Yavne and Its Secrets. Collected Papers 9789654067652, 965406765X

Citation preview

800

TilAVlV JlQIOU'llH t.J4MRSITY l 'lH7n

Yavne and Its Secrets Collected Papers Editors: Elie Haddad, Liat Nadav-Ziv,

Jon Seligman, Daniel Varga, Pablo Betzer Amit Shadman, Oren Tai and Yotam Tepper

800 TELAVIV nu•ou•JIH UNIVERSITY J.'JH'7n

Yavne and Its Secrets Collected Papers

Editors: Elie Haddad Liat Nadav-Ziv Jon Seligman Daniel Varga Pablo Betzer Amit Shadman Oren Tal Yotam Tepper

Jerusalem 2022

Editors Elie Haddad Liat Nadav-Ziv Jon Seligman Daniel Varga Pablo Betzer Amit Shadman Oren Tai Yotam Tepper Editorial Coordinator EinatKashi Language Editors Hana Hirschfeld Galit Samora-Cohen Anna de Vincenz Production Editor Ayelet Hashahar Malka Typesetting, Layout and Production Ann Buchnick-Abuhav Cover Illustrations Hebrew: The excavation at the foot of Tel Yavne (photography: Asaf Peretz) English: Glass bottles and cooking pot from the Roman period (photography: Asaf Peretz)

© 2022, The Israel Antiquities Authority, Tel Aviv University and Israel Land Authority ISBN 978-965-406-765-2 EISBN 9 78-965-40 6-7 66-9 Printed at Digiprint Zahav Ltd. 2022

CONTENTS

5*

List of Abbreviations

7

Editorial

13

Present, Future, Past; Israel Antiquities Authority's Excavation Project at Yavne (East) Diego Barkan and Amit Shadman

ARCHAEOLOGICAL-HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 19

Ancient Yavne; Preliminary Finds from the Extensive Excavations at the Foot of Tel Yavne Liat Nadav-Ziv, Elie Haddad, Jon Seligman, Daniel Varga and Pablo Betzer

9*

The Geomorphology and Sedimentology of the Tel Yavne Environs, Southern Coastal Plain oflsrael, and its Connection to Ancient Human Settlement Joel Roskin, Oren Ackermann, Yotam Asscher, Jenny Marcus and Nimrod Wieler

25*

Land and Sea; On the Relationships, Similarities, and Differences between Yavne and Yavne-Yam from the Persian to the Beginning of the Crusader Period Itamar Taxel

55

The Hasmonaean Battle near lamnia (Yavne) Ze'ev Safrai

THE ARCHAOLOGICAL REMAINS 73

A New Site from the Chalcolithic Unearthed in Yavne Yael Abadi-Reiss

89

The Yavneh Pit; A Repository (Genizah) ofa Philistine Temple Raz Kletter, Wolfgang Zwickel and Irit Ziffer

111

A New Inscribed Sling Bullet from lamnia (Yavne) Yulia Ustinova, Pablo Betzer and Daniel Varga

125

Preliminary Insights on the Economy and Industry ofYavne in the Roman Period; A Zooarchaeological View Lee Perry-Gal, Pablo Betzer and Daniel Varga

143

Glass Production at Yavne, First Impressions from Area L

161

"May My Coffin Be Perforated to the Earth" (JT, Ketubot 12.3.3); Roman-Period

Yael Gorin-Rosen, Pablo Betzer, Daniel Varga and Ariel Shatil

Cemeteries at Yavne Eriola Jakoel, Alla Nagorsky, Pablo Betzer and Daniel Varga

55*

Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel: Bone Tools Made from Animal Shoulder Blades from Tel Yavne-Uses and Reconstruction Inbar Ktalav, Ariel Shatil, Natalia Solodenko, Yotam Asscher and Lee Perry-Gal

185

Beachrock Finds from Yavne-East Excavations: Preliminary Results Amir Bar, Elie Haddad, Yotam Asscher, Chen Elimelech, Aliza van Zuiden, Revital Bookman and Dov Zviely

WINE AND COMMERCE 205

It's a "hangover": The Winepress Complex of Byzantine Yavne Mor Viezel and Hagit Torge

219

Jar Mass Production for the Yavne Wine Industry: The Relationship between the Pottery Kilns and the Pottery Dumps Orit Tsuf

241

Yavne and the Wine Industry of Gaza and Ashqelon Jon Seligman, Elie Haddad and Liat Nadav-Ziv

265

Eastern Mediterranean Trade Routes in Late Antiquity Deborah Cvikel

5*

List of Abbreviations Anna/es archeologiques arabes syriennes 1966American ]ournal ofArchaeology AJA BAIAS Bulletin of the Anglo-Israel Archaeological Society (Strata BAIAS from 2009) BAR Int. S. British Archaeological Reports (International Series) BASOR Bulletin of the American Schools of Orien ta/ Research DOP Dumbarton Oaks Papers

AAAS

HA-ES!

