine the array of archaeological contexts in which the ring kernoi were found. I then attempt a reconstruction of how the vessel was used—how the liquid and smoke were ingested. The following section surveys the physical, chemical, iconographic and textual evidence for the ingestion of psychotropic substances in the ancient western Asia and the eastern Mediterranean. In the final section I discuss how ecstatic states were achieved and propose a scenario in the form of a short story.
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This paper grew out of a community archaeology project near Modi'in, a newly-built city located half way between Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem on the Israeli side of the Green Line (the pre-1967 border). The project was developed by the Nelson... more
This paper grew out of a community archaeology project near Modi'in, a newly-built city located half way between Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem on the Israeli side of the Green Line (the pre-1967 border). The project was developed by the Nelson Glueck School of Biblical Archaeology of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. It is centered on the rural site of Horvat Sher located on the outskirts of Modi’in, within walking distance of the town (Fig. 1). The site itself is not prepossessing; it appears to have variegated in scale from a small village during the Hellenistic and Roman periods (100 BCE-330 CE) to a rural farmstead in the Mameluk period (ca. 1250-1517 CE); a monastery may have stood at the site in the Byzantine period (330-636 CE). Agricultural installations abound across the surrounding hillsides.
It is our aim in this paper, and in our project, to show that there can be more than one story for a given place and that we archaeologists, acting as agents of change, should encourage our public to examine, and even create, competing narratives. The community archaeology project described below was not initially conceived as an experiment in multivocality. Rather, it was initiated against the background of decreasing interest in archaeology in Israel and with a sense of alarm at the growing gap between our profession and the wider public.
It is our aim in this paper, and in our project, to show that there can be more than one story for a given place and that we archaeologists, acting as agents of change, should encourage our public to examine, and even create, competing narratives. The community archaeology project described below was not initially conceived as an experiment in multivocality. Rather, it was initiated against the background of decreasing interest in archaeology in Israel and with a sense of alarm at the growing gap between our profession and the wider public.
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Two colleagues and I wrote this paper is 23 years old but not a lot has changed. The antiquities trade is still legal in Israel, collectors still collect and the plunder continues. This short, popular article describes the symbosis of... more
Two colleagues and I wrote this paper is 23 years old but not a lot has changed. The antiquities trade is still legal in Israel, collectors still collect and the plunder continues. This short, popular article describes the symbosis of collecting, dealing and plunder in Israel ca. 1989.
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In many ways archaeology is a unique discipline. Though grounded in scholarship it has great appeal to the lay public and great potential as a participatory enterprise. Though grounded in the past, archaeology is embedded in the present... more
In many ways archaeology is a unique discipline. Though grounded in scholarship it has great appeal to the lay public and great potential as a participatory enterprise. Though grounded in the past, archaeology is embedded in the present and bears ramifications for the future. This is where politics come into play. This chapter describes two projects that seek to take advantage of these facets, projects which unabashedly adopt social and political agendas. One of these is an attempt to create a mutually invested relationship between an archaeological site (Givat Sher) and a community (Modi'in) and the other addresses questions of collective memory, narrative construction and political (dis)enfranchisement.
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This paper presents a cache of 31 astragali from the site of Tel Nagila, dating to the Middle Bronze Age. This is the earliest known cache of astragali from the Southern Levant outside tombs, and may be the forebearer of the later caches... more
This paper presents a cache of 31 astragali from the site of Tel Nagila, dating to the Middle Bronze Age. This is the earliest known cache of astragali from the Southern Levant outside tombs, and may be the forebearer of the later caches found in cultic contexts in the Late Bronze and Iron Ages. This paper presents the context in which the cache was found, adjacent to a tower that functioned as part of the site's fortifications; the social mechanisms behind the use of astragali; their deposition in a cache; and how the cache may have related to the function of the context in which it was found.
