- Born in 1942. Professor Emeritus in the Institute of Archeology, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Main fields of ... moreBorn in 1942. Professor Emeritus in the Institute of Archeology, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Main fields of research: The archaeology of the Levant in the Bronze and Iron Ages. Directed archaeological excavations at Tell Qasile (1973-1974, 1982-1988), Tel Batash (biblical Timnah) (1977-1989), Tel Beth Shean (1989 - 1996)edit
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Discussion of various subjects related to Megiddo in the late 13th to late 11h centuries BCE
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The article deals with the fate Tel Rehov following the Assyrian destruction in 732 BCE. Squatters were found as well as several burials containing Assyrian shaped bottles. One of the burials is exceptional: it contains a variety of... more
The article deals with the fate Tel Rehov following the Assyrian destruction in 732 BCE. Squatters were found as well as several burials containing Assyrian shaped bottles. One of the burials is exceptional: it contains a variety of weapons, metal, ivory and pottery objects as well as a seal with a Hebrew name. Among the finds were an Assyrian shaped bronze bowl and a bottle. Iron sword and dagger. This was probably a burial of a warrior, perhaps in an Assyrian stronghold that could have been located on the unexcavated summit of the mound.
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... AASOR Annual of the American Schools of Oriental Research ABD David Noel Freedman (ed.), The Anchor Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1992) ADAJ Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan AJA American Journal of... more
... AASOR Annual of the American Schools of Oriental Research ABD David Noel Freedman (ed.), The Anchor Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1992) ADAJ Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan AJA American Journal of Archaeology AN Archaeological News ...
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This paper explores the mutual relationship between archaeological research and historical reconstruction of Israelite history relating to the 10-9th centuries BCE, with emphasis on the 10th century BCE. The working hypothesis is that... more
This paper explores the mutual relationship between archaeological research and historical reconstruction of Israelite history relating to the 10-9th centuries BCE, with emphasis on the 10th century BCE. The working hypothesis is that archaeology might serve as a tool to examine the possible historicity of certain biblical texts relating to this period, in spite of the late writing/redaction of those texts. The following subjects will be discussed:
Shoshenq I's raid to Palestine: its significance for evaluating certain historical, archaeological and chronological issues related to the late 10th century BCE.
The archaeological chronology of the 10-9th centuries in light of the current debate between "low" and "high" chronology for this period. A Modified Conventional Chronology is suggested, according to which there was a great deal of continuity in the material culture from the 10th to the 9th centuries. The Iron IIA period should be dated to ca. 980 - 840, as many archaeologists agree today. It becomes difficult to say in many cases whether a certain level or structure should be dated to the 10th or 9th centuries BCE. Nevertheless, there are sufficient data to isolate 10th century BCE remains, if we follow the chronology suggested above.
Jerusalem of the Iron I/IIA is evaluated and described as a medium-sized town with a huge citadel, the largest of its kind in the entire country during this period. This citadel may be identified with the biblical "Citadel of Zion".
Demography, urbanization, the archaeology of certain key sites, and literacy have been used in the past as arguments against the existence of a strong United Monarchy. A renewed survey of these subjects leads to a more balanced evaluation of the United Monarchy, and of the emergence of the independent states of Israel and Judah. The kingdom of David and Solomon should not be described as a magnificent empire, yet there is enough evidence to interpret them as polities of regional importance, based on local charismatic leadership. Changes in the material culture during the 10th century might be related to the geo-political changes that took place then.
Shoshenq I's raid to Palestine: its significance for evaluating certain historical, archaeological and chronological issues related to the late 10th century BCE.
The archaeological chronology of the 10-9th centuries in light of the current debate between "low" and "high" chronology for this period. A Modified Conventional Chronology is suggested, according to which there was a great deal of continuity in the material culture from the 10th to the 9th centuries. The Iron IIA period should be dated to ca. 980 - 840, as many archaeologists agree today. It becomes difficult to say in many cases whether a certain level or structure should be dated to the 10th or 9th centuries BCE. Nevertheless, there are sufficient data to isolate 10th century BCE remains, if we follow the chronology suggested above.