IAA Reports

Hadashot Arkheologiyot-Excavations and Surveys in Israel (from 1999) Israel Antiquities Authority Reports

IE]

Israel Exploration journal

!]NA

International journal of Nautical Archaeology

INR

Israel Numismatic Research

]AMT

Journal ofArchaeological Methos and Theory

]AS

journal ofArchaeological Science

]FA

journal ofField Archaeology

JCS ]!PS

journal ofGlass Studies Journal ofthe Israel Prehistoric Society (Mitekufat Haeven)

]MA

journal of Mediterranean Archaeology

]NES

Journal ofNear Eastern Studies

]RA ]WP

Journal ofRoman Archaeology journal of World Prehistory

LA

Liber Annuus

NEA

Near Eastern Archaeology

NEAEHL 5

E. Stern ed. The New Encyclopedia ofArchaeological Excavations in the Holy Land 5: Supplementary Volume. Jerusalem 2008

NGSBA

The Nelson Glueck School of Biblical Archaeology

OBO.SA

Orbis Biblicus et Orientalis Series Archaeologica

PBSR

Papers of the British School at Rome

PL

J.-P. Migne ed. Patrologiae cursus completus, series latina. Paris 1844-1880

QDAP

Quarterly of the Department ofAntiquities of Palestine

RB

Revue Biblique

RDAC

Report of the Department of Antiquities, Cyprus

SCI

Scripta Classica Israelica

6*

ZPE

Zeitschriftfiir Papyrologie und Epigraphik

TMO

Travaux de la Maison de !'Orient

ZPE

Zeitschriftfiir Papyrologie und Epigraphik

List of Contributors Diego Barkan, Israel Antiquities Authority

[email protected]

Amit Shadman, Israel Antiquities Authority

shadman@isran tique.org.il

Liat Nadav Ziv, Israel Antiquities Authority

[email protected]

Elie Haddad, Israel Antiquities Authority

haddad@isran tique.o rg.il

Jon Seligman, Israel Antiquities Authority

[email protected]

Daniel Varga, Israel Antiquities Authority

[email protected]

Pablo Betzer, Israel Antiquities Authority

[email protected]

Joel Roskin, Bar Ilan University, Israel Antiquities Authority

[email protected]

Oren Ackermann, Ariel University

[email protected]

Yotam Asscher, Israel Antiquities Authority

[email protected]

Jenny Marcus, Ariel University, Israel Antiquities Authority

[email protected]

Nimrod Wieler, Israel Antiquities Authority

nimrodw@isran tique.o rg.il

ltamar Taxel, Israel Antiquities Authority

[email protected]

Ze'ev Safrai, Bar Ilan University

[email protected] m

Yael Abadi-Reiss, Israel Antiquities Authority

[email protected]

Raz Kletter, Helsinki University

[email protected]

Wolfgang Zwickel, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz

[email protected]

lrit Ziffer, Eretz Israel Museum, Tel Aviv

[email protected]

Yulia Ustinova, Ben-Gurion University

[email protected]

Lee Perry-Gal, University of Haifa, Israel Antiquities [email protected] Authority Yael Gorin-Rosen, Israel Antiquities Authority

[email protected]

Ariel Shatil, Israel Antiquities Authority

[email protected]

Eriola Jakoel, Israel Antiquities Authority

ej akoe [email protected]. il

Alla Nagorsky, Israel Antiquities Authority

[email protected]

Inbar Ktalav, University of Haifa, Israel Antiquities Authority

[email protected]

Natalia Solodenko, Hebrew University

na talya.solodenko-vernovsky@ mail.huji.ac.il

Amir Bar, University of Haifa, Israel Antiquities Authority

[email protected]

Chen Elimelech, Israel Antiquities Authority

[email protected]