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A glass bead was found in a Middle Bronze I tomb at Tel Dan, dating to ca. 1750 BCE, making it one of the earliest finds of glass in the Levant. Postscript: It now seems possible that the bead is an intrusion and dates to the Late Bronze... more
A glass bead was found in a Middle Bronze I tomb at Tel Dan, dating to ca. 1750 BCE, making it one of the earliest finds of glass in the Levant.
Postscript: It now seems possible that the bead is an intrusion and dates to the Late Bronze I (ca. 1500-1400 BCE)
Postscript: It now seems possible that the bead is an intrusion and dates to the Late Bronze I (ca. 1500-1400 BCE)
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The image of the crescent appears in various forms in the material culture of the Chalco-lithic, Bronze and Iron Ages of the southern Levant. It also appears in Mesopotamian and Egyptian iconography. It is most frequently associated with... more
The image of the crescent appears in various forms in the material culture of the Chalco-lithic, Bronze and Iron Ages of the southern Levant. It also appears in Mesopotamian and Egyptian iconography. It is most frequently associated with the crescent moon and its related deity. The formal similarity of the crescent moon to cattle horns led to that species often becoming the zoomorphic attribute of the moon deity. In this paper I focus on lunate jewelry, referencing other iconographic representations, asking what the lunate form symbolized and how it functioned in ancient Near Eastern society and culture.
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This is an object biography of an ivory handle (from a mirror?) found amongst recycling metallurgy installations in an Iron Age IA context (ca. 1150-1100 BC) at Tel Dan. I trace the object from its ivory origins, through its exchange... more
This is an object biography of an ivory handle (from a mirror?) found amongst recycling metallurgy installations in an Iron Age IA context (ca. 1150-1100 BC) at Tel Dan. I trace the object from its ivory origins, through its exchange process, its manufacture as a finished composite object with a hafted bronze object, its probable deposit in a tomb, its scavenging from the tomb, and its removal from its metal component to facilitate the recycling of the metal. This handle is emblematic of the social, economic and political processes that affected Canaan in the second half of the second millennium BC.
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This article is a descriptive and quantitative account of the different classes of painted pottery from the Middle Bronze Age levels at Tel Dan in northern Israel, near the borders of Lebanon and Syria. Two general classes were... more
This article is a descriptive and quantitative account of the different classes of painted pottery from the Middle Bronze Age levels at Tel Dan in northern Israel, near the borders of Lebanon and Syria. Two general classes were identified: Levantine Painted Ware (LPW) and Monochrome Painted Cream Ware (MPCW). The former is a composite of several classes, most local, while the latter is derived from a tradition similar to the Amup/Cilician Ware and probably indicates immigration of a potter or potters and consumers from northern Syria.
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In Excavations at Yehud:
The 2008-2009 Seasons
The 2008-2009 Seasons
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This is a compendium of ceramic forms from the Middle Bronze Age IIA (circa 1950-1700 BCE) of the southern Levant. I presents and discusses these forms in terms of regional facies and diachronic development. It then segues into Bonfil's... more
This is a compendium of ceramic forms from the Middle Bronze Age IIA (circa 1950-1700 BCE) of the southern Levant. I presents and discusses these forms in terms of regional facies and diachronic development. It then segues into Bonfil's chapter on the pottery of the Middle Bronze IIB/C (1700-1470 BCE).
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The famous figurine of a seated, nude women from Gilat has been the subject of numerous studies. Generally, however, its context is given short shrift. In this paper I lay out a method of inquiry (guided by the venerable principles of... more
The famous figurine of a seated, nude women from Gilat has been the subject of numerous studies. Generally, however, its context is given short shrift. In this paper I lay out a method of inquiry (guided by the venerable principles of art-history analysis explicated by Panovsky) and then review the figurine's attributes. The figurine's archaeological context is then analyzed. I conclude that the iconography of the Gilat lady signifies the life-cycle of both human beings and of nature as a whole. All its attributes can be explained, item by item, in this light. The figurine's context is a locale of mortuary ritual, where primary burials were interred prior to later removal of skeletal elements for primary burial, with funerary feasts occurring as part of the extended process.
