Front Matter

The excavation in Area N exposed two occupation strata (Strata III and II) dating from Early EB I, which were heavily damaged by later Byzantine-period and modern intrusions (Stratum I). The pottery assemblage comprises three main types: bowls, holemouth jars and storage jars. The vessels are handmade, probably locally produced. Also found were a small assemblage of groundstone artifacts, one small copper-alloy awl, flint artifacts, fauna remains and molluscs. These findings are an important contribution to our understanding of the early stages of the EB I occupation at Ashqelon Afridar, also termed the ‘lost horizon’ or ‘missing link,’ in southern Canaan.

A salvage excavation in Nein revealed architectural remains of four strata: a late Hellenistic-period (first century BCE) building; a luxurious Early Roman-period residence (late first century BCE to second half of the first century CE); two Mamluk-period ṭabuns; and a late Ottoman-period cesspit and house foundations. The Early Roman-period residence yielded many finds: a rich pottery assemblage, including imported ESA bowls, glass vessels, gold earrings, a bronze bracelet, an iron housekey, a bronze pendant, gems, aucissa fibulae and faience beads. A skeleton of a woman was exposed under a layer of ash and collapsed building stones, accompanied by two gold rings, a pair of gold earrings and a bronze key. The ethnic identity of the house owners could not be clearly determined as similar items have been found elsewhere in both Jewish and pagan contexts.

Remains of a Roman-period mausoleum were exposed, comprising a central room flanked by three loculi on each side. A clay coffin was found in one loculus, containing a single burial of a 15–25-year-old individual accompanied by an unusual combination of burial goods—oil lamps and glass vessels—that do not align clearly with either Jewish or pagan burial practices.

A salvage excavation conducted east of the hot water pools of ‘Ein el-Jarab, Ḥammat Gader, revealed building remains, comprising mosaic floors and flagstone-paved plazas, dating from the end of the Late Roman (Stratum 4), Byzantine (Stratum 3) and Umayyad (Stratum 2) periods. The buildings were apparently destroyed in the earthquake of 749 CE. The site was reoccupied in the ninth century CE, during the Abbasid period (Stratum 1). It seems that the structures and the plaza served the patrons of the hot springs, possibly as dressing rooms and as therapy spaces.

Three excavation areas were opened in ‘Avedat National Park, revealing important evidence regarding the effects of earthquakes on the Byzantine-period occupation at the site. In Area B, near the South Church, rooms were added on the exterior of an earlier building in the early fifth century CE, next to a heavy revetment wall. The exterior of a wall covered with red-painted (dipiniti) Christian motifs was uncovered in front of a cave, pointing to its use as a stable by a monastic community. It seems that this wall underwent structural damage, probably due to the early fifth-century CE earthquake. The site was destroyed by an earthquake at the end of the late Byzantine period, presumably in the first half of the seventh century CE.

The excavations on the banks of Nahׅal ‘Anava, Modi‘in, unearthed the remains of a Byzantine (sixth century CE) rural agricultural estate, comprising an olive press installed in a natural cave and an ashlar building, and a later Umayyad-period farmhouse (seventh to mid-eighth centuries CE). The pottery finds reflect three architectural phases: the Byzantine-period construction phase; the collapse of the cave’s ceiling and destruction of the installations; and the Umayyad-period farmhouse.

A salvage excavation conducted at the southeastern foot of the citadel west of Khan et-Tujjar exposed the remnants of a marketplace known from historical sources and travelers’ and explorers’ diaries, who traveled throughout Syria and Israel during the Mamluk and Ottoman periods. The lively and bustling marketplace operated weekly for centuries. The rich finds—including imported vessels from Syria, Turkey, Italy, Spain and even China—attest to an international commercial activity resembling a European fair.