El-Ahwat [electronic resource] : a fortified site from the early Iron age near Nahal 'Iron, Israel : excavations 1993-2000, final report / Adam Zertal ; with contributions by Shay Bar ... [et al.].

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Zertal, Adam.

Contributor:

Zertal, Adam.

Series:

Culture and history of the ancient Near East ; v. 24.

Culture and history of the ancient Near East ; 24

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Excavations (Archaeology)--Israel.

Excavations (Archaeology).

Iron age--Israel--Antiquities.

Iron age.

Sea Peoples--Israel.

Sea Peoples.

Nuraghi culture--Israel.

Nuraghi culture.

Ahwat Site (Israel).

Israel--Antiquities.

Israel.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (508 p.)

Place of Publication:

Leiden ; Boston : Brill, 2011.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The excavations at el-Ahwat constitute a unique and fascinating archaeological undertaking. The site is the location of a fortified city dated to the early Iron Age (ca. 1220–1150 BCE), hidden in a dense Mediterranean forest in central Israel, near the historic ’Arunah pass. Discovered in 1992 and excavated between 1993 and 2000, the digs revealed an urban “time capsule” erected and inhabited during a short period of time (60–70 years), with no earlier site below or subsequent one above it. This report provides a vivid picture of the site, its buildings, and environmental economy as evinced by the stone artifacts, animal bones, agricultural installations, and iron forge that were uncovered here. The excavators of this site suggest in this work that the settlement was inhabited by the Shardana Sea-Peoples, who arrived in the ancient Near East at the end of the 13th century BCE and settled in northern Canaan. In weighing the physical evidence and the logic of the interpretation presented herein, the reader will be treated to a new and compelling archaeological and historical challenge. “…this final publication of el–Ahwat will hold great value for those studying settlement, architecture, and change in the hill country culture of Iron Age Canaan.” Jeff Emanuel

Contents:

Preliminary Material / Adam Zertal

Preface / Michael Heltzer

Introduction / Adam Zertal

History of the Excavations, the Staff, and the Methodology / Adam Zertal

Stratigraphy, Architecture, and Chronology the Site – General Data / Adam Zertal

Plan and Fortifications / Adam Zertal

Stratigraphy and Chronology / Adam Zertal

Area A — The City Gate (A1), The “Approach” (A2), and the Upper Terrace (A3) / Adam Zertal and Ron Be’eri

Area B — A Sounding in the Western City Wall / Nirit Lavie-Alon

Area C1 — The Residential Quarter / Nirit Lavie-Alon

Area C2 / Dror Ben-Yosef

Area D — The Central Quarter / Amit Romano

Area E1 — A Sounding in the Southern Quarter / Nirit Lavie-Alon

Area F — Soundings in the Fortifications / Dror Ben-Yosef

Area T — The Outside Tower / Adam Zertal

The Finds The Iron Age Pottery / Ron Be’eri and Oren Cohen

The Late Pottery / Michal Oren-Paskal

Nine Scarabs, A Scaraboid, A Cylinder Seal, and A Bifacial Rectangular Plaque from El-Ahwat / Baruch Brandl

The Beads and Pendants / Jack Green

An Ivory Caprid-Head from Area A3 / Adam Zertal

A Bronze Head from Area A3 / Oren Cohen

The Coins / Haim Winter

Economy and Environment The Stone Objects / Dror Ben-Yosef and Shay Bar

The Flint Assemblage / Haim Winter

The Faunal Remains / Adam Zertal

A Furnace for The Processing of Iron / Yuval Winter

Oil-Producing Installations / David Eitam

Oil-Press L4348 and Its Implications / Ron Be’eri

The Ottoman Pipes / Shay Bar

Conclusions Architectural and Archaeological Parallels between El-Ahwat and the Western Mediterranean / Adam Zertal

Archaeological and Historical Conclusions / Adam Zertal

Bibliography / Adam Zertal

List of Loci / Adam Zertal.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

1-283-32701-5

9786613327017

90-474-2989-3

OCLC:

762096494

Publisher Number:

10.1163/ej.9789004176454.i-488 DOI