- 054-772-6943
Matthew J Adams
The Center for the Mediterranean World, Executive Board, Department Member
- History, Ancient History, Archaeology, Egyptology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, and 40 moreAnthropology, Classics, Near Eastern Studies, Egyptian History, Ancient Near East, Egyptian religion, Religion, New Testament, Ancient Religion, Classical Archaeology, Hebrew Bible, Egyptian Archaeology, Ceramic Analysis (Archaeology), Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Late Bronze Age archaeology, Bible, Early Bronze Age (Archaeology), Middle Bronze Age, Early Bronze Age, Sea Peoples, Submerged Prehistoric Archaeology, Submerged landscapes and settlements, Book of Kings, Submerged site archaeology, Megiddo, Mendes, Archaeological Database, History and Archaeology of Canaan, Naqada III, Books of Kings Sources, Roman History, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, Theology, Biblical Studies, Ancient Historiography, Roman Archaeology, Roman Army, Roman Empire, Roman Near East, and Archaeology of the Middle East (Hellnistic, Roman nad Byzantine times)edit
- Director, The Center for the Mediterranean World (2022-Present) Director, W.F. Albright Institute of Archaeological R... moreDirector, The Center for the Mediterranean World (2022-Present)
Director, W.F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research, Jerusalem (2014-2022)
Director, Jezreel Valley Regional Project
President, American Archaeology Abroad, Inc.
Co-Director (w/Israel Finkelstein), Tel Aviv University, Megiddo Expedition
Field Director, The Penn State Expedition to Mendes, Egypt
Education
Phd, The Pennsylvania State University, Department of History and Religious Studies (2007)
MA - Honors, The Pennsylvania State University, Department of History and Religious Studies (2003)
BA, University of California, Los Angeles, Ancient Near Eastern Languages and Cultures (2001)edit
This is the fifth final report of the Megiddo Expedition’s work. The first four reports presented the results of the excavations in the 1992–1996, 1998–2002, 2004–2008 and 2010–2014 seasons (Finkelstein, Ussishkin and Halpern 2000; 2006;... more
This is the fifth final report of the Megiddo Expedition’s work. The first four reports presented the results of the excavations in the 1992–1996, 1998–2002, 2004–2008 and 2010–2014 seasons (Finkelstein, Ussishkin and Halpern 2000; 2006; Finkelstein, Ussishkin and Cline 2013; Finkelstein and Martin 2022, respectively). This volume strays from the regular seasonal reports to focus specifically on two tombs excavated in Area H during the 2016 seasons, Burial 16/H/45 and Tomb 16/H/50. Both burials were excavated under rare circumstances, being unusually rich as well as undisturbed and therefore were excellent candidates for extensive scientific and archaeological analysis. In addition, the two burials are closely related temporally, spatially, and contextually and, therefore, benefit from being analyzed and published together.
Research Interests:
This volume brings together the final reports of salvage excavations carried out in the vicinity of Tel Qashish in the northern Jezreel Valley, Israel, from 2010 to 2013. These include the Middle and Epipaleolithic flint workshops at Tel... more
This volume brings together the final reports of salvage excavations carried out in the vicinity of Tel Qashish in the northern Jezreel Valley, Israel, from 2010 to 2013. These include the Middle and Epipaleolithic flint workshops at Tel Qashish West and Tel Qashish South, the early Early Bronze Age I settlement at Tell el-Wa‘er, the late Early Bronze Age I features and the Late Bronze Age II cultic repository at Tel Qashish, as well as some early Roman remains. Twenty-nine chapters by twenty-five authors present the context, stratigraphy, finds, and analyses of these four major aspects of the excavations.
Jezreel Valley Regional Project Studies vol. 1
Jezreel Valley Regional Project Studies vol. 1
Research Interests: Middle to Upper Paleolithic Transition, Early Bronze Age (Archaeology), Lower and Middle Paleolithic, Middle Paleolithic, Early Bronze Age, and 5 morePaleolithic Archaeology, Early Bronze Age in the Southern Levant, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, The Stone Age archaeology of the southern Levant., and Social Change During the Early Bronze Age
The first iteration of the Egyptian state emerged in the late fourth millennium and survived into the late third millennium BCE. This first pharaonic state, however, was not monolithic. During this period, Egypt experienced ongoing... more
The first iteration of the Egyptian state emerged in the late fourth millennium and survived into the late third millennium BCE. This first pharaonic state, however, was not monolithic. During this period, Egypt experienced ongoing complex developments in social and political organization that impacted all levels of Egyptian society. These changes are most evident in the transition to the pyramid-building society of the 3rd and 4th Dynasties, but periods of far-reaching change can also be detected throughout the Early Dynastic Period (1st–2nd Dynasties), the later Old Kingdom (5th–6th Dynasties), and the First Intermediate Period. So too did Egypt’s relationships with the outside world change across this first millennium of state-level organization.
As one of the earliest state-forming societies whose reach can be seen across the Mediterranean world, Egypt’s interaction with its neighbors has been of great interest to scholars inside and outside of Egyptology for more than a century. Over the last 15 years, new textual evidence has emerged, while the application of archaeological sciences has given new life to legacy data. Importantly, recent developments in the absolute chronology of the third millennium coupled with new archaeological data from all parts of the Mediterranean, have started a new wave of reassessment of the synchronisms, nature, and intensity of Egypt’s relationships with its northern neighbors.
Given these developments, it was timely to convene a cross-disciplinary dialogue through an international conference showcasing the latest
research on interactions between Egypt, the Levantine and Aegean worlds in the late 4th–3rd millennium (Late Early Bronze I – EB IV/Intermediate Bronze Age). Each region was represented by a different institutional partner which hosted invited papers related to the questions of Egypt’s interaction with that region. The conference was held in a fully online format that allowed for global participation in real time.
As one of the earliest state-forming societies whose reach can be seen across the Mediterranean world, Egypt’s interaction with its neighbors has been of great interest to scholars inside and outside of Egyptology for more than a century. Over the last 15 years, new textual evidence has emerged, while the application of archaeological sciences has given new life to legacy data. Importantly, recent developments in the absolute chronology of the third millennium coupled with new archaeological data from all parts of the Mediterranean, have started a new wave of reassessment of the synchronisms, nature, and intensity of Egypt’s relationships with its northern neighbors.
Given these developments, it was timely to convene a cross-disciplinary dialogue through an international conference showcasing the latest
research on interactions between Egypt, the Levantine and Aegean worlds in the late 4th–3rd millennium (Late Early Bronze I – EB IV/Intermediate Bronze Age). Each region was represented by a different institutional partner which hosted invited papers related to the questions of Egypt’s interaction with that region. The conference was held in a fully online format that allowed for global participation in real time.
Research Interests: Egyptology, Mediterranean prehistory, Levantine Archaeology, Mediterranean Studies, Ancient Mediterranean Religions, and 15 moreMediterranean, Egypt, Spain (Mediterranean Studies), History of the Mediterranean, Mediterranean archaeology, Mediterranean and North Africa, Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), History of the Eastern Mediterranean, 1) cultural interconnections and trade (Egypt and Levant), Levant, Early Bronze Age in the Southern Levant, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Archaeology of the Levant, and Early Bronze Age in the Northern Levant
The traditional approach to structuring the past is based on a rigid chronological perception of time forced upon dynamic and fluidly transforming societies. The one-dimensional nature of the chronological approach results in periods of... more
The traditional approach to structuring the past is based on a rigid chronological perception of time forced upon dynamic and fluidly transforming societies. The one-dimensional nature of the chronological approach results in periods of well-defined spatiotemporal cultural entities separated by “transitional” periods. These defined cultural entities are often treated as static, though we know they were not, so that we may interpret cultural, historical, sociological, and political aspects of the society. Transition periods, however, are often treated as outliers interpreted against one or both of the periods that bracket them. In particular, they are characterized by a high variability of cultural traits, a form of "disorder" characterized by sets of old and new features, defying the clear delineation of socio-cultural boundaries.
Discussions of transitional periods, therefore, are muddled by a paradigm in which the before and after are individually defined, while the transition introduces added variability that defies allocation to one or the other distinct spatial temporal cultural groups. In short, our chronological model of periods succeeding one another is one dimensional and fails to help explain the cultural and spatial development within societies, that move much more fluidly through time. The result is the shoehorning of variable societies into periods of “transition” from one solid cultural state to another, judged according to their predecessors and successors.
To address these issues, Matthew J. Adams, Valentine Roux, and Felix Höflmayer organized a workshop which took place 16–18 May 2018 in Jerusalem at the W.F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research and the Centre de recherche français à Jérusalem (Fig. 1–2). The event was supported by these institutions as well as the Institut für Orientalische und Europäische Archäologie (OREA) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. Twenty-eight papers were presented by forty authors and co-authors, and ample time was provided for formal and informal discussion over plentiful food and drink.
The objective of this workshop was to confront scholarly interpretations of the various transitional phases across the late 4th–3rd Millennium (Late Chalcolithic to Early Bronze I, EB I to EB II, and EB III to EB IV/Intermediate Bronze Age) in the southern Levant. The focus was on the nature of the cultural-period-defining traits and their value for distinguishing between changes related to endogenous or exogenous evolution, cultural or demic diffusion. These traits include material culture, architecture, mortuary practices as well as patterns of relationships between sites and subsistence strategies.
The present volume brings together several papers which originated as presentations in this workshop and benefitted from the discussion therein.
Discussions of transitional periods, therefore, are muddled by a paradigm in which the before and after are individually defined, while the transition introduces added variability that defies allocation to one or the other distinct spatial temporal cultural groups. In short, our chronological model of periods succeeding one another is one dimensional and fails to help explain the cultural and spatial development within societies, that move much more fluidly through time. The result is the shoehorning of variable societies into periods of “transition” from one solid cultural state to another, judged according to their predecessors and successors.
To address these issues, Matthew J. Adams, Valentine Roux, and Felix Höflmayer organized a workshop which took place 16–18 May 2018 in Jerusalem at the W.F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research and the Centre de recherche français à Jérusalem (Fig. 1–2). The event was supported by these institutions as well as the Institut für Orientalische und Europäische Archäologie (OREA) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. Twenty-eight papers were presented by forty authors and co-authors, and ample time was provided for formal and informal discussion over plentiful food and drink.
The objective of this workshop was to confront scholarly interpretations of the various transitional phases across the late 4th–3rd Millennium (Late Chalcolithic to Early Bronze I, EB I to EB II, and EB III to EB IV/Intermediate Bronze Age) in the southern Levant. The focus was on the nature of the cultural-period-defining traits and their value for distinguishing between changes related to endogenous or exogenous evolution, cultural or demic diffusion. These traits include material culture, architecture, mortuary practices as well as patterns of relationships between sites and subsistence strategies.
The present volume brings together several papers which originated as presentations in this workshop and benefitted from the discussion therein.
Research Interests:
The second millennium BCE in the ancient Near East saw increased interactions and interconnections between Egypt and the regions of the southern Levant. Mobility and movement between and among these regions were key factors in the... more
The second millennium BCE in the ancient Near East saw increased interactions and interconnections between Egypt and the regions of the southern Levant. Mobility and movement between and among these regions were key factors in the exchange of ideas, technologies, and values and, therefore, were essential components of the evolution of both societies. The archaeological record provides a wealth of material for reconstructing expressions of cultures, identities, status, and economic ways of life based on questions of mobility. The manuscripts in this volume explore these interconnections.
Research Interests:
Studies in the History and Archaeology of Ancient Israel in Honor of Israel Finkelstein
Research Interests:
Edited by I. Finkelstein, D. Ussishkin, E. Cline, M. Adams, E. Arie, N. Franklin, and M. Martin (Tel Aviv: Institute of Archaeology, 2013).
"This collaborative commentary on Kings explores cross-cutting aspects of Kings ranging from the analysis of its composition, historically regarded, to its transmission and reception. Ample attention is accorded sources and figures and... more
"This collaborative commentary on Kings explores cross-cutting aspects of Kings ranging from the analysis of its composition, historically regarded, to its transmission and reception. Ample attention is accorded sources and figures and peoples who play a part in the book. Concern is directed to its treatment in translation and role in later ancient literature. While its comment does not proceed verse by verse, the volume furnishes guidance, from contributors highly qualified to advance contemporary discussion, on the book's historical background, its literary intentions and characteristics, and on themes and motifs central to its understanding, both of itself and of the world from which it arose. It functions as a meta-commentary, offering windows into the secondary literature, but assembling data more fully than is the case in individual commentaries.
The Formation and Interpretation of Old Testament Literature series; Leiden: E.J. Brill, 2010.
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The Formation and Interpretation of Old Testament Literature series; Leiden: E.J. Brill, 2010.
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Research Interests:
Essays on the Social and Political Dynamics of Cosmologies in the Iron Age by Baruch Halpern The birth of the West stems from the rejection of tradition. All our evidence for this influence comes from the Axial period, 800-400 BCE.... more
Essays on the Social and Political Dynamics of Cosmologies in the Iron Age by Baruch Halpern
The birth of the West stems from the rejection of tradition. All our evidence for this influence comes from the Axial period, 800-400 BCE. Baruch Halpern explores the impact of changing cosmologies and social relations on cultural change in that era, especially from Mesopotamia to Israel and Greece, but extending across the Mediterranean, not least to Egypt and Italy. In this volume he shows how an explosion of international commerce and exchange, which can be understood as a Renaissance, led to the redefinition of selfhood in various cultures and to Reformation. The process inevitably precipitated an Enlightenment. This has happened over and over in human history and in academic or cultural fields. It is the basis of modernization, or Westernization, wherever it occurs, and whatever form it takes.
Forschungen zum Alten Testament; Tübingen: Mohr-Siebeck (2009).
