(2021). Machaerus I: History, Archaeology and Architecture of the Fortified Herodian Royal Palace and City Overlooking the Dead Sea in Transjordan. Final Report of the Excavations and Surveys 1807–2012. Palestine Exploration Quarterly. Ahead of Print.

(2021). ‘The loss of a minute is just so much loss of life’: Edward Robinson and Eli Smith in the Holy Land. Palestine Exploration Quarterly. Ahead of Print.

(2021). A response to ‘On delays in the publication of excavation reports’ by P.J. Parr (PEQ 152.3, 181–83) Palestine Exploration Quarterly: Vol. 153, No. 1, pp. 1-4.

(2021). Rameses III King of Egypt: His Life and Afterlife; Afterglow of Empire: Egypt from the Fall of the New Kingdom to the Saite Renaissance. Palestine Exploration Quarterly: Vol. 153, No. 1, pp. 70-74.

(2021). Al-Fahum and the al-Fahum Registry: A study of Nazareth. Palestine Exploration Quarterly: Vol. 153, No. 1, pp. 75-76.

ABSTRACT Emperor Hadrian is known for his passion for travels. However, his action was driven by specific political goals. These goals were related to the need to unify the Roman empire. The emperor was aware that relations between the ancient cities and the colonies founded by his predecessors had to be rebalanced. Between 134 and 138, the emperor Hadrian and the Senate minted an enormous variety

ABSTRACT This article considers Semitic loanwords and transcriptions in the Greek epigraphy of the southern Levant, roughly corresponding to the Roman provinces of Judaea–Palaestina and Arabia, through three case studies entailing Hebrew, Aramaic, and Arabic as source languages. The texts are a bilingual Hebrew–Greek ossuary inscription from a burial cave in Jerusalem; a Greek mosaic inscription from

ABSTRACT The State has long been the dominant socio-political concept in the scholarly debate over the biblical early monarchy in Israel and the archaeology of the 10th century bce. It has been assumed that if Israel had indeed become a kingdom already at this time that it would have adhered to the form of a State as conceived in modern scholarship, and that the material correlates of the State would

ABSTRACT The chronology of Khirbet en-Nahas, a large Iron Age archaeological site located in the copper mining region of Faynan, southern Jordan, has been under fierce debate for the last 15 years. Since the site was excavated in 2002–2009, several analyses challenged the excavators’ interpretation of the stratigraphy, the results of the radiocarbon data and its dating. However, so far none of these

(2021). Correction. Palestine Exploration Quarterly. Ahead of Print.

ABSTRACT This article reviews a set of radiocarbon dates for the Middle Bronze strata at Tel Nami, Israel. Employing a Bayesian analysis based on the stratigraphy of the site, I conclude that the results generally coincide with the high radiocarbon chronology for the Middle Bronze Age southern Levant. This result is supported by radiocarbon sequences from Tell el-Dabʿa (Egypt) and Tel Ifshar (Israel)

ABSTRACT Photographs of a group of pilaster capitals of a unique design have been identified in the archive (ATQ 64/6: Shivta) of Harris D. Colt (1901–1973), the first excavator of Shivta. The marble capitals, which are presented and discussed here for the first time, were found during excavations at the North Church at Shivta (1933–1935) and can be dated to the second half of the 5th and mid-6th century

(2020). Tell el-Hesi: The Joint Expedition. Palestine Exploration Quarterly: Vol. 152, No. 4, pp. 281-282.

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

ABSTRACT The Joint Archaeological Expedition to Tell el-Hesi (1970–1983) identified an unusually large number of incised bone tubes from Early Bronze Age IIIA contexts in Field VI. Excavations recovered a total of 15 fragments of the distinctive EB III incised artefacts, two incised bone beads, worked bone debris, and installations for heating concentrated in a sector immediately adjacent to the city

ABSTRACT Archaeological excavations at Tell el-Hesi have revealed an extensive Early Bronze Age IIIA city supported by grain-production and possibly trade. Early Bronze III materials are evident from multiple phases of settlement remains and a fortification wall visible in several excavated fields. From these, it appears that animal husbandry, along with grain production, were the main staples for

ABSTRACT In this paper we discuss two aspects of olive production in Philistia and the Shephelah during the Iron Age. Previous studies suggested that olive oil production became important in this region only in the 8th century bce centred at Tel Miqne-Ekron, and that the Kingdom of Judah was not involved in the production of olive oil in this region. Recent finds, at Tel Beth Shemesh and at Tell es-Safi/Gath