Jerusalem of the Iron I/IIA is evaluated and described as a medium-sized town with a huge citadel, the largest of its kind in the entire country during this period. This citadel may be identified with the biblical "Citadel of Zion".
Demography, urbanization, the archaeology of certain key sites, and literacy have been used in the past as arguments against the existence of a strong United Monarchy. A renewed survey of these subjects leads to a more balanced evaluation of the United Monarchy, and of the emergence of the independent states of Israel and Judah. The kingdom of David and Solomon should not be described as a magnificent empire, yet there is enough evidence to interpret them as polities of regional importance, based on local charismatic leadership. Changes in the material culture during the 10th century might be related to the geo-political changes that took place then.
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Tel Rehov in the Beth Shean Valley, northern Israel, yielded 14 Greek (mainly Euboean and Attic) pottery sherds from the Late Protogeometric to Middle Geometric periods. This is the largest number of Greek sherds from these periods found... more
Tel Rehov in the Beth Shean Valley, northern Israel, yielded 14 Greek (mainly Euboean and Attic) pottery sherds from the Late Protogeometric to Middle Geometric periods. This is the largest number of Greek sherds from these periods found at a single site in the Southern Levant in stratigraphic contexts. Since the Tel Rehov strata, well-dated by a large number of 14C dates, yielded some of the richest assemblages of finds from the 10–9th centuries BC in this region, the Greek sherds provide an opportunity to examine both their absolute dating in context and to discuss the nature of the relations between the two regions. Six of the 14 sherds were published previously (Coldstream & Mazar 2003); in the present paper, we describe the finds from Tel Rehov and other sites in the Southern Levant according to five chronological divisions, update previous discussions, and add new data and discussion based on a revised understanding of the site’s stratigraphy and interpretation of the radiocar...
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In this paper I briefly discuss questions related to destruction of towns based on my experience in several excavations, notably Tell Qasile, Timnah (Tel Batash), Tel Beth Shean and Tel Rehov. These sites represent different periods,... more
In this paper I briefly discuss questions related to destruction of towns based on my experience in several excavations, notably Tell Qasile, Timnah (Tel Batash), Tel Beth Shean and Tel Rehov. These sites represent different periods, regions, and geo-political situations, and provide a wide spectrum of examples. Other sites will occasionally be mentioned as the subjects will require.
The following issues will be briefly discussed:
What is a secure identification of a destruction layer and how can we differentiate between total destruction of a site and a local destruction affecting only a part of the site?
How often destruction layer occurred in the history of one city or settlement?
What are causes of destructions: are they due to human hand or to natural causes such as earthquakes?
To what extent can we correlate destruction layers over a wide geographic area?
Can we observe changes in regular life under threat prior to a destruction event?
To what extant can we identify destruction layers as caused by specific events known from written sources?
Can we observe signs for violent behavior of conquerors such as slaughter of people or plundering and looting?
What was the aftermath of destructions? Can we identify squatters, abandonment, occupation gaps or rehabilitation of settlements?
The following issues will be briefly discussed:
What is a secure identification of a destruction layer and how can we differentiate between total destruction of a site and a local destruction affecting only a part of the site?
How often destruction layer occurred in the history of one city or settlement?
What are causes of destructions: are they due to human hand or to natural causes such as earthquakes?
To what extent can we correlate destruction layers over a wide geographic area?
Can we observe changes in regular life under threat prior to a destruction event?
To what extant can we identify destruction layers as caused by specific events known from written sources?
Can we observe signs for violent behavior of conquerors such as slaughter of people or plundering and looting?
What was the aftermath of destructions? Can we identify squatters, abandonment, occupation gaps or rehabilitation of settlements?