The birth of the West stems from the rejection of tradition. All our evidence for this influence comes from the Axial period, 800-400 BCE. Baruch Halpern explores the impact of changing cosmologies and social relations on cultural change in that era, especially from Mesopotamia to Israel and Greece, but extending across the Mediterranean, not least to Egypt and Italy. In this volume he shows how an explosion of international commerce and exchange, which can be understood as a Renaissance, led to the redefinition of selfhood in various cultures and to Reformation. The process inevitably precipitated an Enlightenment. This has happened over and over in human history and in academic or cultural fields. It is the basis of modernization, or Westernization, wherever it occurs, and whatever form it takes.
Forschungen zum Alten Testament; Tübingen: Mohr-Siebeck (2009).
Work at Megiddo in 2018 shed light on Gate 3165 of Stratum VIA (late Iron I) and the six-chambered Gate 2156 of Strata VA-IVB and IVA (late Iron IIA and early Iron IIB). The disputed question of the number of gates which post-date Gate... more
Work at Megiddo in 2018 shed light on Gate 3165 of Stratum VIA (late Iron I) and the six-chambered Gate 2156 of Strata VA-IVB and IVA (late Iron IIA and early Iron IIB). The disputed question of the number of gates which post-date Gate 2156 was only briefly discussed. Continued investigation of the gates' area in 2022 assembled information for the existence of a four-chambered Gate 500b, described by the University of Chicago excavator as a construction error, which was replaced by the two-chambered Gate 500a. The new data is presented here.
Research Interests:
The 2017 salvage excavation conducted at the site of Lajjun within Kibbutz Megiddo, Israel, revealed layers of refuse, primarily ceramics, constituting a household midden with finds indicating a 12th-century date and a Frankish cultural... more
The 2017 salvage excavation conducted at the site of Lajjun within Kibbutz Megiddo, Israel, revealed layers of refuse, primarily ceramics, constituting a household midden with finds indicating a 12th-century date and a Frankish cultural affinity. The midden can be associated with the occupation of the ancient settlement of Lajjun by Frankish settlers intermittently in the 12th and 13th centuries C.E., representing a first archaeological window into the Frankish activity at the site and complementing the historical data on the village known from Crusader sources as Le Lyon (Lajjun).
Research Interests:
This paper provides a social and geographic account of al-Lajjun (Jenin Sub-district), a prominent Palestinian village during the British Mandate period (1918–1948). It portrays a countryside in renewal, encapsulated in the story of Umm... more
This paper provides a social and geographic account of al-Lajjun (Jenin Sub-district), a prominent Palestinian village during the British Mandate period (1918–1948). It portrays a countryside in renewal, encapsulated in the story of Umm al-Fahm’s expansion and Lajjun’s resettlement. In contrast to existing scholarship, the present work contextualizes the site within the wider diachronic, longue durée, history of the region, and the synchronous, shifting pattern of settlements in Marj ibn ‘Amir (Jezreel Valley), Bilad al-Ruha (Ramot Menashe), and Wadi ‘Ara (Nahal ‘Iron). It focuses on the development of the physical outlines of the (re) new(ed) village, with the development of three “Lajjuns” reflecting its founders’ Hebronite/Khalīlī patterns of settlement. Furthermore, it explores Lajjun’s diversified economy and its metamorphosis from a derelict hamlet into a hub of utilities and transportation infrastructure of regional importance under the British Mandate of Palestine (1920–1948).
Research Interests:
The destruction of Iron I Megiddo in the early 10th century BCE was a momentous event in the history of the southern Levant. It marked an abrupt break in the long cultural development of the Middle and Late Bronze Ages. Despite extensive... more
The destruction of Iron I Megiddo in the early 10th century BCE was a momentous event in the history of the southern Levant. It marked an abrupt break in the long cultural development of the Middle and Late Bronze Ages. Despite extensive field research, essential questions related to this event remain unanswered, especially regarding the processes that took place in the city immediately before its destruction. In this article, findings from recent excavations in the southeastern sector of the mound, where a detailed Iron I stratigraphic sequence was explored, are reported. In addition, finds from two nearby areas previously excavated were re-evaluated, focusing mostly on contextual aspects of the osteological data. This study sheds light on the deterioration of the city in the decades preceding its final demise, and suggests that the event was caused by human agents rather than a natural disaster. It also hints that in its last days, Megiddo may have been besieged, which explains the peculiar reappearance of intra-mural burials at the site. The case of Iron I Megiddo provides a high-resolution snapshot of actions taken by the inhabitants of a Near Eastern city on the eve of a major crisis.
Research Interests:
Tel Megiddo is a major type-site for the Middle Bronze in the Levant. During this period a new burial custom appeared in which the dead were interred beneath occupied houses. This tradition is well attested in Area K at the site. Area H,... more
Tel Megiddo is a major type-site for the Middle Bronze in the Levant. During this period a new burial custom appeared in which the dead were interred beneath occupied houses. This tradition is well attested in Area K at the site. Area H, near the palatial complex, revealed a monumental masonry-constructed chamber tomb. This article presents the results of residue analysis conducted on ceramic vessels placed in these tombs as burial offerings. Hundreds of intramural Middle Bronze tombs with ceramic offerings were excavated in the Levant, but this is the first time the content of the vessels is revealed.
Research Interests:
In December 2020 and January 2021, a trial excavation was conducted north of Legio (Permit Nos. A-8895, A-8908; map ref. 217256–8035/720069–817; Fig. 1), prior to the laying of a water pipe. The excavation, on behalf of the Israel... more
In December 2020 and January 2021, a trial excavation was conducted north of Legio (Permit Nos. A-8895, A-8908; map ref. 217256–8035/720069–817; Fig. 1), prior to the laying of a water pipe. The excavation, on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, in cooperation with the Albright Institute of Archaeology, Jerusalem and funded by the Mekorot Company, was directed by G. Leyfirer (trial trenches), M.J. Adams (surveying and photography) and Y. Tepper, with the assistance of Y. Yaakobi (administration), M. Tabar (area supervising), D. Syon (metal detection), Y. Nagar (physical anthropology), L. Perry-Gal (archaeozoology), H. Tahan-Rosen (pottery drawing), W. Eck (epigraphy), Y. Asscher (analytical laboratory), R. Be’eri (guidance and consultation), N. Shatil and B. Hanna (IAA North District) and workers from Jenin.
Research Interests:
The legionary base at Legio (Legion II Trajana and Legion VI Ferrata) is the first full-scale legionary base of the Principate excavated in the Eastern Empire. The 2015–2019 excavation seasons of the Jezreel Valley Regional Project... more
The legionary base at Legio (Legion II Trajana and Legion VI Ferrata) is the first full-scale legionary base of the Principate excavated in the Eastern Empire. The 2015–2019 excavation seasons of the Jezreel Valley Regional Project focused on the headquarters compound, the principia. While many components of the compound are typical of those of permanent legionary bases throughout the Empire, several unique features of the principia at Legio offer new research avenues concerning the function of these buildings within the Roman army administrative system and community life. This paper summarizes the results of the 2015–2019 seasons of excavation and remote sensing within the principia.
Research Interests:
This volume is the !rst volume of the Jezreel Valley Regional Project Studies series, bringing together several !nal reports relating to salvage excavations carried out by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) between the years 2010 and... more
This volume is the !rst volume of the Jezreel Valley Regional Project Studies series, bringing together several !nal reports relating to salvage excavations carried out by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) between the years 2010 and 2013.
Research Interests:
The date of the Stratum XV Triple-Temple Complex at Megiddo has been the subject of debate since it was first uncovered by the University of Chicago in the 1930s. Generally, an Early Bronze Age III date became the status quo... more
The date of the Stratum XV Triple-Temple Complex at Megiddo has been the subject of debate since it was first uncovered by the University of Chicago in the 1930s. Generally, an Early Bronze Age III date became the status quo interpretation, but several problems with this date are apparent. First, there was already significant EB III stratigraphy at the site, consisting of a well-planned palace, elite quarter, and temple complex. The construction of the Triple-Temple complex completely put this EB III palatial phase out of commission. Therefore, if an EB III date for the temples is preferred, this infers that a completely new urban plan was envisioned within that period – a phenomenon not seen elsewhere for EB III palatial centers. Second, it leaves a significant architectural gap at the site during the EB IV/Intermediate Bronze Age, a period for which Megiddo produced a significant amount of material culture. The solution presented itself
when the Tel Aviv University Megiddo Expedition discovered a cache of Egyptianized pottery below the temple complex. Originally thought to have come from underlying EB IB strata, ongoing excavation at the site and refinement of the stratigraphy of the cultic area led the present author to conclude that the pottery cache was a foundation deposit associated with the Stratum XV Triple-Temple Complex. The cache, fitting well, typologically, with Egyptian foundation deposits from the late Old Kingdom/First Intermediate Period, supports, in turn, an EB IV/IB date for the construction of the Megiddo Triple-Temple Complex.
This paper returns to this issue to properly place the architecture of the Triple-Temple Complex into its Northern Levantine EB IV world as temples in antis and to consider Northern Levantine and Egyptian contacts from the unique perspective of Megiddo.
when the Tel Aviv University Megiddo Expedition discovered a cache of Egyptianized pottery below the temple complex. Originally thought to have come from underlying EB IB strata, ongoing excavation at the site and refinement of the stratigraphy of the cultic area led the present author to conclude that the pottery cache was a foundation deposit associated with the Stratum XV Triple-Temple Complex. The cache, fitting well, typologically, with Egyptian foundation deposits from the late Old Kingdom/First Intermediate Period, supports, in turn, an EB IV/IB date for the construction of the Megiddo Triple-Temple Complex.
This paper returns to this issue to properly place the architecture of the Triple-Temple Complex into its Northern Levantine EB IV world as temples in antis and to consider Northern Levantine and Egyptian contacts from the unique perspective of Megiddo.
Research Interests: Ancient Egyptian Religion, Egyptology, Levantine Archaeology, Egyptian Archaeology, Egypt, and 15 moreEarly Bronze Age (Archaeology), Ancient Egyptian History, Ancient Egypt, Early Bronze Age, Temples, Levant, Megiddo, Early Bronze Age in the Southern Levant, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Foundation Deposits, Archaeology of the Levant, Egyptian Temples, Early Bronze Age in the Northern Levant, Early Bronze Age Syria and southern Levant, and Social Change During the Early Bronze Age
The first iteration of the Egyptian state emerged in the late fourth millennium and survived into the late third millennium BCE. This first pharaonic state, however, was not monolithic. During this period, Egypt experienced ongoing... more
The first iteration of the Egyptian state emerged in the late fourth millennium and survived into the late third millennium BCE. This first pharaonic state, however, was not monolithic. During this period, Egypt experienced ongoing complex developments in social and political organization that impacted all levels of Egyptian society. These changes are most evident in the transition to the pyramid-building society of the 3rd and 4th Dynasties, but periods of far-reaching change can also be detected throughout the Early Dynastic Period (1st–2nd Dynasties), the later Old Kingdom (5th–6th Dynasties), and the First Intermediate Period. So too did Egypt’s relationships with the outside world change across this first millennium of state-level organization. As one of the earliest state-forming societies whose reach can be seen across the Mediterranean world, Egypt’s interaction with its neighbors has been of great interest to scholars inside and outside of Egyptology for more than a century. Over the last 15 years, new textual evidence has emerged, while the application of archaeological sciences has given new life to legacy data. Importantly, recent developments in the absolute chronology of the third millennium coupled with new archaeological data from all parts of the Mediterranean, have started a new wave of reassessment of the synchronisms, nature, and intensity of Egypt’s relationships with its northern neighbors. Given these developments, it was timely to convene a cross-disciplinary dialogue through an international conference showcasing the latest research on interactions between Egypt, the Levantine and Aegean worlds in the late 4th–3rd millennium (Late Early Bronze I – EB IV/Intermediate Bronze Age). Each region was represented by a different institutional partner which hosted invited papers related to the questions of Egypt’s interaction with that region. The conference was held in a fully online format that allowed for global participation in real time.
Research Interests: Levantine Archaeology, Mediterranean Studies, Ancient Mediterranean Religions, Levant Prehistory, History of the Mediterranean, and 13 moreMediterranean archaeology, Mediterranean and North Africa, Archaeology of Mediterranean Trade, Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), History of the Eastern Mediterranean, 1) cultural interconnections and trade (Egypt and Levant), Levant, Early Bronze Age in the Southern Levant, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Archaeology of the Levant, Cultural Connection Between Egypt and the Levant, Early Bronze Age in the Northern Levant, and Northern Levant
Here we present the paleopathological profiles of two young adult males, identified as brothers through ancient DNA analysis, who were buried together beneath the floor of an elite early Late Bronze Age I (ca. 1550–1450 BC) domestic... more
Here we present the paleopathological profiles of two young adult males, identified as brothers through ancient DNA analysis, who were buried together beneath the floor of an elite early Late Bronze Age I (ca. 1550–1450 BC) domestic structure at the urban center of Megiddo (modern Israel). Both individuals displayed uncommon morphological variants related to developmental conditions, and each exhibited extensive bone remodeling consistent with chronic infectious disease. Additionally, one brother had a healed fracture of the nose, as well as a large square piece of bone cut from the frontal bone (cranial trephination). We consider the potential etiologies for the appearance of the skeletal anomalies and lesions. Based on the bioarchaeological context, we propose that a shared epigenetic landscape predisposed the brothers to acquiring an infectious disease and their elite status privileged them enough to endure it. We then contextualize these potential illnesses and disorders with the trephination procedure. The infrequency of trephination in the region indicates that only selected individuals could access such a procedure, and the severity of the pathological lesions suggests the procedure was possibly intended as curative to deteriorating health. Ultimately, both brothers were buried with the same rites as others in their community, thus demonstrating their continued integration in society even after death.
Research Interests:
This chapter presents the 22 Middle Bronze Age tombs containing at least 29 individuals excavated from 1994 to 2010 (Tables 9.1–9.3). Excavation methods and research goals of the expedition evolved significantly over these 16 years, and... more
This chapter presents the 22 Middle Bronze Age tombs containing at least 29 individuals excavated from 1994 to 2010 (Tables 9.1–9.3). Excavation methods and research goals of the expedition evolved significantly over these 16 years, and the resulting quality of data for the burials therefore varies from season to season, particularly for the burials from 2000 and earlier (see Finkelstein, Ussishkin and Peersmann 2006: Fig. 3.28).