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Summary. We examine and reinterpret the phenomenon of containers used for the secondary burial of human remains – ossuaries – in the Chalcolithic period of the southern Levant, c.4500–3700 BCE. Ossuary form and decoration, both plastic... more
Summary. We examine and reinterpret the phenomenon of containers used for the secondary burial of human remains – ossuaries – in the Chalcolithic period of the southern Levant, c.4500–3700 BCE. Ossuary form and decoration, both plastic and painted, is evocative and symbol-laden. Since their first discovery in the 1930s, several hypotheses have sought to explain ossuary iconography, but none provides an integrated, holistic interpretation. Chalcolithic iconography, mortuary contexts, and archetypal mythologies suggest that ossuaries, mainly of clay, but also of stone, served as vehicles of reincarnation.
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Tel Gishron is an early Chalcolithic Besorian site excavated as a salvage project by Michal Yron. The ground stone assemblage is similar to that of Ramot Nof, Grar, Horbat ‘Illin B, Abu Ghosh, and Gilat. The activities represented by the... more
Tel Gishron is an early Chalcolithic Besorian site excavated as a salvage project by Michal Yron. The ground stone assemblage is similar to that of Ramot Nof, Grar, Horbat ‘Illin B, Abu Ghosh, and Gilat. The activities represented by the assemblage’s ground stone types include grain processing (grinding slabs and mortars), plant food processing
(mortars and pestle), condiment and pigment crushing (small mortars, mullers, and palette), blade and point sharpening (whetstone), textile
manufacture or tent weighting (stone ring), gaming and or accounting (pebbles, disc, and token), and hunting (slingstones/pebbles).
(mortars and pestle), condiment and pigment crushing (small mortars, mullers, and palette), blade and point sharpening (whetstone), textile
manufacture or tent weighting (stone ring), gaming and or accounting (pebbles, disc, and token), and hunting (slingstones/pebbles).
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Three types of drills are known from antiquity: the bow drill, the pump drill and the crank drill. Each type often included ground stone components-sockets, weights and flywheels. However, these components are inconspicuous; on their own... more
Three types of drills are known from antiquity: the bow drill, the pump drill and the crank drill. Each type often included ground stone components-sockets, weights and flywheels. However, these components are inconspicuous; on their own they are almost never associated with drills. The result is that the drill is nearly invisible in many assemblages, particularly those of the proto-historic and historic periods, from the Chalcolithic through to late antiquity. In this article I focus on the identification of the possible ground stone components of each of these drill types. The means by which these components were attached or applied to the drill shaft is examined and the way that they related to the rotary motion of drills is laid out. I briefly discuss the historical development of each type, referencing more detailed studies, where available. This study should be seen as a prelude to a more comprehensive study that will test hypotheses by means of experiment and catalogue more completely and precisely the ground stone components of drills that have been unidentified or misidentified in archaeological contexts.
This is an account of the ground stone and natural stone objects recovered from Subterranean Complex 169 at Hellenistic period Maresha, excavated by Ian Stern.
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This is a report on the ground stone assemblage from the Byzantine, early Islamic, and medieval site of Khirbet Hermas in Israel
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D. Ilan. Iron Age Mortuary Practices and Beliefs in the Southern Levant, Pp. 51-66 in: “Engaging with the Dead”: Exploring Changing Human Beliefs about Death, Mortality and the Human Body (eds. J. Bradbury and C. Scarre). Oxford: Oxbow... more
D. Ilan. Iron Age Mortuary Practices and Beliefs in the Southern Levant, Pp. 51-66 in: “Engaging with the Dead”: Exploring Changing Human Beliefs about Death, Mortality and the Human Body (eds. J. Bradbury and C. Scarre). Oxford: Oxbow Press. 2017. This article traces the development of mortuary practices and beliefs from the Late Bronze Age (1470-1140 BC) to the end of the Iron Age (c. 550 BC) in the southern Levant. It examines regional traditions (which are probably associated with group identity) and the social and political implications of burial practices. Finally, I discuss the importance of the biblical evidence for mortuary practices and beliefs.