The "Bull Site" An Iron Age I ... The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Jerusalem, Israel ... The practice of cult in open places on peaks of ... Egyptian bronze weights in the form of crouching bulls or cows (Roeder 1956: 335, pl.... more
The "Bull Site" An Iron Age I ... The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Jerusalem, Israel ... The practice of cult in open places on peaks of ... Egyptian bronze weights in the form of crouching bulls or cows (Roeder 1956: 335, pl. 49: bc, g) and on a similar weight from Ugarit ...
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Excavation of Early Bronze I site along the Sorek Valley, Israel. Pubic architecture and local aspect of EBI pottery assemblage
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The stratified series of Iron Age radiocarbon dates from Tel Reh ov, based on short-lived samples, measured in Groningen, is the most detailed and dense chronometric record currently available for the Levant in this period. The more... more
The stratified series of Iron Age radiocarbon dates from Tel Reh ov, based on short-lived samples, measured in Groningen, is the most detailed and dense chronometric record currently available for the Levant in this period. The more detailed IntCal98 calibration curve was used, though some comparisons were made with the smoothed IntCal04 curve. The current Bayesian stratigraphic model for Tel Reh ov gave a number of significant results. The data strongly favour an early Iron Age IB–IIA transition, as the statistically sampled boundary in the 1T range is 992–961 BCE (68.2%). Considering the 2T range, the older time option, 998–957 BCE, further increases in probability to 75.2%, but a second option also appears, 953–921 BCE, albeit with a significantly lower relative probability of 20.2%. Our Bayesian model was also tested with the IntCal04 calibration curve, which gave similar but slightly older results: the 1T range is 993–961 BCE (68.2%) and the 2T range is 1001–927 BCE (95.4%). Th...
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The importance of honey and beeswax in the Ancient Near East can be inferred from Egyptian, Canaanite, and Hittite sources. Textual and pictorial sources from ancient Egypt are of particular interest1. The Story of Sinuhe, attributed to... more
The importance of honey and beeswax in the Ancient Near East can be inferred from Egyptian, Canaanite, and Hittite sources. Textual and pictorial sources from ancient Egypt are of particular interest1. The Story of Sinuhe, attributed to the Middle Kingdom (20th century BCE), alludes to the abundance of honey and oil in his place of residence in the Land of Canaan; Thutmose III recounted carrying off 430 honey jars as booty following his conquests of Canaan in the 15th century BCE; in another text, he mentions 264 honey jars collected as tribute. Depictions of horizontally stacked cylindrical beehives arranged in rows, along with honey production, are known in five wall paintings and reliefs from Egypt, dating from the mid3rd millennium to the mid-1st millennium BCE. In the most detailed representation, in the 15th century BCE Tomb of Rekhmire, there are three rows of beehives and beekeepers are shown collecting honey. In Egyptian texts, honey is mentioned as a sweetener used by the ...
Research Interests: Archaeology, Geochemistry, Methodology, Radiocarbon, Israel, and 3 moreIron Age, Near East, and Dating
This article brings together results of archaeological explorations related to the 10th century BCE in the Beth Shean Valley, with emphasis on the excavations at Tel Beth Shean and Tel Reḥov. The evidence is evaluated in light of two... more
This article brings together results of archaeological explorations related to the 10th century BCE in the Beth Shean Valley, with emphasis on the excavations at Tel Beth Shean and Tel Reḥov. The evidence is evaluated in light of two transitions that occurred during this century: from the Iron Age I to the early Iron Age IIA and from the early Iron Age IIA to the late Iron Age IIA. These transitions and their dates are well documented by stratigraphic sequences, pottery development, and 14C dates, the latter mainly at Tel Reḥov. Stratum VI at Tel Reḥov is at the focus of this discussion since it is one of the few cases where the early Iron Age IIA could be isolated and documented, showing continuity of urban life in that period, with no actual crisis at the end of the Iron Age I. This is in contrast to the situation at many other sites such as Tel Beth Shean, Megiddo, Yoqne’am, and Tel Kinneret, where a crisis at the end of the Iron Age I followed by decline or occupational gaps and...