Research Interests:
This is the fourth report of the Megiddo Expedition’s work. The first three reports presented the results of the excavations in the 1992–1996, 1998–2002 and 2004–2008 seasons (Finkelstein, Ussishkin and Halpern 2000; 2006; Finkelstein,... more
This is the fourth report of the Megiddo Expedition’s work. The first three reports presented the results of the excavations in the 1992–1996, 1998–2002 and 2004–2008 seasons (Finkelstein, Ussishkin and Halpern 2000; 2006; Finkelstein, Ussishkin and Cline 2013 respectively). This report deals mainly with results of the excavations in the 2010, 2012 and 2014 seasons.
Research Interests:
Our understanding of geomagnetic field intensity prior to the era of direct instrumental measurements relies on paleointensity analysis of rocks and archaeological materials that serve as magnetic recorders. Only in rare cases are... more
Our understanding of geomagnetic field intensity prior to the era of direct instrumental measurements relies on paleointensity analysis of rocks and archaeological materials that serve as magnetic recorders. Only in rare cases are absolute paleointensity data sets continuous over millennial timescales, in sub-centennial resolution, and directly dated using radiocarbon. As a result, fundamental properties of the geomagnetic field, such as its maximum intensity and rate of change have remained a subject of lively discussion. Here, we place firm constraints on these two quantities using Bayesian modeling of well-dated archaeomagnetic intensity data from the Levant and Upper Mesopotamia. We report new data from 23 groups of pottery collected from 18 consecutive radiocarbon-dated archaeological strata from Tel Megiddo, Israel. In the Near East, the period of 1700–550 BCE is represented by 84 groups of archaeological artifacts, 55 of which were dated using radiocarbon or a direct link to clear historically dated events, providing unprecedented sub-century resolution. Moreover, stratigraphic relationships between samples collected from multi-layered sites enable further refinement of the data ages. The Bayesian curve shows four geomagnetic spikes between 1050 and 600 BCE, with virtual axial dipole moment (VADM) reaching values of 155–162 ZAm2, much higher than any prediction from geomagnetic field models. Rates of change associated with the four spikes are ∼0.35–0.55 μT/year (∼0.7–1.1 ZAm2/year), at least twice the maximum rate inferred from direct observations spanning the past 180 years. The increase from 1750 to 1030 BCE (73–161 ZAm2) depicts the Holocene's largest change in field intensity.
Research Interests:
Geographic information systems (GIS) methods, combined with airborne remote sensing, enable collection of complex spatial datasets across broad regional areas. This article explores the use of GIS techniques for fast collection,... more
Geographic information systems (GIS) methods, combined with airborne remote sensing, enable collection of complex spatial datasets across broad regional areas. This article explores the use of GIS techniques for fast collection, processing and analysis of pedestrian survey data. This approach is used at Tell Abu Shusha, a multiperiod site in the Jezreel Valley of northern Israel. Surface survey of this tell and the surrounding region, conducted by the Jezreel Valley Regional Project during 2017, documented extensive visible remains of settlement features as well as the ruins of the Ottoman era village of Abu Shusha. Using this data, the potential for existing spatial analytical techniques to be modified and improved through modern processing capabilities is shown. Kolmogorov-Smirnov nonparametric tests, pure locational (k-means) and unconstrained clustering methods were applied to the field walking survey data, showing evidence of feature clustering at multiple scales as well as environmental patterning in where features are located. Results demonstrate that these approaches increase the speed and accuracy of pedestrian survey data collection and that the modification of these analytical techniques makes them more robust than before, allowing for the identification of meaningful large-scale spatial patterns.
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Excavations at Tel Megiddo have revealed evidence of an unprecedented leap in monumental building activity in the late Early Bronze Age I with the construction of the 1,100-square-meter Great Temple. Subsequent research, survey, and... more
Excavations at Tel Megiddo have revealed evidence of an unprecedented leap in monumental building activity in the late Early Bronze Age I with the construction of the 1,100-square-meter Great Temple. Subsequent research, survey, and excavation by the Jezreel Valley Regional Project identified a contemporary site just east of this cultic acropolis, now called Tel Megiddo East (TME), which appears to have been the primary settlement associated with it. Four seasons of field work at TME have yielded a surprisingly rich ground-stone artifact assemblage of finely crafted tools and vessels. These include many hallmark Early Bronze Age I basalt vessels, such as four handled bowls and large flaring bowls. Other tools include small standardized basalt rings, cuboid and dome-shaped objects, abraders, polishers, grinding stones, and other unique objects. In this paper we present the ground-stone artifact assemblage from TME, and use this assemblage to give insight into the relationship between TME and the cultic activities which took place in the large well-planned Early Bronze Age I temple situated only a few hundred meters away on the acropolis of Tel Megiddo.
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The traditional approach to structuring the past is based on a rigid chronological perception of time forced upon dynamic and fluidly transforming societies. The one-dimensional nature of the chronological approach results in periods of... more
The traditional approach to structuring the past is based on a rigid chronological perception of time forced upon dynamic and fluidly transforming societies. The one-dimensional nature of the chronological approach results in periods of well-defined spatiotemporal cultural entities separated by “transitional” periods. These defined cultural entities are often treated as static, though we know they were not, so that we may interpret cultural, historical, sociological, and political aspects of the society. Transition periods, however, are often treated as outliers interpreted against one or both of the periods that bracket them. In particular, they are characterized by a high variability of cultural traits, a form of "disorder" characterized by sets of old and new features, defying the clear delineation of socio-cultural boundaries.
Discussions of transitional periods, therefore, are muddled by a paradigm in which the before and after are individually defined, while the transition introduces added variability that defies allocation to one or the other distinct spatial temporal cultural groups. In short, our chronological model of periods succeeding one another is one dimensional and fails to help explain the cultural and spatial development within societies, that move much more fluidly through time. The result is the shoehorning of variable societies into periods of “transition” from one solid cultural state to another, judged according to their predecessors and successors.
To address these issues, Matthew J. Adams, Valentine Roux, and Felix Höflmayer organized a workshop which took place 16–18 May 2018 in Jerusalem at the W.F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research and the Centre de recherche français à Jérusalem (Fig. 1–2). The event was supported by these institutions as well as the Institut für Orientalische und Europäische Archäologie (OREA) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. Twenty-eight papers were presented by forty authors and co-authors, and ample time was provided for formal and informal discussion over plentiful food and drink.
The objective of this workshop was to confront scholarly interpretations of the various transitional phases across the late 4th–3rd Millennium (Late Chalcolithic to Early Bronze I, EB I to EB II, and EB III to EB IV/Intermediate Bronze Age) in the southern Levant. The focus was on the nature of the cultural-period-defining traits and their value for distinguishing between changes related to endogenous or exogenous evolution, cultural or demic diffusion. These traits include material culture, architecture, mortuary practices as well as patterns of relationships between sites and subsistence strategies.
The present volume brings together several papers which originated as presentations in this workshop and benefitted from the discussion therein.
Discussions of transitional periods, therefore, are muddled by a paradigm in which the before and after are individually defined, while the transition introduces added variability that defies allocation to one or the other distinct spatial temporal cultural groups. In short, our chronological model of periods succeeding one another is one dimensional and fails to help explain the cultural and spatial development within societies, that move much more fluidly through time. The result is the shoehorning of variable societies into periods of “transition” from one solid cultural state to another, judged according to their predecessors and successors.
To address these issues, Matthew J. Adams, Valentine Roux, and Felix Höflmayer organized a workshop which took place 16–18 May 2018 in Jerusalem at the W.F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research and the Centre de recherche français à Jérusalem (Fig. 1–2). The event was supported by these institutions as well as the Institut für Orientalische und Europäische Archäologie (OREA) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. Twenty-eight papers were presented by forty authors and co-authors, and ample time was provided for formal and informal discussion over plentiful food and drink.
The objective of this workshop was to confront scholarly interpretations of the various transitional phases across the late 4th–3rd Millennium (Late Chalcolithic to Early Bronze I, EB I to EB II, and EB III to EB IV/Intermediate Bronze Age) in the southern Levant. The focus was on the nature of the cultural-period-defining traits and their value for distinguishing between changes related to endogenous or exogenous evolution, cultural or demic diffusion. These traits include material culture, architecture, mortuary practices as well as patterns of relationships between sites and subsistence strategies.
The present volume brings together several papers which originated as presentations in this workshop and benefitted from the discussion therein.
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The Early Bronze Age is considered to be the period when complex and hierarchical societies first developed in the southern Levant. The appearance of specialization and social complexity is manifested through different aspects of the... more
The Early Bronze Age is considered to be the period when complex and hierarchical societies first
developed in the southern Levant. The appearance of specialization and social complexity is manifested through different aspects of the production stages of animal economy. In this paper, we examine faunal assemblages from two interconnected contemporaneous neighboring sites of differing characters in the Jezreel Valley, Israel: Megiddo, a cult site, and Tel Megiddo East, a town site. Both assemblages are dated to the Early Bronze Age IB (EB IB; 3090–2950 B.C.E.), at the dawn of urbanization in the Near East. The connection between sites, revealed in previous studies of other aspects, is supported by the analysis of faunal remains that reveals intriguing overlaps and divergences. The results of the current study show that the control of resources by the Great Temple in Megiddo also included access to animals and their products, and that it impacted the animal economy in settlements in its hinterland. The impact of this system demonstrates the Great Temple at the center of a larger regional economic organization in the late EB IB that would presage the urban developments of the EB II–III.
developed in the southern Levant. The appearance of specialization and social complexity is manifested through different aspects of the production stages of animal economy. In this paper, we examine faunal assemblages from two interconnected contemporaneous neighboring sites of differing characters in the Jezreel Valley, Israel: Megiddo, a cult site, and Tel Megiddo East, a town site. Both assemblages are dated to the Early Bronze Age IB (EB IB; 3090–2950 B.C.E.), at the dawn of urbanization in the Near East. The connection between sites, revealed in previous studies of other aspects, is supported by the analysis of faunal remains that reveals intriguing overlaps and divergences. The results of the current study show that the control of resources by the Great Temple in Megiddo also included access to animals and their products, and that it impacted the animal economy in settlements in its hinterland. The impact of this system demonstrates the Great Temple at the center of a larger regional economic organization in the late EB IB that would presage the urban developments of the EB II–III.
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In a recent article in this journal we presented the results of our 2018 excavations in the area of the six-chambered gate at Megiddo (Finkelstein et al. 2019). Ussishkin (2020) challenged our interpretation, reiterating his past theories... more
In a recent article in this journal we presented the results of our 2018 excavations in the area of the six-chambered gate at Megiddo (Finkelstein et al. 2019). Ussishkin (2020) challenged our interpretation, reiterating his past theories regarding the Megiddo gates. Here we present data which negate his views.
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Excavations carried out in the summer of 2018 shed new light on the entire system of four super-imposed Iron Age gates at Megiddo, including the celebrated ‘Solomonic gate’, which has played a pivotal role in biblical archaeology... more
Excavations carried out in the summer of 2018 shed new light on the entire system of four super-imposed Iron Age gates at Megiddo, including the celebrated ‘Solomonic gate’, which has played a pivotal role in biblical archaeology discussions since the 1930s. A fragmentary gate, earliest in the system (Gate 3165) dates to Stratum VIA in the late Iron I and was destroyed along with the entire city represented by this layer. The six-chambered ‘Solomonic gate’ (Gate 2156) was built during the days of Stratum VA-IVB in the late Iron IIA—the time of the Omride dynasty. Remains of two additional gates—of four and two chambers (described here as Gates 500b and 500a)—date to the time of Strata IVA and III (both Iron IIB) respectively.
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This is the Second Interim Report on the Naqada III – First Intermediate Period Stratification at Mendes, covering the additions of the the 2007-2009 excavation seasons.
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Four small ceramic juglets that had been used as containers for offerings in an elite Middle Bronze Age III (ca. 1650-1550 BCE) masonry tomb uncovered at Tel Megiddo in the Jezreel Valley, Israel were tested using organic residue... more
Four small ceramic juglets that had been used as containers for offerings in an elite Middle Bronze Age III (ca. 1650-1550 BCE) masonry tomb uncovered at Tel Megiddo in the Jezreel Valley, Israel were tested using organic residue analysis. Notably, residues of vanillin, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, and acetonvanillone were identified in three of the four juglets examined. These are the major fragrance and flavour components of natural vanilla extract. To date, it has been commonly accepted that vanilla was domesticated in the New World and subsequently spread to other parts of the globe. Our research first ruled out all possibility of sample contamination and then conducted a post-organic residue analysis investigation of various species within the plant kingdom from which these principle compounds could have been exploited. The results shed new light on the first known exploitation of vanilla in an Old World context, including local uses, the significance and employment in mortuary practices, and possible implications for understanding trade networks in the ancient Near East during the second millennium BCE.
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A round limestone pillar mounted on a base with an Opus Sectile decoration was found during the excavation of the legionary base of the VIth Ferrata Legion at Legio, Israel. The pillar, which has no inscription, and the decorated base... more
A round limestone pillar mounted on a base with an Opus Sectile decoration was found during the excavation of the legionary base of the VIth Ferrata Legion at Legio, Israel. The pillar, which has no inscription, and the decorated base were found within the principia ex situ from their original location. This paper reviews the context of the find, reconstructs its original location, and reviews parallels.
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This article provides an initial archaeological and historical overview of the Lower Pool at the Pools of Solomon south of Bethlehem, Palestine.
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Introductory remarks on this special issue. The second millennium BCE in the ancient Near East saw increased interactions and interconnections between Egypt and the regions of the southern Levant. Mobility and movement between and among... more
Introductory remarks on this special issue.