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Research Interests:
This article reviews and compares the salient features of the Iron Age IIB gates of et-Tell/ Bethsaida and Tel Dan/Tell el-Qadi. The questions in the background are: How did these particular gates function? What were their defensive,... more
This article reviews and compares the salient features of the Iron Age IIB gates of et-Tell/ Bethsaida and Tel Dan/Tell el-Qadi. The questions in the background are: How did these particular gates function? What were their defensive, economic, and political roles? Who built them and, given their great similarity, what were their cultural origins? Who was responsible for their destruction? We begin with a brief discussion of how city gates function in general, since this will provide the groundwork for comparing and contrasting the gates of Dan and et-Tell. 1
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This synthetic treatment of the Middle Bronze Age in the southern Levant (now dated ca. 1950-1470 BCE) summarizes material culture attributes through the lense of social and political organization. Though more than 15 years old, there is... more
This synthetic treatment of the Middle Bronze Age in the southern Levant (now dated ca. 1950-1470 BCE) summarizes material culture attributes through the lense of social and political organization. Though more than 15 years old, there is still nothing to replace it. It's about time, no?
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In this paper I propose that Structure 5239 at Tel Megiddo is in fact a subterranean feature of the Stratum IX palace in Area BB. It parallels similar subterranean structures at Ebla and Alalakh, which have been identified as royal... more
In this paper I propose that Structure 5239 at Tel Megiddo is in fact a subterranean feature of the Stratum IX palace in Area BB. It parallels similar subterranean structures at Ebla and Alalakh, which have been identified as royal tombs. Therefore, despite a relative dearth of finds Structure 5239 is also interpreted as a royal tomb dating to the end of the Middle Bronze Age and the beginning of Late Bronze Age. The entire book (SAOC 59) is available as a downloadable pdf file. Thank you OI!
This article is a detailed account of the Middle Bronze Age burials and tombs of Tel Dan, in northern Israel. It includes a typology of tombs and discusses cultural origins, implications for social and political organization and... more
This article is a detailed account of the Middle Bronze Age burials and tombs of Tel Dan, in northern Israel. It includes a typology of tombs and discusses cultural origins, implications for social and political organization and speculates about relgious beliefs concerned with death and the regeneration of life.
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This is a synthetic article about Early Bronze Age burial behavior in Canaan. It briefly catalogues the variety of burial practices, by region and by type and traces the drastic changes that took place from the beginning to the end of... more
This is a synthetic article about Early Bronze Age burial behavior in Canaan. It briefly catalogues the variety of burial practices, by region and by type and traces the drastic changes that took place from the beginning to the end of the period.
This article is a report on the salvage excavation of a single MB tomb in what was the necropolis of the anchorage settlement at Atlit, on the Mt. Carmel coast. This tomb contained much that was standard fare but some unusual items as... more
This article is a report on the salvage excavation of a single MB tomb in what was the necropolis of the anchorage settlement at Atlit, on the Mt. Carmel coast. This tomb contained much that was standard fare but some unusual items as well. It gives us an inkling of what existed in the Bronze Age tell--which is still largely unexplored, and lies partly under the Frankish Castle Pellerin.
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This article reports on the finds from a couple of small single-burial Middle Bronze Age tombs in Nahal Rephaim, on the outskirts of Jerusalem. The emphasis is on the scientific micro analysis of floral and faunal remains that add an... more
This article reports on the finds from a couple of small single-burial Middle Bronze Age tombs in Nahal Rephaim, on the outskirts of Jerusalem. The emphasis is on the scientific micro analysis of floral and faunal remains that add an important dimension to our understanding of mortuary behaviour. These were a crucial part of the "burial kit" that would have been missed without the painstaking retrieval and analysis of the micro-ecofacts.