ABSTRACT The existence of an ancient road linking Edom and Judea, the Edom Road (Derech Edom), is documented in the biblical text. To date the most comprehensive research on the Edom Road was carried out by B. Rothenberg and Y. Aharoni, who suggested its likely route based on archaeological sites dating to Iron Age II in the Southern Judean Desert, along the northern bank of Nahal Heimar. In this article

ABSTRACT This article investigates the applicability of the concept of liminality to the archaeological analysis of temple thresholds, with a primary focus on the Bronze Age southern Levant. Previously, studies on cultic spaces have emphasized temple cellae as the central focal point of ritual. In contrast, ritual performed at temple thresholds has largely been an ignored phenomenon. This study presents

ABSTRACT The article presents the results of excavations and study of one of the mausolea at Antiochia Hippos, one of the cities of the Decapolis. The Lion's Mausoleum stands within the necropolis on the side of the main road leading to Hippos, just a couple of hundred metres from the main city gate. This Roman period mausoleum is the only tomb at Hippos to be thoroughly excavated and studied, and

ABSTRACT This paper presents the archaeological evidence regarding the path of the Via Nova Traiana between Petra and al-Khirbet al-Samra from a fieldwork project in 2011 and 2014. It discusses the traceable parts of the Roman road in terms of locations, layout and construction features, and the ancient sites associated with its route. The paper also presents evidence concerning the other ancient roads

ABSTRACT While excavating at Tell el-Hesi in the spring of 1890, W. M. F. Petrie discovered the Early Bronze Age, which was further explored by F. J. Bliss over the next two years. Soon other large and important sites in Palestine were excavated and they came to define the Early Bronze Age while Hesi was almost forgotten. Starting in 1970, the Joint Archaeological Expedition to Tell el-Hesi returned

(2020). 700 Skarabäen und Verwandtes aus Palästina/Israel. Palestine Exploration Quarterly: Vol. 152, No. 4, pp. 389-391.

(2021). Journeys erased by time: the rediscovered footprints of travellers in Egypt and the Near East. Palestine Exploration Quarterly: Vol. 153, No. 1, pp. 76-79.

ABSTRACT The archive of the Palestine Exploration Fund is a rich depository of material of historical value, comprising photographs, hand-written letters, maps and drawings, and serving scholars across the world. It includes primary documentation relating to the sacred enclosure of the Haram al-Sharif in Jerusalem, which was the focus of research made by Ermete Pierotti, Charles W. Wilson, Charles

ABSTRACT As the Christian population increased in the Frankish Kingdom following 1100, there was also a much-increased demand for wine. This led to a revolution in agriculture and industry related to wine production. The high number of texts mentioning vineyards is indicative of these activities. To date only 26 wine-presses identified as belonging to the Frankish period have been discovered, but they

ABSTRACT A series of large Persian Period buildings dots the Judean Mountains; they are usually located alone in prominent places without nearby villages or other remains. Their presence stresses the scarcity of towns and villages in Yehud. In a recent article in this journal, Faust, A. (2018. ‘Forts or agricultural estates? Persian period settlement in the territories of the former Kingdom of Judah’

ABSTRACT Tel Rosh (Khirbet Tell ‘er-Ruwēsah) is located in the western part of the Upper Galilee, some 27 km northeast of Acre. Surveys conducted over the years and recent excavations have shown that it was settled almost continuously from the Early Bronze Age to the Ottoman Period, and that it was a regional centre during Iron Age II. In the past, it was identified with Beth-Shemesh of Naphtali (Josh

ABSTRACT During excavations of Tal Fortress, on the fringes of Hippos’ Southern Necropolis, a tombstone was found in secondary use. This Roman-period funerary stela depicts the bust of the deceased Eusebios engraved in an aedicula, with the name and short formula inscribed on the aedicula’s side. This tombstone is the first inscribed funerary portraiture to be unearthed in Hippos of the Decapolis,

ABSTRACT Recent archaeological investigation at Khirbat al-Mukhayyat and nearby Rujm al-Mukhayyat in west-central Jordan have sought to determine the nature and date of Iron Age activity at these sites. Identified as the Nebo of biblical tradition and the Mesha Inscription, Khirbat al-Mukhayyat fulfilled a strategic role within the region. Positioned at the western edge of the Transjordanian plateau

ABSTRACT Mudayna as-Saliya is a fortress site at the summit of an isolated promontory near the eastern end of Wadi Mujib, central Jordan. Archaeological surveys of the site have exposed potential evidence of Iron Age and classical period use with its occupational zenith in the late Hellenistic-early Roman period. The ruin on the surface is remarkably similar in architectural and hydrological design

ABSTRACT Two distinct archaeological phenomena appeared between the middle of the second century BCE and the middle of the first century: the Hasmonean folded wheel-made lamp and the standing pit burial cave. Following an examination of their dating, distribution, and social significance we suggest that this material culture was characteristic of the Jews in Judaea during this time and that it reflects