The second millennium BCE in the ancient Near East saw increased interactions and
interconnections between Egypt and the regions of the southern Levant. Mobility and movement between and among these regions were key factors in the exchange of ideas, technologies, and values and, therefore, were essential components of the evolution of both societies. The archaeological record provides a wealth of material for reconstructing expressions of cultures, identities, status, and economic ways of life based on questions of mobility.
The second millennium BCE in the ancient Near East saw increased interactions and
interconnections between Egypt and the regions of the southern Levant. Mobility and movement between and among these regions were key factors in the exchange of ideas, technologies, and values and, therefore, were essential components of the evolution of both societies. The archaeological record provides a wealth of material for reconstructing expressions of cultures, identities, status, and economic ways of life based on questions of mobility.
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Conventional theory described two settlement waves in the Negev Highlands in the third millennium BCE—in the EB II and the Intermediate Bronze Age—and a period with no evidence for stone architecture between them in the EB III. Arad in... more
Conventional theory described two settlement waves in the Negev Highlands in the third millennium BCE—in the EB II and the Intermediate Bronze Age—and a period with no evidence for stone architecture between them in the EB III. Arad in the Beer-sheba Valley was presented as an EB I–II site, which lay deserted in the EB III. Old and new radiocarbon dates and other lines of evidence from the copper mining districts in the Arabah, Arad and the Negev Highlands make this scenario obsolete. The new data indicate a long period of activity in the south—throughout the Early Bronze and the first half of the Intermediate Bronze Age. Certain changes in the settlement patterns took place in the transition from the EB III to the Intermediate Bronze Age—abandonment of Arad and the rise of central trading sites within the Negev Highlands. Activity in the Negev Highlands was related to the copper industry in the Arabah and transportation of copper to the north and west. Demand for copper in Egypt played an important role in the settlement history of the arid regions: the peak prosperity in the EB III and first half of the Intermediate Bronze Age corresponds to the time of the Old Kingdom in Egypt and deterioration of the Negev system tallies with the collapse of the Old Kingdom ca. 2200 BCE. The data for the third millennium BCE enables the structuring and presentation of a broader model of human activity in the Negev Highlands and neighbouring regions in the Bronze and Iron Ages.
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Brief report on 2017 salvage excavation at Kibbutz Megiddo. Excavated material includes a 12th Century domestic midden with Frankish material culture (Area A) and a sequence of late Byzantine/Early Islamic settlement (Area B).
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The Jezreel Valley Regional Project (JVRP) is a long-term multidisciplinary project investigating human activity in the Jezreel Valley through all periods through the modern era. This research incorporates extensive and intensive... more
The Jezreel Valley Regional Project (JVRP) is a long-term multidisciplinary project investigating human activity in the Jezreel Valley through all periods through the modern era. This research incorporates extensive and intensive archaeological survey and excavation at several spatial scales, and utilizes a number of methodological approaches to documentation and spatial analysis. One of the major challenges of this project has been coping with a high volume of data, and integrating cutting-edge technology into our workflow to solve the problems that many archaeologists face. This paper will present an overview of our field-based methods of data acquisition, particularly by means of 3D photogrammetry, remote sensing, and high-precision ground control. When integrated through our data management system and used in GIS applications, these data not only produce plans and imagery far more precise than conventional approaches, but the methods used are incredibly time-efficient, cost-effective, and produce archival digital data. Furthermore, we will report on results of spatial analysis of archaeological activity in the Jezreel Valley in conjunction with digital terrain and hydrological modelling of the landscape. These digital techniques allow us to study human and environmental changes in the landscape like never before.
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In 1996, a cache of 16 Egyptianized ceramic vessels was excavated at Megiddo by the Tel Aviv University Megiddo Expedition. Its stratigraphy was difficult to ascertain as the discovery was made early on in the renewed excavations, and the... more
In 1996, a cache of 16 Egyptianized ceramic vessels was excavated at Megiddo by the Tel Aviv University Megiddo Expedition. Its stratigraphy was difficult to ascertain as the discovery was made early on in the renewed excavations, and the ceramic typology was difficult to assess due to the apparent specialized function of the vessels. This paper reconsiders the cache in light of the finalized stratigraphic understanding of Area J, reexamining the unpublished excavation records from the square in which it was found. The study concludes that the cache is a foundation deposit related to Temple 4040 and both are redated to the Intermediate Bronze Age on the basis of Egyptian ceramic parallels and the new High Chronology for the Early Bronze Age.
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The fragment of an Egyptian statue of Djehutihotep found at Megiddo by the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago (OI) has been long known. It was found with three uninscribed Egyptian statue fragments reused in the foundations... more
The fragment of an Egyptian statue of Djehutihotep found at Megiddo by the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago (OI) has been long known. It was found with three uninscribed Egyptian statue fragments reused in the foundations of Temple 2048, attributed to Stratum VII, which was dated by them to the Late Bronze Age IIB, 13th– 12th century BCE. A recent reevaluation of the stratigraphy of the cultic area of Megiddo (OI: Area BB; TAU: Area J) based on new excavations, however, demonstrates that the foundation of Temple 2048 should be assigned to Stratum XII dated to the early Middle Bronze Age II. The new dating of the findspot of the Djehutihotep statue fragment narrows the window of time for the arrival of the statue at Megiddo to the lifetime of Djehutihotep, supports a high chronology for the Middle Bronze Age, and demonstrates direct contact between Egypt and Megiddo in the Middle Bronze Age I. This paper reviews the new data on the archaeological context and reevaluates the implications of Djehutihotep at Megiddo.
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Historical evidence and archaeological surveys conducted over several decades in the Legio-Megiddo region in the Jezreel Valley, Israel, have pointed to the long-term presence of the Roman VIth Ferrata Legion at the site of el-Manach... more
Historical evidence and archaeological surveys conducted over several decades in the Legio-Megiddo region in the Jezreel Valley, Israel, have pointed to the long-term presence of the Roman VIth Ferrata Legion at the site of el-Manach Hill. In 2013, the Jezreel Valley Regional Project (JVRP) conducted excavations on the northern side of the site. Architectural remains indicative of a Roman castra were uncovered, and finds confirm the presence of Legio VI Ferrata. Current evidence confirms dates for the site as a military base from the early 2nd century CE to its final abandonment by late 3rd to early 4th century CE.
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Lecture on the Early Dynastic and Old Kingdom excavations at Mendes given at the Chinese Academy of the Social Sciences, Institute of Archaeology in 2016.
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Historical evidence and archaeological surveys conducted over several decades in the Legio-Megiddo region in the Jezreel Valley, Israel, have pointed to the long-term presence of the Roman VIth Ferrata Legion at the site of el-Manach... more
Historical evidence and archaeological surveys conducted over several decades in the Legio-Megiddo region in the Jezreel Valley, Israel, have pointed to the long-term presence of the Roman VIth Ferrata Legion at the site of el-Manach Hill. In 2013, the Jezreel Valley Regional Project (JVRP) conducted excavations on the northern side of the site. Architectural remains indicative of a Roman castra were uncovered, and finds confirm the presence of Legio VI Ferrata. Current evidence confirms dates for the site as a military base from the early 2nd century CE to its final abandonment by late 3rd to early 4th century CE.
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We report results of palynological investigation of a core of sediments extracted from the bottom of the Sea of Galilee. The core was sampled at high resolution for both palynological analysis (a sample was taken c. every 40 years) and... more
We report results of palynological investigation of a core of sediments extracted from the bottom of the Sea of Galilee. The core was sampled at high resolution for both palynological analysis (a sample was taken c. every 40 years) and radiocarbon dating. The article focuses on the Early Bronze and Intermediate Bronze Ages, c. 3600–1950 BC. The results enable reconstruction of the vegetation and thus climate in the lake's fluvial and alluvial catchment, which includes large parts of northern Israel and Lebanon and southwestern Syria. The study sheds light on topics such as changes in olive cultivation through time and regions, processes of urbanization and collapse and settlement expansion and retraction in the arid zones.
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This paper reports on a study conducted on archaeological sediments from two sites in the Jezreel Valley, Israel: the Roman military camp of Legio, dating to the 2nd-3rd centuries CE, and the Bronze Age village of Tel Megiddo East, dating... more
This paper reports on a study conducted on archaeological sediments from two sites in the Jezreel Valley, Israel: the Roman military camp of Legio, dating to the 2nd-3rd centuries CE, and the Bronze Age village of Tel Megiddo East, dating to Early Bronze I. The primary purpose of the study was to test the assumption that chronologically-specific metallurgical production and consumption would be evident through trace elements within archaeological sediments. Sediment samples were analyzed using a portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) device, as well as conventional wet chemistry techniques in order to compare the results between bulk element analysis and readily leachable cations, and to assess the feasibility of field-based pXRF for such study. Samples taken from various contexts at each site were analyzed specifically for concentrations of lead, copper, and zinc, which should hypothetically differ between a Roman Period site utilizing lead and brass (a copper/zinc alloy), versus an Early Bronze Age site participating in primarily copper metallurgy. Results demonstrate quantitative differences in the sediments between both sites, as well as the capability of pXRF to detect and quantify such trace elements. The implications of these results are discussed in terms of the archaeo-metallurgical context of the two sites.
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This paper reports on a study conducted on archaeological sediments from two sites in the Jezreel Valley, Israel: the Roman military camp of Legio, dating to the 2nd-3rd centuries CE, and the Bronze Age village of Tel Megiddo East, dating... more
This paper reports on a study conducted on archaeological sediments from two sites in the Jezreel Valley, Israel: the Roman military camp of Legio, dating to the 2nd-3rd centuries CE, and the Bronze Age village of Tel Megiddo East, dating to Early Bronze I. The primary purpose of the study was to test the assumption that chronologically-specific metallurgical production and consumption would be evident through trace elements within archaeological sediments. Sediment samples were analyzed using a portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) device, as well as conventional wet chemistry techniques in order to compare the results between bulk element analysis and readily leachable cations, and to assess the feasibility of field-based pXRF for such study. Samples taken from various contexts at each site were analyzed specifically for concentrations of lead, copper, and zinc, which should hypothetically differ between a Roman Period site utilizing lead and brass (a copper/zinc alloy), versus an Early Bronze Age site participating in primarily copper metallurgy. Results demonstrate quantitative differences in the sediments between both sites, as well as the capability of pXRF to detect and quantify such trace elements. The implications of these results are discussed in terms of the archaeo-metallurgical context of the two sites.
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In a recent study by Regev et al. (2012), the radiocarbon data of Southern Levant was reanalyzed, causing a revision of the traditional absolute chronology of the Early Bronze Age in the Southern Levant. The new analysis demonstrated that... more
In a recent study by Regev et al. (2012), the radiocarbon data of Southern Levant was reanalyzed, causing a revision of the traditional absolute chronology of the Early Bronze Age in the Southern Levant. The new analysis demonstrated that the EB II was notably shorter than previously thought and that the EB III ended ca. 2500 BC, ca. 200‒300 years earlier than the traditional chronologies. In order to understand how Megiddo fits into the new chronology, the authors designed and implemented a microstratigraphical excavation of the EB I to EB III strata at the site to identify new short-lived samples for radiocarbon dating. In modeling the results, we took advantage of known stratigraphical data to apply a wiggle-matching
technique to the calibration curve, providing more precise dates for the samples. Overall, the dates from Megiddo are in line with the new radiocarbon-based chronology. These results as well as the implications of the dates for Egyptian-Levantine
interactions of the 3rd Millennium BC are discussed.
technique to the calibration curve, providing more precise dates for the samples. Overall, the dates from Megiddo are in line with the new radiocarbon-based chronology. These results as well as the implications of the dates for Egyptian-Levantine
interactions of the 3rd Millennium BC are discussed.
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The Early Bronze (EB) Ib Temple of Megiddo Level J-4, with its complex architecture, marks an important threshold in the development of complex societies that characterized the Early Bronze Age of the Levant. The temple was abandoned at... more
The Early Bronze (EB) Ib Temple of Megiddo Level J-4, with its complex architecture, marks an important threshold in the development of complex societies that characterized the Early Bronze Age of the Levant. The temple was abandoned at the end of the EB Ib, leaving behind few traces of the activities performed within it, the primary remains being the deposit of sacrificial waste of animal bones found in different localities within the structure and its vicinity. Flint Chipped stone tools and production waste were found together with these and other deposits nearby. Considering the paucity of other finds among the temple’s assemblages, the flint chipped stone items constitute important evidence for activities within its vicinity, and perhaps its role in relation to the community within which it functioned. The flint lithic assemblage includes a wide range of tool types and waste indicating that knapping and a variety of activities occurred in the vicinity ofnearby the temple. The range of activities represented is characteristic of earlier Neolithic, Chalcolithic, as well as Bronze Age cult buildings in the Mediterranean world. Overall, the architectural and lithic evidence demonstrate that while the Great Temple of J-4 represents major innovations in the organization of cult that will become characteristic of the Bronze Age, but like other early sacred spaces, there were certain profane activities associated with it, as in other early sacred spaces. Furthermore, this study emphasizes the potential that lithic assemblages have to contribute to the understanding of the dynamic roles of cult buildings in general from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age and how the mundane and sacred commingle.
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From 1992 to 2010, the Tel Aviv University Megiddo Expedition excavated an unprecedented monumental temple complex dating to the Early Bronze Age I, ca. 3000 b.c.e. This Great Temple has proved not only to be among the largest... more
From 1992 to 2010, the Tel Aviv University Megiddo Expedition excavated an unprecedented monumental temple complex dating to the Early Bronze Age I, ca. 3000 b.c.e. This Great Temple has proved not only to be among the largest construction projects in the Levant in its day, but has revealed surprising new evidence for a society capable of monumental architecture, central planning, and significant control of resources in the Jezreel Valley, Israel, not hitherto expected for the place and time. Since 2010, the Jezreel Valley Regional Project (JVRP) has been conducting archaeological research at the site of Tel Megiddo East, the nearby settlement responsible for the construction of the temple, and studying the broader landscape in order to elucidate how and why Megiddo and the Jezreel Valley witnessed an incredible leap forward in social, political, and architectural capabilities at the end of the fourth millennium b.c.e. This essay elaborates on both the Great Temple and the recent discoveries and ongoing work by the JVRP at Tel Megiddo East that put the temple in context.
