TEL IRA: A Stronghold in the Biblical Negev. (Monograph Series No. 15) 9654400081, 9789654400084

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TEL ciRA A STRONGHOLD IN THE BIBLICAL NEGEV ITZHAQ BEIT-ARIEH

Contributions by E. Ayalon, A. Baron, P. Beck, R. Ben-Dov, A. Biran, B. Brandl, S. Bunimowitz, V. Eshed, J. M. Cahill, B. C. Cresson, T. Dayan, D. Goldsmith, I. Finkelstein, M. Fischer, L. Freud, Y. Goren, M. Hershkowitz, I. Hershkovitz, A. Horowitz, L. K. Horwitz, T. Kertesz, A. Kindler, R. Kletter, G. Lehrer Jacobson, N. Liphschitz, J. Naveh, 0. Negbi, W. Neidinger, A. Ovadiah, 0. Tal

ITZHAQ BEIT-ARIEH Editor

EMERY AND CLAIRE YASS PUBLICATIONS IN ARCHAEOLOGY

This publication was made possible through grants from the Georg and Shulamit Majewski [Israel] Endowment Funds Dubin [U.S.A.] Endowment Fund and the Friends ofthe Institute of Archaeology ofTel Aviv University

Published by the Emery and Claire Yass Publications in Archaeology (Bequeathed by the Yass Estate, Sydney, Australia)

of the Institute of Archaeology, Tel Aviv University

ISBN 965-440-008-1

© Copyright 1999 All rights reserved

Printed in Israel by Graphit Press, Jerusalem

View from the south of the flat-topped hill of Tel 'Ira rising above the Arad Beersheba valley. The dry waterbed of Nal;lal Beersheba can be seen in the foreground. On the left, Bedouin shepherds water their flocks at a well.

CONTENTS

vii

Contents List of Figures Preface The Expedition Staff Chapter.l

X IX

XX

SETTLEMENT IN THE EASTERN NEGEV Itzhaq Beit-Arieh

Chapter 2

THE SITE AND HISTORY OF EXCAVATION

9

Itzhaq Beit-Arieh

PART ONE: STRATIGRAPHY AND ARCHITECTURE

Chapter 3

DESCRIPTION OF EXCAVATED AREAS

17

AREA A Itzhaq Beit-Arieh and Shlomo Bunimovitz

17

AREAB

24

Itzhaq Beit-Arieh and Ora Negbi AREAC Eitan Ayalon

40

AREAD William Neidinger

60

AREAE Israel Finkelstein and Itzhaq Beit-Arieh

67

EARLY BRONZE AGE IRON AGE BYZANTINE AND EARLY ISLAMIC PERIODS

THE MONASTERY

69 69 88 88

Bruce C. Cresson AREA F (HAR BARIYAl.I) Bruce C. Cresson

97

AREAG

103

William Neidinger AREA K - THE AGRICULTURAL TERRACES Aileen G.Baron APPENDIX: POLLEN ANALYSES