Aliza van Zuiden, Israel Antiquities Authority

[email protected]

Revital Bookman, University of Haifa

[email protected]

Dov Zviely, Ruppin Academic Center

[email protected]

Mor Viezel, Israel Antiquities Authority

[email protected]

Hagit Torge, Israel Antiquities Authority

[email protected]

Orit Tsuf, Independent Scholar

[email protected]

Deborah Cvikel, University of Haifa

[email protected]

Editors Elie Haddad, Israel Antiquities Authority

haddad@isran tique.o rg.il

Liat Nadav Ziv, Israel Antiquities Authority

[email protected]

Jon Seligman, Israel Antiquities Authority

[email protected]

Daniel Varga, Israel Antiquities Authority

[email protected]

Pablo Betzer, Israel Antiquities Authority

[email protected]

Amit Shadman, Israel Antiquities Authority

[email protected]

Oren Tal, Tel-Aviv University

[email protected]

Yotam Tepper, Israel Antiquities Authority

[email protected]

The Geomorphology and Sedimentology of the Tel Yavne Environs, Southern Coastal Plain of Israel, and its Connection to Ancient Human Settlement Joel Roskin, Oren Ackermann, Yotam Asscher, Jenny Marcus and Nimrod Wieler

Introduction This paper aims to comprise a basic geomorphic framework for archaeological and geoarchaeological analyses of the mega site excavation of Tel Yavne. We present the basic geomorphic, sedimentological, hydrological, and geological features of the te l and its environs based on academic literature, reports, GIS-based geospatial analysis, and preliminary surveys at the excavation and its surroundings. We also provide initial mineralogical ratios from Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), a method to characterize materials based on their molecular composition and used in archaeology to identify ancient materials (Weiner 2010). Geographic Setting Tel Yavne is located in Israel's inner and southern coastal plain (Fig. 1) in a Mediterranean climate of 480 mm/yr annual average precipitation (Negev, Simin and Keller 1970). South of Yavne begins a north-south climate gradient with the Negev desert. Only fifty km south of Yavne, south of the Shiqma basin, begins the Negev desert fringe, where precipitation is 200-300 mm/yr. The gradient is sensitive to climate change. The general geological components of the environs of Tel Yavne contain discrete aeolianite (kurkar in Hebrew) ridges that run parallel to the past and modern coastline (Figs. lb, 2), red sand and loam, and Holocene alluvium. The surface is characterized by red sandy soils (also known locally as f:wmra) and alluvial brown and hydromorphic soils (Vertisols/Grumusols) (Dan et al. 1972; 1976; Dan, Fine and Lavee 2007). The site is located within the Mediterranean vegetation belt. However, the natural vegetation is absent The current vegetation is dominated by volunteer crops and ruderal species of annual herbaceous plants. These species characterize neglected

10* I Yavne and Its Secrets

and disturbed lands and agricultural crops. These species dominate since the area has undergone intensive anthropogenic and agricultural activity for millennia. These anthropogenic processes affected the late Holocene surficial processes that, in turn, changed the ancient landscape, yielding today's anthropogenic one.

Aeolianite Ridges Dictate Landscape and Settlement patterns North-south trending aeolianite ridges comprise the morphologicaland topographical backbone of the coastal plain of Israel {Fig. la, b). The southern coastal plain has the most significant amount of discrete inland aeolianite ridges. Aeolianites are ancient coast-parallel accumulative dunes that, following sand deposition, became a rock due to precipitation of calcium carbonate. The ridges and their interdune valleys or troughs are usually many hundreds of meters to several kilometers wide. The aeolianite cliffs along the Sharon and Carmel coast near the shoreline have been dated by optically stimulated luminescence {OSL) to the late Pleistocene. However, the inland aeolianite ridges have been sporadically dated to the middle to early Pleistocene {Malinsky-Buller et al. 2016; Hare! et al. 2017; Zaidner et al. 2018). The aeolianite ridge ofYavne has not been dated. The fertile Grumusol day-rich soils and sediments in the interdune valleys between the aeolianite ridges have been an important factor in ancient settlement. The nineteenth-century Arab villages that appear on the Palestine Exploration Fund {PEF) map {1871-1877) were commonly situated upon remains of ancient settlements {Schaffer and Levin 2016). These villages usually were located on the slopes of the aeolianite ridges, probably to maximize the agricultural potential of the adjacent interdune valleys. Tel Yavne is bordered by valleys and plains that are relatively wide for Israel's southern and central coast (Fig. lb). The Soreq-Gamliel segment of the Nai)al Soreq valley to the east is one of the widest and largest valleys. The aeolianite ridge 5 km southeast of the Soreq-Gamliel plain, where the ancient village of El-Maghar was situated, at 94 m above sea level, is the highest in the region (Gophna, Paz and Taxel 2010). This ridge may have provided regional security and control on the valuable agricultural expanses of the Soreq-Gamliel plain between Yavne and El-Maghar.