Tel Megiddo in the Jezreel Valley of Israel has been the most cited type-site of the Early Bronze Age Levant since the excavations of the University of Chicago in the 1920s and 1930s. Through the efforts of the Tel Aviv University Megiddo... more
Tel Megiddo in the Jezreel Valley of Israel has been the most cited type-site of the Early Bronze Age Levant since the excavations of the University of Chicago in the 1920s and 1930s. Through the efforts of the Tel Aviv University Megiddo Expedition, the stratigraphic sequence of the Early Bronze Age has been significantly refined, and a new monumental temple dating to Early Bronze Age IB (ca. 3000 B.C.E) has been discovered. This Great Temple has proven to be the most monumental structure of the period in the Levant. This discovery provides new evidence for the rise of social and political complexity in the region.
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The editors, “Introduction,” in O. Lipschits, Y. Gadot, and M.J. Adams, eds., Rethinking Israel: Studies in the History and Archaeology of Ancient Israel in Honor of Israel Finkelstein (Winona Lake, Indianna: Eisenbrauns, 2017): i-v.
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This paper is the publication of the Early Bronze Age Pottery from Area J recovered in the 2004-2008 seasons of excavation.
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This project presents a stratified archaeological sequence spanning the Early Dynastic Period and Old Kingdom at Tell er-Rub’a, Mendes, in the eastern Egyptian Delta. This sequence, excavated between 1999 and 2005, has provided the... more
This project presents a stratified archaeological sequence spanning the Early Dynastic Period and Old Kingdom at Tell er-Rub’a, Mendes, in the eastern Egyptian Delta. This sequence, excavated between 1999 and 2005, has provided the longest stratified sequence from these periods in all of Egypt. Stratigraphic probes around the site indicate that further excavation of the sequence will go as far back as the 5th millennium BCE. This thesis presents the stratigraphic and ceramic data from this excavation and places the sequence within the historical and cultural developmental framework of the 3rd
millennium.
The interpretive aspect of this sequence is viewed through the lens of Robert J. Wenke’s “First Dynastic Cycle”. The adoption of an agricultural subsistence strategy, around 4000 BCE, is the first spark of a trajectory toward the great nation-state of the Old Kingdom which achieved its apex of power and stability the 5th Dynasty and collapsed suddenly at the end of the 6th Dynasty around 2200 BCE. This “single epoch of transformation” is a broad approach to the normally narrow focus of studying the rise and collapse of the state in Egypt. The entire development from nascent agricultural society to the collapse of the first state in the late Old Kingdom is an evolutionary process which must be assessed holistically. Thus ‘state formation’ is perhaps best seen, not merely in the final centuries of the 4th millennium, but as a lengthy process, spanning some two millennia, during which the first iteration of the Egyptian state is actualized. Because of the stratified sequence presented in this project, Mendes provides a unique opportunity to excavate in one place the entire First Dynastic Cycle: the rise of agriculture and complex society, prehistoric period of Egypt, the formation of the state, the first 400 years of experimentation in statehood, the apex of the first successful nation state in the world, and the last hurrah before its sad decline. This archaeological sequence, therefore, will be the first to stratigraphically, and consequently ceramicly, unify prehistoric Egypt to its successor, the great state of the Old Kingdom.
millennium.
The interpretive aspect of this sequence is viewed through the lens of Robert J. Wenke’s “First Dynastic Cycle”. The adoption of an agricultural subsistence strategy, around 4000 BCE, is the first spark of a trajectory toward the great nation-state of the Old Kingdom which achieved its apex of power and stability the 5th Dynasty and collapsed suddenly at the end of the 6th Dynasty around 2200 BCE. This “single epoch of transformation” is a broad approach to the normally narrow focus of studying the rise and collapse of the state in Egypt. The entire development from nascent agricultural society to the collapse of the first state in the late Old Kingdom is an evolutionary process which must be assessed holistically. Thus ‘state formation’ is perhaps best seen, not merely in the final centuries of the 4th millennium, but as a lengthy process, spanning some two millennia, during which the first iteration of the Egyptian state is actualized. Because of the stratified sequence presented in this project, Mendes provides a unique opportunity to excavate in one place the entire First Dynastic Cycle: the rise of agriculture and complex society, prehistoric period of Egypt, the formation of the state, the first 400 years of experimentation in statehood, the apex of the first successful nation state in the world, and the last hurrah before its sad decline. This archaeological sequence, therefore, will be the first to stratigraphically, and consequently ceramicly, unify prehistoric Egypt to its successor, the great state of the Old Kingdom.
Research Interests:
This project presents a stratified archaeological sequence spanning the Early Dynastic Period and Old Kingdom at Tell er-Rub’a, Mendes, in the eastern Egyptian Delta. This sequence, excavated between 1999 and 2005, has provided the... more
This project presents a stratified archaeological sequence spanning the Early Dynastic Period and Old Kingdom at Tell er-Rub’a, Mendes, in the eastern Egyptian Delta. This sequence, excavated between 1999 and 2005, has provided the longest stratified sequence from these periods in all of Egypt. Stratigraphic probes around the site indicate that further excavation of the sequence will go as far back as the 5th millennium BCE. This thesis presents the stratigraphic and ceramic data from this excavation and places the sequence within the historical and cultural developmental framework of the 3rd millennium.
The interpretive aspect of this sequence is viewed through the lens of Robert J. Wenke’s “First Dynastic Cycle”. The adoption of an agricultural subsistence strategy, around 4000 BCE, is the first spark of a trajectory toward the great nation-state of the Old
Kingdom which achieved its apex of power and stability the 5th Dynasty and collapsed suddenly at the end of the 6th Dynasty around 2200 BCE. This “single epoch of transformation” is a broad approach to the normally narrow focus of studying the rise and collapse of the state in Egypt. The entire development from nascent agricultural society to the collapse of the first state in the late Old Kingdom is an evolutionary process which must be assessed holistically. Thus ‘state formation’ is perhaps best seen, not merely in the final centuries of the 4th millennium, but as a lengthy process, spanning some two millennia, during which the first iteration of the Egyptian state is actualized.
Because of the stratified sequence presented in this project, Mendes provides a unique opportunity to excavate in one place the entire First Dynastic Cycle: the rise of agriculture and complex society, prehistoric period of Egypt, the formation of the state, the first 400 years of experimentation in statehood, the apex of the first successful nation state in the world, and the last hurrah before its sad decline. This archaeological sequence, therefore, will be the first to stratigraphically, and consequently ceramicly, unify prehistoric Egypt to its successor, the great state of the Old Kingdom.
The interpretive aspect of this sequence is viewed through the lens of Robert J. Wenke’s “First Dynastic Cycle”. The adoption of an agricultural subsistence strategy, around 4000 BCE, is the first spark of a trajectory toward the great nation-state of the Old
Kingdom which achieved its apex of power and stability the 5th Dynasty and collapsed suddenly at the end of the 6th Dynasty around 2200 BCE. This “single epoch of transformation” is a broad approach to the normally narrow focus of studying the rise and collapse of the state in Egypt. The entire development from nascent agricultural society to the collapse of the first state in the late Old Kingdom is an evolutionary process which must be assessed holistically. Thus ‘state formation’ is perhaps best seen, not merely in the final centuries of the 4th millennium, but as a lengthy process, spanning some two millennia, during which the first iteration of the Egyptian state is actualized.
Because of the stratified sequence presented in this project, Mendes provides a unique opportunity to excavate in one place the entire First Dynastic Cycle: the rise of agriculture and complex society, prehistoric period of Egypt, the formation of the state, the first 400 years of experimentation in statehood, the apex of the first successful nation state in the world, and the last hurrah before its sad decline. This archaeological sequence, therefore, will be the first to stratigraphically, and consequently ceramicly, unify prehistoric Egypt to its successor, the great state of the Old Kingdom.
Research Interests:
The title xntj-S occurs from the Old Kingdom down into the 18th Dynasty. The title has enjoyed a few short treatises on its meaning. However, no one has yet brought all the evidence for these individuals together in one study. Moreover,... more
The title xntj-S occurs from the Old Kingdom down into the 18th Dynasty. The title has enjoyed a few short treatises on its meaning. However, no one has yet brought all the evidence for these individuals together in one study. Moreover, previous studies have all used a restricted size of sample in their analyses. Compiled here is a prosopography of 250 persons with a xntj-S title, all relevant textual material mentioning the xntjw-S, and an orthographic analysis of the title itself. The combination of these three methods of study, prosopographical, textual, and orthographical, has allowed the current researcher to put forth a more comprehensive study of the xntjw-S than has been attempted before. When one browses prior scholarship on this subject, one is frustrated by the lack of comprehensiveness. The goals of this thesis are: to consult all of the relevant narrative sources, which has not been done previously; to compile and analyze a respectable sample of individuals; and to delve into the orthography in order to produce a comprehensive description of the xntjw-S.
This study establishes three categories of xntjw-S, each with very different responsibilities and realms in which they operate—xntjw-S pr-aA, pyramid-compounded xntjw-S, and non-compounded xntjw-S. The underlying connection between the three categories is, of course, the presence of xntjw-S in each version of the title, suggesting a common evolutionary history. In summary, the results of this thesis advocate that, although there is an underlying connection between the three categories of xntjw-S, each category had its own distinct roles, which differed to such a degree that we must translate each title differently. xntjw-S pr-aA should be rendered “attendant,” pyramid-compounded xntjw-S should be rendered “tenant landholder of pyramid X,” and non-compounded xntjw-S should be rendered “royal mortuary complex attendants.”
This study establishes three categories of xntjw-S, each with very different responsibilities and realms in which they operate—xntjw-S pr-aA, pyramid-compounded xntjw-S, and non-compounded xntjw-S. The underlying connection between the three categories is, of course, the presence of xntjw-S in each version of the title, suggesting a common evolutionary history. In summary, the results of this thesis advocate that, although there is an underlying connection between the three categories of xntjw-S, each category had its own distinct roles, which differed to such a degree that we must translate each title differently. xntjw-S pr-aA should be rendered “attendant,” pyramid-compounded xntjw-S should be rendered “tenant landholder of pyramid X,” and non-compounded xntjw-S should be rendered “royal mortuary complex attendants.”
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
in Albright Newsletter 14 (2009) [reprinted in ASOR Newsletter 60.1 (2010)].
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Archéologia 536 (2015) 17.
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Research Interests:
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The renewed excavations at Megiddo have investigated the fortifications of the Middle Bronze city in two areas, including a significant stretch of the walling system in Area K and the gate system in Area S. While portions of the walls and... more
The renewed excavations at Megiddo have investigated the fortifications of the Middle Bronze city in two areas, including a significant stretch of the walling system in Area K and the gate system in Area S. While portions of the walls and gates have been exposed by the Oriental Institute excavations, the current investigations and modern analytical techniques have provided new insights into the construction and configuration of these defensive works as well as contributed to our reassessment of the stratigraphy of the site.
In Area K, at the southeastern edge of the tell, a segment of a massive mudbrick wall was exposed, being at least 3.5 m high and 4.5 m wide with exterior and interior towers and an externally adjoining glacis. This wall was mounted on an earthen rampart well above the enclosed city during the time of its construction in the early MBA. Over time, occupational layers continually rose along the interior slope of the rampart, to finally reach the top of the mudbrick wall at the beginning of the Late Bronze Age.
In Area S, on the north side of the tell, a reinvestigation of the MBA gate system exposed by the Oriental Institute as “Area AA” has resulted in a revised understanding of the stratigraphy of the gates from the beginning of the MBA through the LBA. Additionally, new evidence demonstrates that the Stratum XIII “gate” as presented by the OI is, in fact, a conflation of multiple stratigraphic elements.
In Area K, at the southeastern edge of the tell, a segment of a massive mudbrick wall was exposed, being at least 3.5 m high and 4.5 m wide with exterior and interior towers and an externally adjoining glacis. This wall was mounted on an earthen rampart well above the enclosed city during the time of its construction in the early MBA. Over time, occupational layers continually rose along the interior slope of the rampart, to finally reach the top of the mudbrick wall at the beginning of the Late Bronze Age.
In Area S, on the north side of the tell, a reinvestigation of the MBA gate system exposed by the Oriental Institute as “Area AA” has resulted in a revised understanding of the stratigraphy of the gates from the beginning of the MBA through the LBA. Additionally, new evidence demonstrates that the Stratum XIII “gate” as presented by the OI is, in fact, a conflation of multiple stratigraphic elements.
In 2010 and 2011, the Jezreel Valley Regional Project conducted a series of surface and remote sensing surveys and trial excavations at the site of Tel Megiddo East. Tel Megiddo East is the site designation for the area of human... more
In 2010 and 2011, the Jezreel Valley Regional Project conducted a series of surface and remote sensing surveys and trial excavations at the site of Tel Megiddo East. Tel Megiddo East is the site designation for the area of human settlement directly east of Tel Megiddo, which includes a wide variety of loci of human activity dating primarily to the Early Bronze Age I and Roman Period. In the EB I, the site is, in part, the settlement associated with the cultic acropolis of Tel Megiddo, where the Tel Aviv University Megiddo Expedition revealed evidence of an unprecedented leap in monumental building activity with the construction of the 1100 m2 Great Temple. Work in 2010 and 2011 by the JVRP at Tel Megiddo East has now identified the location of the settlement contemporary with the temple and has established a preliminary stratigraphic sequence for the development of the EB I settlement. Several components of the EB I sequence suggest a significant increase in the organization of the settlement leading up to the construction of the Great Temple on the acropolis. The summer 2012 season is designed to study the social and political developments in the EB I community leading up to the monumental investment of the Great Temple and their implications on the nature of early urbanism and state formation in the southern Levant. This paper will present the results of the 2012 excavation season as well as the progress of other efforts of the JVRP.