110 114

Aharon Horowitz

vii

Chapter 4

AREAL Avraham Biran

115

AREAM A vraham B iran

122 129

THE CEMETERY Itzhaq Beit-Arieh and Aileen G.Baron

Chapter 5

STRATIGRAPHY AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

170

Itzhaq Beit-Arieh

PART TWO: FINDS

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

POTTERY § 1. EARLY BRONZE AGE Itzhaq Beit-Arieh

181

§2. IRON AGE Liora Freud

189

§3. HELLENISTIC AND ROMAN PERIODS Moshe Fischer and Oren Tal

290

§4. THE SECOND TEMPLE PERIOD Malka Hershkovitz

297

§5. BYZANTINE AND EARLY ISLAMIC PERIODS Moshe Fischer and Oren Tal

300

§6. THE POTTERY FROM HAR BARIYAI:I (AREA F) Moshe Fischer and Oren Tal

346

§7. LATE IRON AGE PITHOI WITH POTTER'S MARKS Raz Kletter

350

§8. ROSSETTE STAMP-SEAL IMPRESSIONS Jane M.Cahill

360

CLAY FIGURINES § 1. HUMAN AND ANIMAL CLAY FIGURINES Raz Kletter

374

§2. HUMAN FIGURINE WITH TAMBOURINE Pirhiyah Beck

386

THE JEWELLERY FROM THE TOMBS Liora Freud

viii

395

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

EPIGRAPHIC FINDS § 1. HEBREW INSCRIPTIONS Itzhaq Beit-Arieh

402

§2. TWO ARAMAIC OSTRACA Joseph Naveh

412

§3. A SEVENTH CENTURY B.C.E. SCARAB Baruch Brandl

414

STONE ARTEFACTS FROM THE BYZANTINE PERIOD

421

Moshe Fischer and Oren Tal

Chapter 11

THE MONASTIC COMPLEX AND ITS MOSAICS

428

Asher Ovadiah

Chapter 12

THE NUMISMATIC FINDS

438

Arie Kindler

Chapter 13

GLASS BOTTLES FROM THE EARLY ISLAMIC PERIOD

441

Gusta Lehrer-Jacobson

Chapter 14

MISCELLANEOUS FINDS

444

Danny Goldsmith, Rahel Ben Dov and Trude Kertesz.

PART THREE INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES

Chapter 15

BOTANICAL REMAINS

476

Nili Liphschitz

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

FAUNAL REMAINS §I. AREAS A- G Tamar Dayan

480

§2. AREAS L AND M Liora Kolska Horwitz

488

HUMAN SKELETAL REMAINS

495

Vered Eshed, S. Wish-Baratz and Israel Hershkovitz.

List of loci

521

lX

LIST OF FIGURES Fig. 1.1: Fig. 1.2: Fig. 2.1: Fig. 2.2: Fig. 2.3: Fig. 2.4: Fig. 2.5: Fig. 2.6: Fig. 2.7: Fig. 3.1: Fig. 3.2: Fig. 3.3: Fig. 3.4: Fig. 3.5: Fig. 3.6: Fig. 3.7: Fig. 3.8: Fig. 3.9: Fig. 3.10: Fig. 3.ll: Fig. 3.12: Fig. 3.13: Fig. 3.14: Fig. 3.15: Fig. 3.16: Fig. 3.17: Fig. 3.18: Fig. 3.19: Fig. 3.20: Fig. 3.21: Fig. 3.22: Fig. 3.23: Fig. 3.24: Fig. 3.25: Fig. 3.26 Fig. 3.27: Fig. 3.28: Fig. 3.29: Fig. 3.30: Fig. 3.31: Fig. 3.32: Fig. 3.33: Fig. 3.34: Fig. 3.35: Fig. 3.36: Fig. 3.37: Fig. 3.38: Fig. 3.39: Fig. 3.40: X

Map showing Tel 'Ira in relation to some excavated Iron Age sites. Excavated sites in the Arad-Beersheba valley. Topographic map of the site and surroundings. Tel 'Ira. Looking south. Aerial photograph of Tel 'Ira taken in the 1960s. Looking west. Aerial photograph of Tel 'Ira after the fourth excavation season. Looking north. Cisterns dug in ancient times. Cisterns used by Bedouin today. Plan of the site showing excavated areas. Plan of Areas A and B. Schematic plan of Area A. Area A. Locus 8. Iron Age ash pit (Locus 18) after cleaning. Locus 23 with jug in situ. Partly excavated silo (Locus 19) in Square H20. Area A. Structure 55, looking east. Remnant ofEB III building (Locus 904). Area B. Plan and section of Iron Age Stratum. Area B. Rooms 274 and 265 in foreground against the city wall. Area B. Room 265. Area B. Locus 272 in Room 265 showing ash-covered floor. Area B. Room 239. Area B. Locus 233 showing pottery on the floor (centre) and Wall D232 on the left. Area B. Room 265 with pottery on the floor. Area B. Section through Locus 247. Area B. Locus 231 with pottery on the floor. Area B. Locus 212 looking south. Area B. Locus 274 with pottery on the floor. Area B. Floor of Locus 275 against Wall D207. Schematic plan of Area Bin Stratum 3. Area B. Locus 250 with pottery vessels and grinding stone in situ. Plan of Area B in the Hellenistic period (Stratum 2). Area B. Hellenistic wall (D221) on the left and Iron Age wall below (D207, D217). Area B. Room 200 (Hellenistic period) looking east. Wall D221 on the left. Area B. Locus 231 with amphora in situ. Area C. Plan of Stratum 7. Area C. The offset wall (Locus 377) looking east. Area C. Plastered floor of Locus 377. Area C. Floor of Locus 377 under floor of Locus 330. Area C. Junction between Walls F573 and G574 with later walls above. Area C. Plan of Stratum 5. Area C. Northeastern corner of Room 402 looking east. Area C. Section through Square G/54, looking south. Area C. Section through Square F/54, looking south. Area C. Drainage channel (Locus 409) and floor (Locus 357). Area C. Plan of Stratum 3 (Roman). Area C. Plan of Stratum 2, Phase A. Area C. Pavement in Room 318. Area C. Pavement in Room 321 and drainage channel (Locus 322). Looking north.