Fig. 1. Tel Yavne in the southern coastal plain: (a) Orthophoto; (b) Elevation map ► demonstrating the wide valley of the northern flowing Soreq with lines of two topographic cross-sections (see Fig. 2). Grey dashed arrows delineate five aeolianite ridges of different elevations and widths (orthophoto and map: N. Wieler).

The Geomorphology and Sedimentology of the Tel Yavneh Environs I 11*

a

b

12* I Yavne and Its Secrets

120

A

West 100

~

80

C:

..,0

60

>

40

.§..

....

East

Soreq-Gamliel valley

Tel

~

Soreq

ii,

Palmachim aeolianite ridge

20

Aeolianite ridge

Maghar

Tel Yavne aeolianite ridge

aeolianite ridge

0 0

2000

4000

6000

8 000

10000

12000

14000

Distance (meters)

North

South Soreq-Gamliel valley 70 Soreq stre,1m

60 C:

0

50

-~

40

ii,

30 20

i

Tel Yavne Tel Yavne aeolianite ridge

aeolianite ridge

10 0 0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

Distance (meters)

Fig. 2. Cross-sections of the Yavne environs (see location in Fig. 1). Top: Crosssection perpendicular to the coastline (ca.west-east), exemplifying the SoreqGamliel valley and the Maghar aeolianite ridge to its east. Bottom: Cross-section parallel (ca. north-south) to the coastline along the Tel Yavne aeolianite ridge. Note the dashed line connecting similar ridge elevations on both sides of the Soreq-Gamliel valley within an ancient valley of the palaeo-Soreq stream (drafting: N. Wieler).

Fluvial Geomorphology ofNal}.al Soreq The dynamics of Nahal Soreq appear to have been the major geomorphic force dictating a wide range of impacts on the anthropogenic activities of the various populations of Yavne. The Soreq basin, also known as Wadi Qalunia/Sarar/Beit Hanina in the Judean Hills [Highlands), drains westward into the Mediterranean Sea [Figs. 1, 4a, b). The currently ephemeral and highly meandering basin, extending over c. 760 km 2, is the most extensive, deepest, and oldest [see below) drainage system in the Judea and Samaria Hills. The Soreq drainage includes three main segments: the Judean Hills segment (800-250 m a.s.l.), the Judean Foothills (400-200 m a.s.l.), and the coastal plain (250- 0 m a.s.l.) segment where Tel Yavne is located. Here the average wadi gradient is very subtle, 6.3m/km (Nir 1964). The Soreq sediment is fine-grained in the Yavne environs, and clasts are rare.