The status of Memphis as the earliest capital of a unified Egyptian state has gone unquestioned in Egyptology. The basic modern reconstruction of the foundation of the city follows closely the reports of the Classical visitor, Herodotus,... more
The status of Memphis as the earliest capital of a unified Egyptian state has gone unquestioned in Egyptology. The basic modern reconstruction of the foundation of the city follows closely the reports of the Classical visitor, Herodotus, who transmits the native tradition of Memphis as being founded by the first king of Egypt, Min. The presence of the Early Dynastic cemeteries at Saqqara and Helwan, seemingly support the veracity of the basic story, and scholars have long sought to identify Min as one of the early archaeologically attested kings (such as Narmer or Hor-Aha). The rise of the pyramid fields and the development of the greater Saqqara necropolis is generally seen as support that the administrative center of the Old Kingdom state remained at Min's great city. This historical model provides the framework in which Egyptology generally reconstructs the evolution of the Egyptian state and its administrative apparatus.
The problem with this traditional view, however, is that no clear capital city matching this historical reconstruction has emerged from the archaeological record nor is it evident in the textual record. This paper seeks to establish a history of the city of Memphis rooted in contemporary texts and archaeology independent of the Classical sources. It will trace the development of the city through the Saite period. The author takes a historical revisionist approach to Memphis and provides a historiographical framework for the development and transmission of the myth of Memphis as presented in the Classical sources.
The problem with this traditional view, however, is that no clear capital city matching this historical reconstruction has emerged from the archaeological record nor is it evident in the textual record. This paper seeks to establish a history of the city of Memphis rooted in contemporary texts and archaeology independent of the Classical sources. It will trace the development of the city through the Saite period. The author takes a historical revisionist approach to Memphis and provides a historiographical framework for the development and transmission of the myth of Memphis as presented in the Classical sources.
This paper reports on the first two seasons of the Jezreel Valley Regional Project (JVRP) excavation of the Early Bronze Age town of Megiddo, Israel. The JVRP is a long-term, multi-disciplinary survey and excavation project investigating... more
This paper reports on the first two seasons of the Jezreel Valley Regional Project (JVRP) excavation of the Early Bronze Age town of Megiddo, Israel. The JVRP is a long-term, multi-disciplinary survey and excavation project investigating human activity in the Jezreel Valley from the Paleolithic through the Ottoman period. This project strives for a total history of the Valley using the tools and theoretical approaches of such disciplines as archaeology, anthropology, ethnography, geography, history, and the natural sciences, within an organizational framework provided by landscape archaeology. In addition to several other research endeavors, the JVRP is currently excavating one of the most significant Early Bronze Age towns in the Valley, Tel Megiddo East (carried out under the auspices of American Archaeology Abroad and with the cooperation of the Tel Aviv University Megiddo Expedition).
From 1996 - 2010, the Tel Aviv University Megiddo Expedition uncovered a massive temple dating to the Early Bronze Age I (ca. 3000 B.C.) on the cultic acropolis of Tel Megiddo. The data from the compound demonstrated an unprecedented leap in monumental building activity late in the EB I with the construction of the 1100 m2 Great Temple. Ranking in size and sophistication on par with the temples of early urban Mesopotamia, the Great Temple represents the best evidence for the development of state-level society in the Levant in this early period. This Great Temple is now well-understood, but the larger settlement landscape, the home of its builders, has never been explored.
Tel Megiddo East is the site designation for the area of settlement directly east of Tel Megiddo, which includes a wide variety of loci of human activity dating primarily to the Early Bronze Age and Roman periods. Guided by survey data collected by the Israel Antiquities Authority and the TAU Megiddo Expedition, the JVRP conducted an initial trial season and a ground penetrating radar survey in 2010, followed by full-scale excavation in 2011. The results of this work confirm the location of the town associated with the Great Temple and bear witness to the social changes which coincided with the monumental changes on the acropolis.
This paper also presents new paleo-environmental and archaeological data pertaining to the rise and fall of the EB I society responsible for the construction of the Great Temple, and discusses new avenues for research on the nature of early urbanism and state formation in the southern Levant.
From 1996 - 2010, the Tel Aviv University Megiddo Expedition uncovered a massive temple dating to the Early Bronze Age I (ca. 3000 B.C.) on the cultic acropolis of Tel Megiddo. The data from the compound demonstrated an unprecedented leap in monumental building activity late in the EB I with the construction of the 1100 m2 Great Temple. Ranking in size and sophistication on par with the temples of early urban Mesopotamia, the Great Temple represents the best evidence for the development of state-level society in the Levant in this early period. This Great Temple is now well-understood, but the larger settlement landscape, the home of its builders, has never been explored.
Tel Megiddo East is the site designation for the area of settlement directly east of Tel Megiddo, which includes a wide variety of loci of human activity dating primarily to the Early Bronze Age and Roman periods. Guided by survey data collected by the Israel Antiquities Authority and the TAU Megiddo Expedition, the JVRP conducted an initial trial season and a ground penetrating radar survey in 2010, followed by full-scale excavation in 2011. The results of this work confirm the location of the town associated with the Great Temple and bear witness to the social changes which coincided with the monumental changes on the acropolis.
This paper also presents new paleo-environmental and archaeological data pertaining to the rise and fall of the EB I society responsible for the construction of the Great Temple, and discusses new avenues for research on the nature of early urbanism and state formation in the southern Levant.
Following an initial trial season in the summer of 2010, the Jezreel Valley Regional Project conducted a ground penetrating radar survey of the site of Tel Megiddo East in winter 2010. Tel Megiddo East is the site designation for the area... more
Following an initial trial season in the summer of 2010, the Jezreel Valley Regional Project conducted a ground penetrating radar survey of the site of Tel Megiddo East in winter 2010. Tel Megiddo East is the site designation for the area of human settlement directly east of Tel Megiddo, which includes a wide variety of loci of human activity dating primarily to the Early Bronze Age and Roman Period. In the EB, the site is, in part, the settlement associated with the cultic acropolis of Tel Megiddo. Trial excavations in the summer of 2010 confirmed (but refined the assumptions of) previous survey work which suggested the presence of this settlement. In the winter of 2010, the project carried out a GPR survey of a specific area of the settlement in anticipation of a detailed excavation in July 2011. This paper presents the results of both the GPR and the excavation work. Both of these endeavors are oriented toward our broader goal of characterizing the local cultural developments ca. 3000 BCE which are manifest in the progress of cultic buildings excavated on the acropolis. There, excavations by the Tel Aviv University Megiddo Expedition revealed evidence of an unprecedented leap in monumental building activity with the construction of the 1500 m2 Great Temple. We seek to identify and study the settlement responsible for this advancement and its implications for the nature of early urbanism and state formation in the Southern Levant.
The status of Memphis as the earliest capital of a unified Egyptian state has gone unquestioned in Egyptology. The basic modern reconstruction of the foundation of the city follows closely the reports of the Classical visitor, Herodotus,... more
The status of Memphis as the earliest capital of a unified Egyptian state has gone unquestioned in Egyptology. The basic modern reconstruction of the foundation of the city follows closely the reports of the Classical visitor, Herodotus, who transmits the native tradition of Memphis as being founded by the first king of Egypt, Min. The presence of the Early Dynastic cemeteries at Saqqara and Helwan, seemingly support the veracity of the basic story, and scholars have long sought to identify Min as one of the early archaeologically attested kings (such as Narmer or Hor-Aha). The rise of the pyramid fields and the development of the greater Saqqara necropolis is generally seen as support that the administrative center of the Old Kingdom state remained at Min's great city. This historical model provides the framework in which Egyptology generally reconstructs the evolution of the Egyptian state and its administrative apparatus.
The problem with this traditional view, however, is that no clear capital city matching this historical reconstruction has emerged from the archaeological record nor is it evident in the textual record. This paper seeks to establish a history of the city of Memphis rooted in contemporary texts and archaeology independent of the Classical sources. It will trace the development of the city through the Saite period. The author takes a historical revisionist approach to Memphis and provides a historiographical framework for the development and transmission of the myth of Memphis as presented in the Classical sources.
The problem with this traditional view, however, is that no clear capital city matching this historical reconstruction has emerged from the archaeological record nor is it evident in the textual record. This paper seeks to establish a history of the city of Memphis rooted in contemporary texts and archaeology independent of the Classical sources. It will trace the development of the city through the Saite period. The author takes a historical revisionist approach to Memphis and provides a historiographical framework for the development and transmission of the myth of Memphis as presented in the Classical sources.
In 1996, a cache of sixteen ceramic vessels was discovered in the cultic compound at Tel Megiddo by the Tel Aviv University Megiddo Expedition. The vessels have clear Egyptian affinities in form and technology, but were certainly made in... more
In 1996, a cache of sixteen ceramic vessels was discovered in the cultic compound at Tel Megiddo by the Tel Aviv University Megiddo Expedition. The vessels have clear Egyptian affinities in form and technology, but were certainly made in the Jezreel Valley. Unfortunately, the location of the cache relative to standing monuments and the circumstance of excavation boundaries have created a particularly difficult situation from which to interpret both the function of the cache and its stratigraphic attribution. Consequently, dates ranging from the EB Ib to the EB III have been proffered on the basis of stratigraphy and ceramic parallels. While the status quo has settled on an EB Ib date, the data upon which this attribution rests remains unsatisfactory.
Since the discovery of the cache, 5 new seasons of work have commenced in Area J, supervised by the author. On the basis of this work, which included new significant horizontal and vertical exposure, a revised and more solid stratigraphic sequence for the Early and Middle Bronze Ages at Megiddo has been established. In light of this recent excavation, this study reassesses the stratigraphy, ceramic date, and the function of the cache of Egyptianizing pottery, shedding new light on Egyptian and Leventine relations in the 3rd Millenium BCE.
Since the discovery of the cache, 5 new seasons of work have commenced in Area J, supervised by the author. On the basis of this work, which included new significant horizontal and vertical exposure, a revised and more solid stratigraphic sequence for the Early and Middle Bronze Ages at Megiddo has been established. In light of this recent excavation, this study reassesses the stratigraphy, ceramic date, and the function of the cache of Egyptianizing pottery, shedding new light on Egyptian and Leventine relations in the 3rd Millenium BCE.
In the 2006 and 2008 seasons at Megiddo, the Early Bronze Age excavations in Area J were expanded to two squares above the northwestern corner of the J-7 Temple 5269. This excavation allowed us to excavate down through the Middle and Late... more
In the 2006 and 2008 seasons at Megiddo, the Early Bronze Age excavations in Area J were expanded to two squares above the northwestern corner of the J-7 Temple 5269. This excavation allowed us to excavate down through the Middle and Late Bronze Age strata and connect them to the Early Bronze Age levels below. During the course of this project the contemporary University of Chicago strata were reassessed, shedding new light on the Middle Bronze Age sequence.
This paper will briefly review the new Middle Bronze Age data from the Tel Aviv University Megiddo Excavations and discuss their relevance to the excavations of G. Schumacher and the University of Chicago. A four-phase developmental sequence will be described for the MB I-II (MB IIA-B) tracing the changes in social organization at the site. New and old (but unnoticed) evidence will also be brought to bear on architectural features of the Stratum XII palace as well as the long-standing and contentious question of an MB temple.
This paper will briefly review the new Middle Bronze Age data from the Tel Aviv University Megiddo Excavations and discuss their relevance to the excavations of G. Schumacher and the University of Chicago. A four-phase developmental sequence will be described for the MB I-II (MB IIA-B) tracing the changes in social organization at the site. New and old (but unnoticed) evidence will also be brought to bear on architectural features of the Stratum XII palace as well as the long-standing and contentious question of an MB temple.
The ancient town of Mendes is the largest surviving archaeological site in the Egyptian Delta. This one time capital of Egypt boasts an occupational history of some 5000 years from the beginnings of agriculture to the Middle Ages. For... more
The ancient town of Mendes is the largest surviving archaeological site in the Egyptian Delta. This one time capital of Egypt boasts an occupational history of some 5000 years from the beginnings of agriculture to the Middle Ages. For most of the history of the discipline of Egyptology, however, Mendes and other sites in the Delta have been overlooked in favor of the riches of the great cemeteries of Sakkara and Thebes in Upper Egypt. Consequently, the Delta has become an archaeological terra incognita. This has begun to change in the last 25 years and the Delta has become an exciting new frontier in Egyptian Archaeology, with the Penn State Excavations at Mendes among those leading the charge.
This presentation focuses on the discoveries relating to the first 1000 years of the Egyptian state (ca. 3000–2000 BCE). During that time, Mendes flourished as the state prospered, enjoying lavish donations from Pharaoh in the form of a monumental temple and lands to support it. As the Pyramid Age progressed, the priesthood of this temple grew wealthy and a vast cemetery grew up around the site. As the first millennium of the monarchy drew to a close, however, Pharaoh’s power waned, and Egypt descended into a period of anarchy known as the First Intermediate Period. At Mendes, poverty became rampant and food became scarce. The citizens perished at an alarming rate. Ultimately, Mendes suffered at the hands of an unknown enemy and was destroyed, its citizens murdered.
This presentation focuses on the discoveries relating to the first 1000 years of the Egyptian state (ca. 3000–2000 BCE). During that time, Mendes flourished as the state prospered, enjoying lavish donations from Pharaoh in the form of a monumental temple and lands to support it. As the Pyramid Age progressed, the priesthood of this temple grew wealthy and a vast cemetery grew up around the site. As the first millennium of the monarchy drew to a close, however, Pharaoh’s power waned, and Egypt descended into a period of anarchy known as the First Intermediate Period. At Mendes, poverty became rampant and food became scarce. The citizens perished at an alarming rate. Ultimately, Mendes suffered at the hands of an unknown enemy and was destroyed, its citizens murdered.