... Archaeology of the land of the Bible, 10,000-586 BCE. Post a Comment. CONTRIBUTORS: Author: Mazar, Amihay (b. 1942, d. ----. PUBLISHER: Doubleday (New York). SERIES TITLE: YEAR: 1992. PUB TYPE: Book (ISBN 0385425902 ). VOLUME/EDITION:... more
... Archaeology of the land of the Bible, 10,000-586 BCE. Post a Comment. CONTRIBUTORS: Author: Mazar, Amihay (b. 1942, d. ----. PUBLISHER: Doubleday (New York). SERIES TITLE: YEAR: 1992. PUB TYPE: Book (ISBN 0385425902 ). VOLUME/EDITION: 1st pbk. edition. ...
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"T * HE MOUND OF BETH-SHEAN (ARABIC: TELL EL-HOSN, IE, "the mound of the fortress") towers steeply above the Beth-Shean Valley to a height of 113 m below sea level, set on the base of a hill originally some 125 m below sea... more
"T * HE MOUND OF BETH-SHEAN (ARABIC: TELL EL-HOSN, IE, "the mound of the fortress") towers steeply above the Beth-Shean Valley to a height of 113 m below sea level, set on the base of a hill originally some 125 m below sea level. The tell's location is strategically ...
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A detailed publication of the clay cult objects from the iron IIA strata at Tel Rehov
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Two chapters from Tel Rehov final reports include historical geography, written sources, details concerning the excavation and general synthesis of the entire five volumes report
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Report on three first seasons of excavations at Tel Batash (Timnah)
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Beehives were discovered in a densley built area in the Iron Age city of Reh. ov (tenth-ninth century BC). They consisted of hollow clay cylinders, each with a little hole at one end (for the bee) and a removable lid at the other (for the... more
Beehives were discovered in a densley built area in the Iron Age city of Reh. ov (tenth-ninth century BC). They consisted of hollow clay cylinders, each with a little hole at one end (for the bee) and a removable lid at the other (for the bee keeper). These beehives, the earliest found in the ...
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A list of selected additional articles on the Science Web sites ... 16 article(s) on the ISI Web of Science. cited by This article has been ... : subject collections This article appears in the following ... 2003 by the American... more
A list of selected additional articles on the Science Web sites ... 16 article(s) on the ISI Web of Science. cited by This article has been ... : subject collections This article appears in the following ... 2003 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science; all rights reserved. ...
Research Interests: History, Archaeology, Stratigraphy, Science, Multidisciplinary, and 9 moreQuaternary, Iron Age, Middle East, Holocene, Correlation, Dating, Cenozoic, Phanerozoic, and C
The Expedition The first three seasons of excavation at Tel Batash (biblical Timnah) were conducted during the years 1977-79 by a consortium of US institutions of higher learning in collaboration with The Hebrew University of... more
The Expedition The first three seasons of excavation at Tel Batash (biblical Timnah) were conducted during the years 1977-79 by a consortium of US institutions of higher learning in collaboration with The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.' A professional and tech- nical staff directed a ...
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Zooarchaeological data from Iron Age urban contexts may reveal information per-taining to ancient economy, society, and culture. In this paper, a large sample of animal bones from the domestic quarters of Iron Age Tel Re˙ov in the Beth... more
Zooarchaeological data from Iron Age urban contexts may reveal information per-taining to ancient economy, society, and culture. In this paper, a large sample of animal bones from the domestic quarters of Iron Age Tel Re˙ov in the Beth Shean Valley region of northern Israel is ...