The Geomorphology and Sedimentology of the Tel Yavneh Environs I 13*

Fluvial Regime of Nal:tal Soreq Nal)al Soreq has been found to have an extensive range of flow discharges. The mean annual discharge of the Soreq based on data from the 1950s-60s was reported as 2.7-3 M m 3 /s (Nir 1964). Discharge measured at the outlet of the Soreq from the Judean Hills into the Judean Shephela (Lowlands) is only about 2% of the rainfall on the catchment. This stems from high infiltration attributed to the cracked and karstic-rich geology of the highland slopes. Thus, local runoff partly influences the flow in the coastal lowlands. Today the Soreq flow is channeled in the Yavne environs (Fig. 3), making current data less reliable for hydrological reconstruction. Today; the flows of the Soreq transport relatively small amounts (by a magnitude) of suspended sediment estimated at 4 7 m 3 /km/yr, compared to other Israeli ephemeral wadis in Mediterranean environments. This anomaly may be due to the highly vegetated and terraced character of the Jerusalem Hills basin in a preserved environment in relation to the environmentally neglected Judea and Samaria Hills under split Palestinian and Israeli administrations. Current suspended (fine-grained) sediment is only 1% of the total fluvial load (Avron 1973). The Soreq neither incises nor aggrades in the hills and deposits fluvial sediment in its channel and floodplains. Thus, most of the suspended sediment of the Soreq is transferred to the coastal lowlands, where it is either deposited or flushed into the Mediterranean Sea. Quaternary Geology of the Yavne Environs Tel Yavne is spread over the crest, slopes, and colluvial slope of an aeolianite ridge adjacent to the fringe of the Nal)al Soreq valley. The tel rises to 55 m a.s.l. near the northern tip of the aeolianite ridge (Yavne ridge) that trends north-south (Figs. 2-4). Tel Yavne is not a classic tel mound, and its position was probably a result of ancient geomorphic-based logic- to settle the best controlling grounds in the region adjacent to water sources and significant available croplands. The tel is upon a high point of the aeolianite ridge, approximately 25 m above two topographic saddles to its north and south (Fig. 3). To the west of the tel is a ca. 2 km wide valley at 2-25 m a.s.l. that hosts Nal)al Soreq and Nal)al Gamliel that runs parallel to the Soreq to its north. Here these wadis flow to the north-northwest between two prominent aeolianite ridges of the southern coastal plain of Israel. To the east runs the El-Maghar ridge (Fig. la, b). West of the Yavne aeolianite ridge lies the Yavne (Palmal)im) dune field (Fig. la). However, from the Bronze Age to Byzantine times, the area of the dune field was devoid of dunes. Dunes apparently encroached several km inland into the coastal plain only during the last centuries (Roskin et al. 2015, 2017; Taxel et al. 2018).

14* I Yavne and Its Secrets

-

"' ~

644 000

0

8 Yavne megasite

Nahal Main roads Buildings Elevation lines

Value

high 250 low: 5

Fig. 3. Elevation map of the Tel Yavne environs (drafting: Y. Gumani). Elevations are based on the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) from the ALOS-PALSAR satellite (Alaska Sate! lite 210 Facility). Letters mark excavated areas at the Yavne mega site. The yellow-colored elevation marks aeolianite ridges and remains of such ridges. The low, green-colored areas have alluvial deposits. Note, the hypothesized remains of the ancient Soreq marked by a dashed-dot blue line via the topographic saddle south of the tel, west of Area R.

The Geomorphology and Sedimentology of the Tel Yavneh Environs I 15*

Instead, the surface was comprised of sandy brown loam soil with thin sand sheet additives {Taxel et al. 2018; Raskin and Taxel 2021) and probably served as an agricultural area. Thus, the tel developed upon an elevated peninsula-like ridge between two vast and flat agricultural zones; the Tel Yavne-Yavne Yam plain and the Soreq-Gamliel valley {Fig. lb, 3).

Main Sediment Types The aeolianite ridge, slope, base of Tel Yavne, and Soreq valley reveal a wide range of geological and mainly sediments dictated by fluvial, slope, and aeolian geomorphological processes. These display granular textures from medium size sand to clay loam with significantly different geotechnical properties that challenge geophysical prospecting {Reeder et al. 2019). Quartz-dominated sand is a significant component in most of the sediments and settings. The lower and moderate colluvial slope of the tel between Areas C to H exposes a 0.3-2 m. thick. mixed grey-brownish sandy loam anthropogenic soil bearing quartz sand pockets {up to 5 cm diam. in places) and ceramics and other artifacts {Fig. Sa). Here at Area H, Middle Bronze features and artifacts were found buried in 4 m thick Soreq valley sediments. The silicates to carbonate ratio measured by FTIR of the grey-brownish sandy loam anthropogenic soil is distinctly 1.5: 1. while the modern topsoil of the site is 1: 1. This anthrosol comprises the contemporary topsoil filling the base of the aeolianite ridge that was shaped by diverse and intense human construction and anthro-stratigraphic buildup since Chalcolithic times. At the tel base in Areas Rand C {Fig. 3) also appear weathered exposures of aeolianite, comprised of weakly consolidated and dipping sand beds {Fig. Sb). Here, a carbonate-rich quartz sand unit appears at the surface and beneath the anthrosol. Carbonate-rich quartz sand comprises abundant calcium carbonate concretions in various shapes, including root casts within loose and massive yellow sand. FTIR silicates to carbonate ratio of the carbonate-rich quartz sand are 1: 1 as opposed to unconsolidated aeolian sand, which is 5: 1. Carbonaterich quartz sand appears to be a poor, inert, and porous substrate poorly suitable for agriculture. Therefore, it is not surprising that the sand units were targeted as a substrate for the construction of installations. The base of the tel is a contact zone between sequence of sandy soils and the tel substrate, colluvial tel anthrosols {Fig. 5 c, d), and the edge of the Soreq floodplain deposits {Fig. Se). The sandy soils appear in a wide range of yellow-red colors with different amounts of silt and clay contents {Fig. Sd). These soils probably range from incipient sandy Regosols to bamra soils of varying maturity Here, these bamra-like soils developed upon loose sand and not upon aeolianite rock as often perceived. FTIR