ABSTRACT 1 Kings 9:11–14 relates Solomon’s sale of the land of Cabul to Hiram, king of Tyre. Commentaries and studies on this pericope have dealt with its linguistic and historical aspects without reaching consensus on where this land was, what the term ‘Cabul’ actually means, or even whether these verses preserve an actual historic event from the 10th century BCE. This article addresses these issues

ABSTRACT From 1965 to 1966 a pioneering survey was carried out by Zeev Meshel and Yoram Tsafrir along the incense route between Oboda (Avdat) and the Nabataean caravansary at Sha’ar Ramon. They noted two segments of a wide, built road, along which were 11 milestone stations: 5 on the Nafha Plateau (south of Oboda) and 6 in Makhtesh Ramon. Meshel and Tsafrir dated the road and the milestones to the

There are times when certain phrases become over-used or turn into clichés. It appears to me that we are now in such a time, and some phrases that are fast becoming clichés may be ones like, ‘These are unprecedented times’, or ‘This is the greatest challenge we have faced in the last century’, and thinking ahead, ‘When things return to normal I shall... ’. It is of course the COVID-19 pandemic that

relatively few. The provided concordance between Bartlett’s section numbers and the chapter and paragraph numbers of Laurent’s edition of the longer Descriptio will prove useful for those wishing to follow up citations in earlier scholarly works. Indices of quotations and allusions from the Bible and patristic or medieval sources, and of direct biblical citations are also most welcome, though the spacing

ABSTRACT A rock-hewn cave cut out of limestone was accidentally discovered in 2012 during road repairs and maintenance work conducted by Great Amman Municipality on the corner of the street leading to the Amman Citadel. The recommendations were to conduct a salvage excavation at the above-mentioned cave. Therefore, an immediate physical inspection was conducted in order to assess the needs of excavating

ABSTRACT In this article, I review three recent articles. In the first, Asscher and Boaretto (2018. ‘Absolute time ranges in the plateau of the Late Bronze to Iron Age transition and the appearance of Bichrome pottery in Canaan, Southern Levant’, Radiocarbon 60, 1–25) suggest that the Late Bronze/Iron I transition occurred in neighboring sites a century and more apart. In the second, Faust and Sapir

ABSTRACT During the 2017 excavation season at Tel Kabri, Iron Age remains were found cutting into the western part of the Middle Bronze Age palace. These remains consisted of a segment of a large structure and a series of sizable pits. Similar Iron Age remains were unearthed during previous soundings in Areas D and F of the excavation and were loosely dated to the Iron Age II. The ceramic assemblage

ABSTRACT Hazor was unquestionably the largest Bronze Age Canaanite site, standing as an anomaly in the southern Levant in terms of its size, elaborate public architecture, special geopolitical stature and far-reaching international networks. While the site has been well established as an urban center with many temples, the use of each of Hazor’s temples and how they relate to one another remains unclear

ABSTRACT The PEF was founded as a charity, relying almost entirely on public generosity for its funding. Its insecure financial basis was at odds with its ambitious programme of surveys and excavations, which required sizeable and stable funding for periods of years. This dichotomy precipitated financial crises which occasionally brought the organisation almost to its knees. Yet, despite all the odds

ABSTRACT This article explores the evidence for diversity in the material culture of Late Iron Age sites situated in the semi-arid margins of west-central Jordan. Least-cost analysis (LCA) is used to model a hypothesized secondary north-south route along the eastern boundary of Moab. Sites found along this route are shown to exhibit a disproportionate level of cultural diversity compared to ‘core’

ABSTRACT The harbor of Jaffa is one of the oldest in the land of Israel and was a significant entry from the sea for the last 4000 years, from the Middle Bronze Age to the twentieth century. Birket el-Kamar was a sandy bay in the coastal strip south of modern Jaffa harbor that had been part of the harbor during various past periods, but no longer exists. Its name, meaning ‘the Moon Pool’, occurs in

This slim volume is one of a large series published by the Oxford University Press carrying the general titles Very short introduction. The series has been well received and the present introductio...

ABSTRACT The hapax legomenon זדה has been called the crux of the Shiloaḥ (Siloam) inscription. It is usually interpreted as ‘fissure, crack, void, cavity, etc’, but sixteen other interpretations have been proposed in the 140 years since the inscription’s discovery. This article argues on contextual and etymological grounds that the lexeme means ‘misalignment’.