The 2004 and 2006 Tel Aviv University excavations of the Early Bronze at Megiddo were conducted with two specific goals in mind: to expose the plan of the EB Ib (J-4) temple and to elucidate the EB III (J-5-7) rehabitation of the area.... more
The 2004 and 2006 Tel Aviv University excavations of the Early Bronze at Megiddo were conducted with two specific goals in mind: to expose the plan of the EB Ib (J-4) temple and to elucidate the EB III (J-5-7) rehabitation of the area. The results of excavation in Area J at Megiddo were presented at last year’s ASOR meeting. This summer’s 2008 season was dedicated to completing work on the massive EB Ib temple and to excavating the remaining corner of Building 5269. Building 5269 is the western most of the three ‘megaron’-style temples excavated by the University of Chicago as Stratum XV (Tel Aviv Stratum J-7; EB III). So thoroughly had Chicago excavated these temples that renewed work within the structures was unable to answer lingering questions of the chronology of these temples. Fortunately, one corner of Building 5269 escaped Chicago’s work crews unscathed, and this season we took the opportunity to dedicate resources to working within the structure. This effort has provided a stratigraphic link between the Early Bronze Age
strata and those of the Middle and Iron Ages.
This presentation will convey the results of the 2008 season, concentrating on three topics: 1. The new stratification of the Early Bronze cultic complex and its synchronization with later strata at the site; 2. The presentation of the complete plan of the EB Ib (J-4) monumental temple and its massive broad-room sanctuary; and 3. The excavation of Building 5269 and a new ‘megara’ temple chronology.
strata and those of the Middle and Iron Ages.
This presentation will convey the results of the 2008 season, concentrating on three topics: 1. The new stratification of the Early Bronze cultic complex and its synchronization with later strata at the site; 2. The presentation of the complete plan of the EB Ib (J-4) monumental temple and its massive broad-room sanctuary; and 3. The excavation of Building 5269 and a new ‘megara’ temple chronology.
The 2004 and 2006 Tel Aviv University excavations of the Early Bronze at Megiddo were conducted with two specific goals in mind: to expose the plan of the EBIb (J-4) temple and to elucidate the EBIII (J-5-7) rehabitation of the area.... more
The 2004 and 2006 Tel Aviv University excavations of the Early Bronze at Megiddo were conducted with two specific goals in mind: to expose the plan of the EBIb (J-4) temple and to elucidate the EBIII (J-5-7) rehabitation of the area. These goals, as put forth by the directors of the expedition, are the culmination of several seasons work in Area J during which large areas of the Early Bronze cult center were exposed and the massive J-4 broad-room temple was discovered. The six new units opened in 2004 were the last from the Area J grid accessible for excavation. Therefore, they offered the last chance to expose the J-4 temple remains and to more comprehensively expose the J-5 and J-6 strata. Prior to these excavations, the plan and nature of the J-5 and J-6 levels were poorly understood as their exposures were scattered throughout the area and, in only a few places, were there adjacent in-phase units. These six units have almost tripled the contiguous exposure of J-6.
This presentation will convey the results of this work: 1. A new understanding of the EBIII level that predates the construction of the ‘Megara’ complex which shows evidence not of domestic use, but of administrative (perhaps palatial) activity; 2. The presentation of a more complete plan of the J-4 monumental temple and its massive broad-room sanctuary; and 3. A brief revival of the discussion of the stratigraphic attribution of the Egyptianized Pottery discovered in 1996.
This presentation will convey the results of this work: 1. A new understanding of the EBIII level that predates the construction of the ‘Megara’ complex which shows evidence not of domestic use, but of administrative (perhaps palatial) activity; 2. The presentation of a more complete plan of the J-4 monumental temple and its massive broad-room sanctuary; and 3. A brief revival of the discussion of the stratigraphic attribution of the Egyptianized Pottery discovered in 1996.
At previous ARCE Annual Meetings I have presented preliminary results on the ongoing excavations of the Old Kingdom – Early Dynastic strata of Tell er-Ruba, Mendes. In those reports, I discussed the stratagraphic and ceramic material... more
At previous ARCE Annual Meetings I have presented preliminary results on the ongoing excavations of the Old Kingdom – Early Dynastic strata of Tell er-Ruba, Mendes. In those reports, I discussed the stratagraphic and ceramic material associated with the six major building phases excavated in the 1999-2004 seasons and the possibility of future excavation into the Predynastic strata. This paper will present new material from the 2005 season in which we opened additional units, allowing us to verify our stratagraphic sequence and phasing. The now, greater exposure of Phases 3 and 4 (4th-3rd Dynasty) has revealed portions of two buildings separated by a trash-filled street. Excavations from this area have now yielded a continuous pottery sequence from the 6th Dynasty to the 1st Dynasty and our pottery sample is now twice the size it was two years ago, making it a crucial sequence for the understanding of early ceramics in the Delta.
In addition to the continued pottery analysis, 2005 saw focused work on the Phase 6 domestic structure, which has itself revealed three major rebuilds. In 2005, I reported a confidant mid-1st Dynasty date (based on seal impressions) for this building, and pottery and artifacts from the 2005 season supporting this assessment will be detailed. This paper will also address the preliminary ceramic analysis of this building which has allowed us to lay the groundwork for a typology of 1st Dynasty pottery at Mendes.
The ceramic evidence—fragments of Naqqada IIIb pottery—makes plain that we are on the cusp of the period of state formation. The uniqueness of this site’s low water table will allow for continued excavation into the strata of the state formation period, thus producing critical information about this important transition, and methodology for the upcoming season will be outlined.
In addition to the continued pottery analysis, 2005 saw focused work on the Phase 6 domestic structure, which has itself revealed three major rebuilds. In 2005, I reported a confidant mid-1st Dynasty date (based on seal impressions) for this building, and pottery and artifacts from the 2005 season supporting this assessment will be detailed. This paper will also address the preliminary ceramic analysis of this building which has allowed us to lay the groundwork for a typology of 1st Dynasty pottery at Mendes.
The ceramic evidence—fragments of Naqqada IIIb pottery—makes plain that we are on the cusp of the period of state formation. The uniqueness of this site’s low water table will allow for continued excavation into the strata of the state formation period, thus producing critical information about this important transition, and methodology for the upcoming season will be outlined.
Although the memory of the 23rd Dynasty as preserved in Manetho may be imperfect, that imperfectness must have been present in the king-list tradition since the 25th Dynasty and must represent the 23rd Dynasty as the 25th Dynasty intended... more
Although the memory of the 23rd Dynasty as preserved in Manetho may be imperfect, that imperfectness must have been present in the king-list tradition since the 25th Dynasty and must represent the 23rd Dynasty as the 25th Dynasty intended it to be seen. It is illogical to assume that Manetho had the king-list as a source and still made an egregious error. Having been unsuccessful at matching them up with the names of other 23rd Dynasty kings, many scholars have tried to explain the presence of Psammus and Zet as mistakes or misunderstandings on the part of Manetho, his epitomizers, or in the transmission of the epitomes. Rather than throwing out Manetho as many scholars have done, we must ask the question: How did this get into the king list tradition? For the 23rd Dynasty, D.B. Redford has argued convincingly that the 25th Dynasty caused the preservation of its predecessor in the king-list based on the fact that the 25th Dynasty had a particularly cordial relationship with the 23rd (Redford, D.B. Pharaonic King-Lists, Annals and Day-Books. Mississauga, 1986. p.310ff.). Principally, Redford is correct. By using this as a starting point, and working logically through Manetho and the historical evidence, it becomes increasingly clear that Manetho has preserved quite accurately the king-list as it must have come down to him. That king-list, at least in how it has dealt with the 23rd Dynasty, makes perfect sense if viewed as the result of the 25th Dynasty’s tampering and need to legitimize itself, not just its desire to do the 23rd Dynasty a favor. This paper will present an argument for the authenticity of the sequence of the 23rd Dynasty kings preserved in Manetho, including the entries Psammus and Zet, and offer a reconstruction of the historical reasons for why the king-list look the way it looks.
At the ARCE Annual Meeting in 2004 I presented preliminary results on the Old Kingdom – Early Dynastic strata of Tell er-Ruba, Mendes. At that time I discussed the stratagraphic and ceramic material associated with the 6 major building... more
At the ARCE Annual Meeting in 2004 I presented preliminary results on the Old Kingdom – Early Dynastic strata of Tell er-Ruba, Mendes. At that time I discussed the stratagraphic and ceramic material associated with the 6 major building phases excavated in the 1999-2003 seasons and the possibility of future excavation into the Predynastic strata because of a low water table. In 2004 we were able to expand our excavation by another 60 square meters. This allowed us to verify our stratagraphic sequence and phasing. We are now able to date Phase 2 (numbered from the top) to the 5th Dynasty based on a seal impression of Neferirkare. Additionally, we have expanded our exposure of the Phase 6 structure and clarified its walls. Seal impressions from this structure allow us to date it to the early 1st Dynasty. It is clear based on ceramic evidence that we are on the cusp of the period of state formation; a few fragments of Naqqada IIIb pottery were found in this building. This paper reports on the 2004 season and discusses the stratigraphy and finds in relation to the material that I reported on last year.
This paper reports on the excavation of several units containing stratified material from the end of the Old Kingdom into the Early Dynastic levels. This work has been conducted under the auspices of the Pennsylvania State University and... more
This paper reports on the excavation of several units containing stratified material from the end of the Old Kingdom into the Early Dynastic levels. This work has been conducted under the auspices of the Pennsylvania State University and under the direction of the project leader, Donald B. Redford. In 1999 the decision was made to begin work in unit AJ-A with the intent of excavating as deep as possible to expose a significant stratigraphic section of the tell. The location of the unit was strategically chosen by Professor Redford on the edge of the mounded succession of remains of the provincial temple dating back at least as early as the end of the Old Kingdom. Work on the temple mound had exposed a destruction of the Old Kingdom temple and indicated the opportunity to be had in excavating on the slope of the temple mound. (the details of the temple excavations will be presented by Donald B. Redford in another paper)
To date, our excavations have yielded 7 major building phases from the 6th Dynasty to the 2nd/1st Dynasty and enough pottery to begin work on an Old Kingdom/Early Dynastic typology and serration for the Mendes. We have expanded out of our original unit, AJ-A into 4 additional units and plan to open 2 more this summer season (2004). This paper will report on the stratigraphy, architecture, pottery, and small finds that have been exposed in these excavations.
To date, our excavations have yielded 7 major building phases from the 6th Dynasty to the 2nd/1st Dynasty and enough pottery to begin work on an Old Kingdom/Early Dynastic typology and serration for the Mendes. We have expanded out of our original unit, AJ-A into 4 additional units and plan to open 2 more this summer season (2004). This paper will report on the stratigraphy, architecture, pottery, and small finds that have been exposed in these excavations.
The annals of Shalmaneser III are the most extensive and carefully structured Assyrian annals of the 9th century BCE. Perhaps being the same genre as and more or less contemporary with the sources of the books of Samuel, the preservation... more
The annals of Shalmaneser III are the most extensive and carefully structured Assyrian annals of the 9th century BCE. Perhaps being the same genre as and more or less contemporary with the sources of the books of Samuel, the preservation of these annals may be of some use in considering and critiquing the campaigns of King David. In his recent book, David’s Secret Demons, Baruch Halpern reassess the books of Samuel based on a critical analysis critique he calls the “Tiglath-Pileser Principle” (TPP). The TPP argues that the composition of Assyrian royal annals (and Near Eastern, generally) is consistent in technique. If one understands this technique, and applies a “minimum interpretation” to the text, one can decipher the historical reality behind the rhetoric of Assyrian royal inscriptions. The recognition that 1 and 2 Samuel use Israelite versions of annals (particularly 2 Sam. 8), allows Halpern to apply the TPP in reconstructing the history from the biblical narrative. The TPP, then becomes a very powerful tool for the interpretation of certain biblical material. However, some questions remain about the methodology of the principle. How can the principle accommodate different versions of annals? How would variances between them affect the range of our interpretation of campaigns, particularly if on one version is preserved? This paper looks closely at the different versions of the Shalmaneser’s annals in order to assess the validity of the “Tiglath-Pileser Principle” and determine the repercussions of its application to the books Samuel.
Archaeologists record volumes of data at excavation sites throughout the world, and these data usually reside in a unique format declared by the individual lead excavator. This paper-and-pencil, non-uniform data, however, does not prove... more
Archaeologists record volumes of data at excavation sites throughout the world, and these data usually reside in a unique format declared by the individual lead excavator. This paper-and-pencil, non-uniform data, however, does not prove conducive to being centrally stored and allowing for comparisons across different years and digs. There has been a shift in recent years from recording data (per the excavations set methodology) by hand into notebooks to recording also directly into a Relational Database Management System (RDBMS). Many excavations around the world have made this change because storage in an RDBMS permits excavators to record data on a day-by-day basis in a digital format that allows for querying at any time and efficient archiving. It has also opened the possibility for the archaeologist to include regional geographic data such as digital maps, satellite imagery, and survey data into their analyses.
This is a step in the right direction, but it falls half a step behind the real potential of an RDBMS and the immediate needs of the field. If one thinks about the percentage of excavation data that survives into the final report, what would one guess? 5%? 2%? Those are probably very high estimates for most cases. The material read in an archaeological site report is dependant solely on what the excavator chooses to include. We are, of course, restricted in many ways, how can we possibly include every scrap of data? We certainly recognize the theory that leaving anything out is scientifically and professionally unacceptable, but our hands are tied by practical matters such as time and money. And so, what do we really have in existing reports? Shallow publications and a severely restricted ability to compare data across sites.
Imagine a database of all archaeological localities in Egypt, in which is stored all excavation material ever and which is kept up to date from season to season. An interested researcher could perform an unlimited number of queries. For example: “display all Medum bowls from Lower Egyptian sites.” The computers response would be hundreds of pottery drawings and attribute information for all Medum bowls found to date in the Delta.
This paper addresses the need for excavation databases that can interact with one another. It discusses how we have begun to build such a database, and displays some of the its features including GIS/temporal underpinnings within the database, archaeological statistics, pottery handling, user roles, data from digs in previous seasons and missions, cost, and future possibilities. It will also address issues of data sharing and excavator privilege to data.