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Research Interests:
D. Ilan. Iron Age Mortuary Practices and Beliefs in the Southern Levant, Pp. 51-66 in: “Engaging with the Dead”: Exploring Changing Human Beliefs about Death, Mortality and the Human Body (eds. J. Bradbury and C. Scarre). Oxford: Oxbow... more
D. Ilan. Iron Age Mortuary Practices and Beliefs in the Southern Levant, Pp. 51-66 in: “Engaging with the Dead”: Exploring Changing Human Beliefs about Death, Mortality and the Human Body (eds. J. Bradbury and C. Scarre). Oxford: Oxbow Press. 2017.
This article traces the development of mortuary practices and beliefs from the Late Bronze Age (1470-1140 BC) to the end of the Iron Age (c. 550 BC) in the southern Levant. It examines regional traditions (which are probably associated with group identity) and the social and political implications of burial practices. Finally, I discuss the importance of the biblical evidence for mortuary practices and beliefs.
This article traces the development of mortuary practices and beliefs from the Late Bronze Age (1470-1140 BC) to the end of the Iron Age (c. 550 BC) in the southern Levant. It examines regional traditions (which are probably associated with group identity) and the social and political implications of burial practices. Finally, I discuss the importance of the biblical evidence for mortuary practices and beliefs.
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The Early Bronze Age cemetery on the east slope of mound of Megiddo was located outside the city wall. The tombs all date to the Early Bronze Age IB. One of them is the largest Bronze Age tomb ever excavated in Canaan; I speculate that... more
The Early Bronze Age cemetery on the east slope of mound of Megiddo was located outside the city wall. The tombs all date to the Early Bronze Age IB. One of them is the largest Bronze Age tomb ever excavated in Canaan; I speculate that its plan may derive from early monumental Egyptian tomb architecture. I also suggest that the apsidal structure located amidst the tombs may be a mortuary temple.
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Summary. We examine and reinterpret the phenomenon of containers used for the secondary burial of human remains – ossuaries – in the Chalcolithic period of the southern Levant, c.4500–3700 BCE. Ossuary form and decoration, both plastic... more
Summary. We examine and reinterpret the phenomenon of containers used for the secondary burial of human remains – ossuaries – in the Chalcolithic period of the southern Levant, c.4500–3700 BCE. Ossuary form and decoration, both plastic and painted, is evocative and symbol-laden. Since their first discovery in the 1930s, several hypotheses have sought to explain ossuary iconography, but none provides an integrated, holistic interpretation. Chalcolithic iconography, mortuary contexts, and archetypal mythologies suggest that ossuaries, mainly of clay, but also of stone, served as vehicles of reincarnation.
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This is an obituary for Avraham Biran, former director of the Israel Department of Antiquities and Museums and of the Nelson Glueck School of Biblical Archaeology at the Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem.
Global climate change has sharpened focus on the social and economic challenges associated with water deficits, particularly in regions where anthropogenic demands exceed supply. This modern condition was also experienced by the people of... more
Global climate change has sharpened focus on the social and economic challenges associated with water deficits, particularly in regions where anthropogenic demands exceed supply. This modern condition was also experienced by the people of ancient western Asia, where chronic water shortages were accentuated by recurrent droughts. However, human societies may react to climate change, particularly desiccation, in different ways depending on specific local conditions. Focusing on the biblical site of Tel Dan (present-day Israel), we show the effects of severe precipitation decline in an environment that was well watered and fertile even in times of drought. Such local niches of prosperity became attractive targets for predation when food resources became scarce in surrounding rain-fed areas. We propose that predation forced urban populations to either flee or adopt new subsistence strategies. Predation and abandonment, even if only partial, led to the poor maintenance of water networks ...