Research Interests: Cultural Studies, Demography, Archaeology, Stratigraphy, Palestine, and 11 moreIsrael, Iron Age, Economy, Analysis, Population, Society, Settlement, Habitat, Hunting, Fauna, and Excavation
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The following short paper is a response to criticism by Finkelstein and Piasetzky (2010b), published in the present issue ofRadiocarbon, of our 2008 paper inRadiocarbonconcerning the evaluation of14C dates from Iron Age levels in Israel... more
The following short paper is a response to criticism by Finkelstein and Piasetzky (2010b), published in the present issue ofRadiocarbon, of our 2008 paper inRadiocarbonconcerning the evaluation of14C dates from Iron Age levels in Israel published by Boaretto et al. (2005). We refer to criticism concerning exclusion and inclusion of data. We also evaluate new models suggested by Finkelstein and Piasetzky and in particular their suggestion of regional stages marking the end of the Iron Age in Israel. We also comment on several methodological issues.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Geochemistry, Methodology, Radiocarbon, Israel, and 3 moreIron Age, Near East, and Dating
Boaretto et al. (2005) published 68 radiocarbon dates relating to 30 samples from 10 Iron Age sites in Israel as part of their Early Iron Age Dating Project. Though the main goal of their paper was an interlaboratory comparison, they also... more
Boaretto et al. (2005) published 68 radiocarbon dates relating to 30 samples from 10 Iron Age sites in Israel as part of their Early Iron Age Dating Project. Though the main goal of their paper was an interlaboratory comparison, they also presented results of Bayesian models, calculating the transition from Iron Age I to Iron Age II in Israel to be about 900 BCE instead of the conventional date of about 1000 BCE. Since this date has great importance for all of Eastern Mediterranean archaeology, in this paper we examine the results in light of the dates published in the above-mentioned article. Our paper was revised in light of new data and interpretations published by Sharon et al. (2007).Following a survey of the contexts and specific results at each site, we present several Bayesian models. Model C2 suggests the date range of 961–942 BCE (68% probability) for the transition from Iron Age I to Iron Age II, while Model C3 indicates a somewhat later date of 948–919 BCE (compare the d...
Research Interests: Archaeology, Geochemistry, Palestine, Radiocarbon, Israel, and 4 moreIron Age, Transition, Chronology, and Dating
Beehives were discovered in a densley built area in the Iron Age city of Reh. ov (tenth-ninth century BC). They consisted of hollow clay cylinders, each with a little hole at one end (for the bee) and a removable lid at the other (for the... more
Beehives were discovered in a densley built area in the Iron Age city of Reh. ov (tenth-ninth century BC). They consisted of hollow clay cylinders, each with a little hole at one end (for the bee) and a removable lid at the other (for the bee keeper). These beehives, the earliest found in the ...
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... Author: Mazar, Amihai Title Article/Chapter: "The conservation and management of mudbrick buildings at Tell Qasile, Israel" Title of Source: Conservation and management of archaeological sites Volume Number: 3 Issue Number:... more
... Author: Mazar, Amihai Title Article/Chapter: "The conservation and management of mudbrick buildings at Tell Qasile, Israel" Title of Source: Conservation and management of archaeological sites Volume Number: 3 Issue Number: 1 & 2 Date of Publication: 1999 Page Numbers ...
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"T * HE MOUND OF BETH-SHEAN (ARABIC: TELL EL-HOSN, IE, "the mound of the fortress") towers steeply above the Beth-Shean Valley to a height of 113 m below sea level, set on the base of a hill originally some 125 m below sea... more
"T * HE MOUND OF BETH-SHEAN (ARABIC: TELL EL-HOSN, IE, "the mound of the fortress") towers steeply above the Beth-Shean Valley to a height of 113 m below sea level, set on the base of a hill originally some 125 m below sea level. The tell's location is strategically ...