This is a step in the right direction, but it falls half a step behind the real potential of an RDBMS and the immediate needs of the field. If one thinks about the percentage of excavation data that survives into the final report, what would one guess? 5%? 2%? Those are probably very high estimates for most cases. The material read in an archaeological site report is dependant solely on what the excavator chooses to include. We are, of course, restricted in many ways, how can we possibly include every scrap of data? We certainly recognize the theory that leaving anything out is scientifically and professionally unacceptable, but our hands are tied by practical matters such as time and money. And so, what do we really have in existing reports? Shallow publications and a severely restricted ability to compare data across sites.
Imagine a database of all archaeological localities in Egypt, in which is stored all excavation material ever and which is kept up to date from season to season. An interested researcher could perform an unlimited number of queries. For example: “display all Medum bowls from Lower Egyptian sites.” The computers response would be hundreds of pottery drawings and attribute information for all Medum bowls found to date in the Delta.
This paper addresses the need for excavation databases that can interact with one another. It discusses how we have begun to build such a database, and displays some of the its features including GIS/temporal underpinnings within the database, archaeological statistics, pottery handling, user roles, data from digs in previous seasons and missions, cost, and future possibilities. It will also address issues of data sharing and excavator privilege to data.
This report supplements the previous report on the excavations a Field AJ North at Mendes, adding updated stratigraphic data from the 2007 and 2009 seasons and modifying interpretations as appropriate. While excavation from these seasons... more
This report supplements the previous report on the excavations a Field AJ North at Mendes, adding updated stratigraphic data from the 2007 and 2009 seasons and modifying interpretations as appropriate. While excavation from these seasons added new data for all strata presented previously, this report focuses primarily on those preceding and contemporary with the Old Kingdom temple podium and the cemetery of Phase I, with only brief notes on other strata.
This is a draft of the paper which will appear in D.B. Redford (ed.), Delta Reports 2.
This is a draft of the paper which will appear in D.B. Redford (ed.), Delta Reports 2.
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Legio is the base of the Roman II Triana and the VI Ferrata Legion, occupied from the early 2nd century to the early 4th century CE. It is the first of its kind to be excavated in the Eastern Roman Empire. Today the site sprawls beneath... more
Legio is the base of the Roman II Triana and the VI Ferrata Legion, occupied from the early 2nd century to the early 4th century CE. It is the first of its kind to be excavated in the Eastern Roman Empire. Today the site sprawls beneath 30 hectares of pasture with slopes up to 15 degrees. Rapid, dense ground penetrating radar (GPR) survey with an antenna array would be ideal, but so far logistically impractical. The survey has proceeded since 2013 with a single 400 MHz antenna using parallel transects 0.5m apart for 5.85 ha to date. Like most Roman bases, Legio includes an extensive network of buildings and streets enclosed by rectangular fortifications. Unlike most Roman bases, however, it was constructed on a hillside with architectural components built by a combination of bedrock incision and above-ground construction. In addition, much of the site’s stonework has been robbed. These aspects demand topographic correction and interpretation using reflection profiles, depth slices, and 3D models. This paper presents data processing and results for the principia (central headquarters). Previous investigations were conducted at Legio and surrounding area by Tel Aviv University from 1998 to 2010. GPR and excavations since 2013 have been conducted as part of the Jezreel Valley Regional Project (JVRP)in association with the W.F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research.
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This paper reports on a study conducted on archaeological sediments from two sites in the Jezreel Valley, Israel: the Roman military camp of Legio, dating to the 2nd-3rd centuries CE, and the Bronze Age village of Tel Megiddo East, dating... more
This paper reports on a study conducted on archaeological sediments from two sites in the Jezreel Valley, Israel: the Roman military camp of Legio, dating to the 2nd-3rd centuries CE, and the Bronze Age village of Tel Megiddo East, dating to Early Bronze I. The primary purpose of the study was to test the assumption that chronologically-specific metallurgical production and consumption would be evident through trace elements within archaeological sediments. Sediment samples were analyzed using a portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) device, as well as conventional wet chemistry techniques in order to compare the results between bulk element analysis and readily leachable cations, and to assess the feasibility of field-based pXRF for such study. Samples taken from various contexts at each site were analyzed specifically for concentrations of lead, copper, and zinc, which should hypothetically differ between a Roman Period site utilizing lead and brass (a copper/zinc alloy), versus an Ea...
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Abstract Four small ceramic juglets that had been used as containers for offerings in an elite Middle Bronze Age III (ca. 1650–1550 BCE) masonry tomb uncovered at Tel Megiddo in the Jezreel Valley, Israel were tested using organic residue... more
Abstract Four small ceramic juglets that had been used as containers for offerings in an elite Middle Bronze Age III (ca. 1650–1550 BCE) masonry tomb uncovered at Tel Megiddo in the Jezreel Valley, Israel were tested using organic residue analysis. Notably, residues of vanillin, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, and acetonvanillone were identified in three of the four juglets examined. These are the major fragrance and flavour components of natural vanilla extract. To date, it has been commonly accepted that vanilla was domesticated in the New World and subsequently spread to other parts of the globe. Our research first ruled out all possibility of sample contamination and then conducted a post-organic residue analysis investigation of various species within the plant kingdom from which these principle compounds could have been exploited. The results shed new light on the first known exploitation of vanilla in an Old World context, including local uses, the significance and employment in mortuary practices, and possible implications for understanding trade networks in the ancient Near East during the second millennium BCE.
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de la institución. La Biblioteca posee la autorización del autor para su divulgación en línea. Cómo citar el documento: Adams, Mathew J. “Manetho's Twenty-third Dynasty and the legitimization of kushite rule over Egypt ” [en línea],
The fragment of an Egyptian statue of Djehutihotep found at Megiddo by the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago (OI) has been long known. It was found with three uninscribed Egyptian statue fragments reused in the foundations... more
The fragment of an Egyptian statue of Djehutihotep found at Megiddo by the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago (OI) has been long known. It was found with three uninscribed Egyptian statue fragments reused in the foundations of Temple 2048, attributed to Stratum VII, which was dated by them to the Late Bronze Age IIB, 13th–12th century BCE. A recent reevaluation of the stratigraphy of the cultic area of Megiddo (OI: Area BB; TAU: Area J) based on new excavations, however, demonstrates that the foundation of Temple 2048 should be assigned to Stratum XII dated to the early Middle Bronze Age II. The new dating of the findspot of the Djehutihotep statue fragment narrows the window of time for the arrival of the statue at Megiddo to the lifetime of Djehutihotep, supports a high chronology for the Middle Bronze Age, and demonstrates direct contact between Egypt and Megiddo in the Middle Bronze Age I. This paper reviews the new data on the archaeological context and reevaluates...
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The birth of the West stems from the rejection of tradition. All our evidence for this influence comes from the Axial period, 800-400 ВСЕ. Baruch Halpern explores the impact of changing cosmologies and social relations on cultural change... more
The birth of the West stems from the rejection of tradition. All our evidence for this influence comes from the Axial period, 800-400 ВСЕ. Baruch Halpern explores the impact of changing cosmologies and social relations on cultural change in that era, especially from Mesopotamia to Israel ...
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Research Interests:
Conventional theory described two settlement waves in the Negev Highlands in the third millennium BCE—in the EB II and the Intermediate Bronze Age— and a period with no evidence for stone architecture between them in the EB III. Arad in... more
Conventional theory described two settlement waves in the Negev Highlands in the third millennium BCE—in the EB II and the Intermediate Bronze Age— and a period with no evidence for stone architecture between them in the EB III. Arad in the Beer-sheba Valley was presented as an EB I–II site, which lay deserted in the EB III. Old and new radiocarbon dates and other lines of evidence from the copper mining districts in the Arabah, Arad and the Negev Highlands make this scenario obsolete. The new data indicate a long period of activity in the south—throughout the Early Bronze and the first half of the Intermediate Bronze Age. Certain changes in the settlement patterns took place in the transition from the EB III to the Intermediate Bronze Age— abandonment of Arad and the rise of central trading sites within the Negev Highlands. Activity in the Negev Highlands was related to the copper industry in the Arabah and transportation of copper to the north and west. Demand for copper in Egypt played an important role in the settlement history of the arid regions: the peak prosperity in the EB III and first half of the Intermediate Bronze Age corresponds to the time of the Old Kingdom in Egypt and deterioration of the Negev system tallies with the collapse of the Old Kingdom ca. 2200 BCE. The data for the third millennium BCE enables the structuring and presentation of a broader model of human activity in the Negev Highlands and neighbouring regions in the Bronze and Iron Ages.
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In 1996, a cache of 16 Egyptianized ceramic vessels was excavated at Megiddo by the Tel Aviv University Megiddo Expedition. Its stratigraphy was difficult to ascertain as the discovery was made early on in the renewed excavations, and the... more
In 1996, a cache of 16 Egyptianized ceramic vessels was excavated at Megiddo by the Tel Aviv University Megiddo Expedition. Its stratigraphy was difficult to ascertain as the discovery was made early on in the renewed excavations, and the ceramic typology was difficult to assess due to the apparent specialized function of the vessels. This paper reconsiders the cache in light of the finalized stratigraphic understanding of Area J, reexamining the unpublished excavation records from the square in which it was found. The study concludes that the cache is a foundation deposit related to Temple 4040 and both are redated to the Intermediate Bronze Age on the basis of Egyptian ceramic parallels and the new High Chronology for the Early Bronze Age.
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We report results of palynological investigation of a core of sediments extracted from the bottom of the Sea of Galilee. The core was sampled at high resolution for both palynological analysis (a sample was taken c. every 40 years) and... more
We report results of palynological investigation of a core of sediments extracted from the bottom of the Sea of Galilee. The core was sampled at high resolution for both palynological analysis (a sample was taken c. every 40 years) and radiocarbon dating. The article focuses on the Early Bronze and Intermediate Bronze Ages, c. 3600–1950 BC. The results enable reconstruction of the vegetation and thus climate in the lake's fluvial and alluvial catchment, which includes large parts of northern Israel and Lebanon and south-western Syria. The study sheds light on topics such as changes in olive cultivation through time and regions, processes of urbanization and collapse and settlement expansion and retraction in the arid zones.
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We report results of palynological investigation of a core of sediments extracted from the bottom of the Sea of Galilee. The core was sampled at high resolution for both palynological analysis (a sample was taken c. every 40 years) and... more
We report results of palynological investigation of a core of sediments extracted from the bottom of the Sea of Galilee. The core was sampled at high resolution for both palynological analysis (a sample was taken c. every 40 years) and radiocarbon dating. The article focuses on the Early Bronze and Intermediate Bronze Ages, c. 3600–1950 BC. The results enable reconstruction of the vegetation and thus climate in the lake's fluvial and alluvial catchment, which includes large parts of northern Israel and Lebanon and southwestern Syria. The study sheds light on topics such as changes in olive cultivation through time and regions, processes of urbanization and collapse and settlement expansion and retraction in the arid zones.
Research Interests: Geography, Archaeology, Historical Archaeology, Horticulture, Climate Change, and 15 moreArchaeobotany, Adaptation to Climate Change, Egyptian Archaeology, Bronze Age Archaeology, Amphorae, Early Bronze Age Archaeology, Archaeobotanical analysis, Early Bronze Age in the Southern Levant, Archaeology of the Southern Levant, Horticultural Sciences, Archaeology of the Levant, Archaeobotanical Remains, Biblical and Levantine History and Archaeology, Archaeology and Archaeobotany, and Antic Technology
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From 1992 to 2010, the Tel Aviv University Megiddo Expedition excavated an unprecedented monumental temple complex dating to the Early Bronze Age I, ca. 3000 B.C.E. This Great Temple has proved not only to be among the largest... more
From 1992 to 2010, the Tel Aviv University Megiddo Expedition excavated an unprecedented monumental temple complex dating to the Early Bronze Age I, ca. 3000 B.C.E. This Great Temple has proved not only to be among the largest construction projects in the Levant in its day, but has revealed surprising new evidence for a society capable of monumental architecture, central planning, and significant control of resources in the Jezreel Valley, Israel, not hitherto expected for the place and time. Since 2010, the Jezreel Valley Regional Project (JVRP) has been conducting archaeological research at the site of Tel Megiddo East, the nearby settlement responsible for the construction of the temple, and studying the broader landscape in order to elucidate how and why Megiddo and the Jezreel Valley witnessed an incredible leap forward in social, political, and architectural capabilities at the end of the fourth millennium B.C.E. This essay elaborates on both the Great Temple and the recent discoveries and ongoing work by the JVRP at Tel Megiddo East that put the temple in context.
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From 1992 to 2010, the Tel Aviv University Megiddo Expedition excavated an unprecedented monumental temple complex dating to the Early Bronze Age I, ca. 3000 B.C.E. This Great Temple has proved not only to be among the largest... more
From 1992 to 2010, the Tel Aviv University Megiddo Expedition excavated an unprecedented monumental temple complex dating to the Early Bronze Age I, ca. 3000 B.C.E. This Great Temple has proved not only to be among the largest construction projects in the Levant in its day, but has revealed surprising new evidence for a society capable of monumental architecture, central planning, and significant control of resources in the Jezreel Valley, Israel, not hitherto expected for the place and time. Since 2010, the Jezreel Valley Regional Project (JVRP) has been conducting archaeological research at the site of Tel Megiddo East, the nearby settlement responsible for the construction of the temple, and studying the broader landscape in order to elucidate how and why Megiddo and the Jezreel Valley witnessed an incredible leap forward in social, political, and architectural capabilities at the end of the fourth millennium B.C.E. This essay elaborates on both the Great Temple and the recent di...
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Page 1. The Books of Kings Page 2. Supplements to Vetus Testamentum Edited by the Board of the Quarterly hm barstad rp gordon a. hurvitz gn knoppers a. van der kooij a. lemaire ca newsom h. spieckermann j. trebolle ...