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A glass bead was found in a Middle Bronze IIA/B tomb, dated to circa 1750 BCE. This would make it one of the oldest glass objects found in the southern Levant. After publication, however, a few Late Bronze Age sherds were identified in... more
A glass bead was found in a Middle Bronze IIA/B tomb, dated to circa 1750 BCE. This would make it one of the oldest glass objects found in the southern Levant. After publication, however, a few Late Bronze Age sherds were identified in the tomb, that had infiltrated the tomb from the fills above. Therefore its MB dating is in doubt. (co-authored with Maud Spaer and Pamela Vandiver)
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Research Interests:
Tel Dan is perhaps best known for its Iron Age cultic complex, which is mentioned in the Bible (in a negative light) in the context of the introduction of a new cult center in both Judges 18:30 and in I Kings 12:29–30. Avraham Biran... more
Tel Dan is perhaps best known for its Iron Age cultic complex, which is mentioned in the Bible (in a negative light) in the context of the introduction of a new cult center in both Judges 18:30 and in I Kings 12:29–30. Avraham Biran identified three stages of construction in this complex: Bamah A, B, and C, corresponding to biblical kings Jeroboam I, Ahab and Jeroboam II respectively. In this article I examine the stratigraphic, archaeological, literary-mythological, and typological data in an attempt to discover when and why the temple platform of this complex was first constructed. It is now clear that the foundation platform was first constructed at the end of the Middle Bronze Age I (=MB IIA) or the beginning of the Middle Bronze Age II (=MB IIB). Its measurements suggest that it was a monumental symmetrical temple of the in antae, or migdal type, comparable to temples at Hazor (the Orthostat Temple), Shechem (the El-Berit Temple), Megiddo (Temple 2048), Pella, and others. I conclude that the deity worshiped at Dan was El, head of the Canaanite pantheon. It was natural for the subsequent Iron Age temple to occupy this same place, as an expression of religious and ritual continuity and a manifestation of political legitimacy.
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This pilot study examines the provisioning of domestic sheep and goats as it pertains to pilgrimage at the archeological site of Tel Dan (Tell el-Qadi), Israel, an Iron Age IIA–B (ca. 10th/9th–7th c. BCE) religious center in the southern... more
This pilot study examines the provisioning of domestic sheep and goats as it pertains to pilgrimage at the archeological site of Tel Dan (Tell el-Qadi), Israel, an Iron Age IIA–B (ca. 10th/9th–7th c. BCE) religious center in the southern Levant traditionally associated with Israelite Yahwistic worship. The question of how far animals were transported for sacrifice is addressed through isotopic analyses (carbon, oxygen, and strontium) on tooth enamel of domestic sheep and goats (predominately sheep) from Iron Age IIA–B contexts at Tel Dan through sequential intra-tooth sampling. While the results show some diversity of origins among the animals, none was brought from a distance greater than 10–20 km from Tel Dan. As such, the data suggest that however far pilgrims traveled to the site, the animals sold for sacrifice and consumption were raised locally.
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In this paper we attempt a reconstruction of the on-site pilgrimage itinerary at Iron Age IIB (ca. 800-700 BCE) Tel Dan, Israel. We describe and situate architectural features and in situ artifacts and interpret their function in the... more
In this paper we attempt a reconstruction of the on-site pilgrimage itinerary at Iron Age IIB (ca. 800-700 BCE) Tel Dan, Israel. We describe and situate architectural features and in situ artifacts and interpret their function in the itinerary dynamic. Frequent reference is made to the text of Hebrew Bible; the text informs the archaeology and archaeology illustrates the text. Finally, we discuss the anthropological implications of pilgrimage and how those implications are borne out in the archaeological manifestations of pilgrimage at Tel Dan.
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... Page 9. Published by Maney Publishing (c) The Council for British Research in the Levant DAVIDILAN Middle Bronze Age Painted Pottery from Tel Dan 165 ... 120:9), Tell al-Farcah (N) (Mallet 1987-1988, figs. 18:3, 34:5), Pella (Hennessy... more
... Page 9. Published by Maney Publishing (c) The Council for British Research in the Levant DAVIDILAN Middle Bronze Age Painted Pottery from Tel Dan 165 ... 120:9), Tell al-Farcah (N) (Mallet 1987-1988, figs. 18:3, 34:5), Pella (Hennessy 1985, fig. 3:7), Gonen (Bahat 1985, fig. ...