ABSTRACT Fifteen Greek inscriptions recently discovered in the Land of Moab (southern Jordan) are published here. All are Christian epitaphs, engraved on limestone funerary stelae of an extremely common type at Al-Karak (ancient Charakmoba) and on the surrounding plateau, which bring new information on the onomastics and funerary customs of the local communities in Late Antiquity. An epigram that contains

In September/December 2018, the Islamic Baydha Project has carried on its fifth season of a project of archaeological excavations at the Islamic Baydha village (Khirbet Baydha). The project, directed by Micaela Sinibaldi and affiliated with the Council for British Research in the Levant, in season 2018 had a duration of six weeks of fieldwork (15 September to 25 October) and eight weeks of study season

ABSTRACT In the Iron Age II period of the southern Levant (1000–586 BCE), most data for household studies come from four-room or pillared houses. Tell Halif in southern Israel gives us several examples of the four-room pillared house, including the one identified here as the K8 House, from the eighth century. The purpose of this research is to examine the K8 archaeological remains and add to our understanding

ABSTRACT This article investigates the early name of Nebi Samwil, a prominent site located northwest of Jerusalem. It first presents the results of the archaeological excavations conducted at the site. Then, it examines the late sources, which indicate that from the sixth century CE onward, the place was identified as Ramathaim/Arimathea, the birth and burial place of Samuel. The article suggests that

With the possible exception of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, there can be few more famous churches in the whole of Christendom and about which more has been written than the Church of the Holy Sepul...

ABSTRACT In 2018, a wreck carrying pillow-shaped copper ingots was found off the shores of the Kumluca District of Antalya. This shipwreck, which can be dated to 16th–15th B.C., probably belongs to a merchant vessel that sank as a result of hitting the shore during a storm. Work on the vessel, which sank in ancient Lycia, began in the summer of 2019. A sample of ingots was removed from the shipwreck

ABSTRACT Patrimonial configurations are of high importance for evaluating periods that lacked the presence of an imperial rule in the ancient Near East and for understanding the creation of local territorial kingdoms. Hence, the patrimonial model can contribute significantly to one of the enduring debates in the archaeology and history of the southern Levant—the agency of indigenous societies in shaping

From May 25 to June 22, 2018, the Eastern Badia Archaeological Project team worked at the remote site of Wisad Pools in the panhandle of eastern Jordan. With a generous PEF grant and sponsored by the The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago and Whitman College, our small team of 10 people and one representative of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan camped at the site. The Eastern Badia

probably the commanding officer at Lachish. They refer to (i) events at Lachish and Azeqah at the time of the conquest, (ii) envoys sent to Egypt, and (iii) numerous named individuals. These reports appear in each case to support the biblical texts of 1 Samuel, 2 Chronicles, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Finally, as the title of the book once again implies, the story is also one of restoration. Plans for the

ABSTRACT The following article summarizes our current knowledge of the history of Tell Mulabbis (in modern Petah Tikva). As a key archaeological site in the Yarkon River basin, it was inhabited during the Roman, Byzantine, Early Islamic, Crusader, Mamluk and Late Ottoman periods. Based on the published results of recent excavations, older scholarship, and hereto-unnoticed written evidence, the article

ABSTRACT In 2016 Yosef Garfinkel suggested that J.L. Starkey, Director of the Lachish excavations, was murdered in 1938 by men sent by landowners of the mound due to an extended dispute between them and Starkey on payments for permission to dig on the summit of the mound. The present paper presents additional data which support the view that Starkey was murdered by bandits who came from the Hebron

Writing on the centenary of the Palestine Exploration Fund in 1965, D. R. Howell chose to speak of our history in two phases. The first phase, according to Howell, was from our foundation in 1865 until the Great War. It was in this period that ‘a great part of the groundwork of Palestinian exploration had been achieved and the techniques of archaeology had been improved, notably by Flinders Petrie’s

ABSTRACT Iron I sites in the northwestern Negev were identified as Philistine on the basis of the references to Philistines in this region in the book of Genesis, its proximity to Gaza, and the occurrence of Philistine pottery. Triggered by emerging discrepancies between the finds at these sites and the presumed Philistine attributes (e.g. the rarity of pork, hearths), this article aims to reevaluate

ABSTRACT Archaeological underwater investigations in the coast of Mersin and Antalya districts of the Turkish Mediterranean have been carried out with the permission of the Ministry of Culture of Turkish Republic since 1999. Many shipwrecks, sunken settlements, port structures, ancient harbour facilities and other archaeological remains have been documented and lodged in the national archive. The most

ABSTRACT Much has been written about the Petra Papyri since their discovery in 1993. However, little has been published on their connection with taxes, and our understanding of Petra and trade has changed considerably in the last couple of decades. The papyri provide plenty of information concerning the material culture of Byzantine Petra. The purpose of this paper is to review the economic and historical