ABSTRACT Tell el-Hesi is a large and important Early Bronze Age site located about 25 km east of Gaza. Much of this twenty-five-acre site was a single-period late EBIIIA fortified city. This makes the site unique in its region. These remains were one focus of excavation by the Joint Archaeological Expedition to Tell el-Hesi during its 1977, 1979, 1981, and 1983 seasons. Almost forty years of post-excavation analysis have yet to yield a final report, and now all original leaders in this research are either inactive or have died. The final effort of these researchers was to prepare this brief manuscript that provides their stratigraphic overview of the changing economic base that supported the EB city. This article represents the final thoughts of those who excavated the materials, and it will serve as the interpretive model to be tested as a new generation of scholars moves to publish the final report. Ultimately, they concluded that Hesi was constructed de novo along Wadi el-Hesi, which at that time was a flowing stream, the populace being supported by mixed herding and grain agriculture in which cattle played a key role. After some years, however, the stream’s flow declined, and cattle ceased to be a key element in the herds. They assumed that as herding declined grain production became increasingly important in supporting the economic well-being of the city.

中文翻译：

---

青铜时代早期河西的经济基础

摘要 Tell el-Hesi 是一个大型重要的青铜时代早期遗址，位于加沙以东约 25 公里处。这个 25 英亩的场地大部分是一个单一时期的晚期 EBIIIA 设防城市。这使得该站点在其区域中独一无二。这些遗迹是 Tell el-Hesi 联合考古探险队在 1977、1979、1981 和 1983 年发掘的重点之一。近四十年的挖掘后分析尚未得出最终报告，现在这项研究的所有原始领导者要么不活跃，要么已经去世。这些研究人员的最后努力是准备这份简短的手稿，提供他们对支持 EB 城市不断变化的经济基础的地层概述。这篇文章代表了那些挖掘材料的人的最终想法，它将作为新一代学者发表最终报告的解释模型进行检验。最终，他们得出结论，河西是在河西河（Wadi el-Hesi）沿线从头建造的，当时这条河是一条流动的溪流，当地居民依靠畜牧业和粮食农业的混合发展，牛在其中发挥了关键作用。然而，几年后，河流的流量下降了，牛不再是牛群中的关键元素。他们认为，随着放牧减少，粮食产量在支持城市经济福祉方面变得越来越重要。畜牧业和粮食农业在其中发挥了关键作用，养活了民众。然而，几年后，河流的流量下降了，牛不再是牛群中的关键元素。他们认为，随着放牧减少，粮食产量在支持城市经济福祉方面变得越来越重要。畜牧业和粮食农业在其中发挥了关键作用，养活了民众。然而，几年后，河流的流量下降了，牛不再是牛群中的关键元素。他们认为，随着放牧减少，粮食产量在支持城市经济福祉方面变得越来越重要。