2 4 10 11 11 11 12 13 14 18 19 20 21 21 22 23 25 26 27 28

28 29 30 31 31 32 32 33 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 41 42 43 44 44 46 47 48 48 49 50 52 53 54

Fig. 3.41: Fig. 3.42: Fig. 3.43: Fig. 3.44: Fig. 3.45: Fig. 3.46: Fig. 3.47: Fig. 3.48: Fig. 3.49: Fig. 3.50: Fig. 3.51: Fig. 3.52: Fig. 3.53: Fig. 3.54: Fig. 3.55: Fig. 3.56: Fig. 3.57: Fig. 3.58: Fig. 3.59: Fig. 3.60: Fig. 3.61: Fig. 3.62: Fig. 3.63: Fig. 3.64: Fig. 3.65: Fig. 3.66: Fig. 3.67: Fig. 3.68: Fig. 3.69: Fig. 3.70 Fig. 3.71: Fig. 3.72: Fig. 3.73: Fig. 3.74: Fig. 3.75 Fig. 3.76: Fig. 3.77: Fig. 3.78: Fig. 3.79: Fig. 3.80: Fig. 3.81: Fig. 3.82: Fig. 3.83: Fig. 3.84: Fig. 3.85: Fig. 3.86: Fig. 3.87: Fig. 3.88: Fig. 3.89: Fig. 3.90: Fig. 3.91:

Area C. Pavement in Room 321 and drainage channel (Locus 322). Looking east. Area C. Plan of Stratum 2, Phase B. Area C. Plan of Stratum 2, Phase C. Area C. Structure 825. Area D. Plan of Structure A. Area D. Structure A. Room 865 .. Area D. Structure A. Room 879. Area D. Plan of Structure B. Area D. Structure B, looking west with Silo 898 in the foreground. Area D. Iron Age Silo 898 underneath Room 892. Silo 899 on the right. Area D. Plan of Structure C. Area D. Locus 1405 in Structure C. Area D. Silo 860. Area D. Plan of excavated silos in Squares E37-38. Area E. Aerial photograph, looking east. Area E. General plan of the northeastern sector. Area E. Section in Room 521. Looking west. Area E. EB III wall D626 in Locus 568. Area E. Northern part of the gate (Wall C631) and the monastery. Area E. End of Wall B604. Area E. Drainage channel under the gate. Area E. Isometric reconstruction of the gate and tower. Area E. Section E-E. Area E. Casemate rooms, glacis and tower. Area E. Locus 196. Area E. Room 191 with skeletons visible in the ash layer (Locus 186). Area E. Floor 179 against Wall D644. Area E. Pottery on the floor of Locus 194. Area E. Tower. Area E. Section through Locus 168. Area E. Schematic section through Locus 168. Area E. Building 521. Area E. Wall D632 running across Building 521. Area E. General view of the Storehouse and its relation to casemate rooms and tower. Area E. The Storehouse. Area E. The steps leading down to the Storehouse. Area E. Section B-B. Area E. Eastern room of the Storehouse showing roof-supporting pillar. Area E. Stone mortar in the Storehouse. Area E. A pithos in situ in the Storehouse. Area E. Reconstruction of the pithoi in the Storehouse. Area E. Aerial photograph of the Byzantine complex. Area E. Plan of the Byzantine monastery. Area E. The monastery. Looking east. Paved room 605. Area E. Room 606 showing the mosaic floor. Area E. Room 643. Area E. Burial crypt in Room 643. Area E. The Byzantine complex. Plan of Stratum 1. Area E. Room 611 (Stratum 1) built inside Room 643. Area F. Aerial view ofHar Bariyai). showing its location relative to