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There are many Hebrew terms to denote various forms of dancing (see Gruber 1981), including hagag "dance in a circle," sabab "encircle, turn about," hyl/hyl "perform a whirling dance" (the most common verb... more
There are many Hebrew terms to denote various forms of dancing (see Gruber 1981), including hagag "dance in a circle," sabab "encircle, turn about," hyl/hyl "perform a whirling dance" (the most common verb for dancing), raqad pizzez "skip," qippes, dilleg "jump," kirker "whirl, ...
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Research Interests: History, Archaeology, Stratigraphy, Science, Multidisciplinary, and 9 moreQuaternary, Iron Age, Middle East, Holocene, Correlation, Dating, Cenozoic, Phanerozoic, and C
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... Archaeology of the land of the Bible, 10,000-586 BCE. Post a Comment. CONTRIBUTORS: Author: Mazar, Amihay (b. 1942, d. ----. PUBLISHER: Doubleday (New York). SERIES TITLE: YEAR: 1992. PUB TYPE: Book (ISBN 0385425902 ). VOLUME/EDITION:... more
... Archaeology of the land of the Bible, 10,000-586 BCE. Post a Comment. CONTRIBUTORS: Author: Mazar, Amihay (b. 1942, d. ----. PUBLISHER: Doubleday (New York). SERIES TITLE: YEAR: 1992. PUB TYPE: Book (ISBN 0385425902 ). VOLUME/EDITION: 1st pbk. edition. ...
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This is the third volume of Tel Rehov excavations reports. It includes reports on areas in the lower city other than Area C (published in Volume II). The areas included are D (Late Bronze to Iron IIA), E (Iron IIA sanctuary), F, and G... more
This is the third volume of Tel Rehov excavations reports. It includes reports on areas in the lower city other than Area C (published in Volume II). The areas included are D (Late Bronze to Iron IIA), E (Iron IIA sanctuary), F, and G (Iron IIA dwellings). The stratigraphy and architecture of each of these excavation areas are described, followed by a chapter presenting the pottery assemblages arranged by strata and contexts.
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Final publication of the unique discovery of the Iron Age apiary at tel Rehov, Israel. the chapter includes five subchapters written by specialists: description of teh apiary, chemical analysis, identification of the bees, palynological... more
Final publication of the unique discovery of the Iron Age apiary at tel Rehov, Israel. the chapter includes five subchapters written by specialists: description of teh apiary, chemical analysis, identification of the bees, palynological study, and summary discussion concerning the socio-economic historical and ethnograpohic aspects of the apiary
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Detailed presentation of the Iron I - Iron IIA pottery from Tel Rehov, Israel, by contexts
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This chapter in the final report of tel Rehov excavations deals with the stratigraphy and architecture of Area C, the main excavated area at this site (Iron I - to Iron IIA)
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This is the first volume of the final report on the excavations at Tel Reḥov in the Beth-Shean valley, carried out from 1997 to 2012 under the direction of Amihai Mazar on behalf of the Institute of Archaeology of the Hebrew University of... more
This is the first volume of the final report on the excavations at Tel Reḥov in the Beth-Shean valley, carried out from 1997 to 2012 under the direction of Amihai Mazar on behalf of the Institute of Archaeology of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The excavation revealed significant remains from the Early Bronze, Late Bronze and Iron Ages. The most prominent period is Iron IIA (10th–9th centuries BCE). Many completely exposed buildings, the unique apiary and an open-air sanctuary, as well as other noteworthy contexts from this period, yielded one of the richest assemblages of finds from this period in Israel. This volume I includes three introductory chapters dealing with the geographical and geological background, description of the site, its identification in written sources, and the history and structure of the excavations. Chapter four provides a broad, synthetic discussion and analysis of all the excavation data and their geo-political and historical implications. Chapters five to eleven present the stratigraphy, architecture and pottery assemblages from Areas A, B, H and J in the upper mound, including an Early Bronze Age fortification, Iron I–IIB and Early Islamic period occupation remains, as well as an Iron IIB fortification system.