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‘Atiqot 59 (2008)
ISBN 2948-040X
Khirbat el-Hawarit: A Ceramic Workshop on the Mount Hermon Slopes
(pp. 131–155)
Moshe Hartal, Nicholas Hudson and Andrea M. Berlin
Keywords: Gaulanitis, Galilee, economy, pottery colonies
A large mound of pottery sherds was exposed on the northern slope of the hill on which Khirbat el-Hawarit is located. Excavation of the mound revealed that it contained the debris of a workshop: vessels broken during the firing process, kiln ash and bricks. Although only fragmentary walls were unearthed, precluding the reconstruction of any building, the dump in itself is sufficient to identify the site as the main pottery production center of Mount Hermon, Banias and the northern Golan region during the Late Roman–Byzantine periods. Two distinct wares were found: Golan ware (late Hellenistic–late Byzantine periods) and Khirbat el-Hawarit cooking ware (early third–mid-fifth centuries CE). A third ware, termed Banias ware, was also found. The operation of these production centers and their cessation strongly reflect the political shifting in the area.