16* I Yavne and Its Secrets

a

C

Fig. 4. The geomorphology and sedimentology ofNal:ial Soreq: (a) The Soreq-Gamliel valley with Tel Yavne in the background. Note the low topographic saddle on the far left where the train station is situated (Photography: 0. Ackermann); (b). The modern channel of Nal:ial Soreq, whose modern flow is partially supplied by agricultural excesses (Photography: 0. Ackermann); (c) Section in Soreq floodplain by Area J (Fig. 3). Here, coupletlaminas cover Chalcolithic remains (Photography: E. Marco).

The Geomorphology and Sedimentology of the Tel Yavneh Environs I 17*

a

r,f':7J¥ 7:.

~..

,

.,, ~

~

.

..

C

d

Fig. 5. Photo gallery of sediments and soils (Photography: J. Roskin). (a) Grey colluvial anthrosol/archeosediment in Area C; (b) Weathered and exposed aeolianite in Area R; ( c) Section with a wide range of sediments suggesting periods of deposition and truncation in Area C; (d) Grey colluvial anthrosol/archeosediment overlying sandy bamra-like soils; ( e) Grumusol at the edge of the Soreq floodplain by the margin of Area A

18* I Yavne and Its Secrets

silicates to carbonate ratio of the bamm-like soil is 3: 1, indicating more carbonate than aeolian sand. Some of the sandy soils and deposits may also be anthropogenic. (1-3 m thick). Within this region, remains of the aeolianite ridge were found at depths of3-5 m (Fig. Sb). The fringes of the Soreq valley near the tel are slightly sloped and are comprised of a sequence of brownish sandy Grumusol ( up to 4 m thick) bearing charcoals and ceramic artifacts at depths of 1.5 and 3.5 m (Fig. Se). A prismatic brown and more clayey Grumusol comprises the upper 1.5 m of the section with up to -40% carbonate concretions. FTIR silicates to carbonate ratio of this floodplain material are 3:1, similar to the bamm-like sediment In the flat Soreq-Gamliel valley, sand layers appear more frequently at shallow depths and interfinger with clay loam units often, hosting groundwater (Fig. 4c). The sandy character of many of the sediments allowed good drainage of water that limited erosive fluvial effects and often generated competent drainage of the soils making them suitable for agriculture. The surrounding deposits and raw materials of Tel Yavne were well-utilized: Soreq floodplain clay-rich deposits were mixed in the sandy substrates below the walls, and aeolianite stones were used as construction materials. Young beach rock slabs and shells, probably from the shore interface and beach pockets near Yavne-Yam, were used as construction materials and in plaster production respectively (Bar et al., this volume). Altogether, an extensive range of sediment types and textures reflect the fluctuations and complex interactions between human activity and the environment, and periods of post-abandonment impacts on sheet flow and the overflow of the Soreq. The character of each sediment reflects a unique anthro-geomorphic response to human or human-induced landforms.

The Morpho-Fluvial Impact of the Plio-Pleistocene Soreq Drainage system The morpho-fluvial impact of the Pho-Pleistocene drainage system of Nal:ial Soreq explains the wide valley of Nal:ial Soreq east and north ofYavne, with a gap of several km between the Yavne aeolianite ridge and its continuation by the southern outskirts of Rel:iovot (Fig. la, b). This gap suggests that the flow and ancient canyon of the Soreq never permitted the development of a pre-aeolianite dune. The topographic saddles on both sides of Tel Yavne may be remains of ancient pathways of the Soreq before or following the development of the aeolianite ridge despite the lack of observed fluvial remains (Fig. 3). If so, this hypothesized ancient and buried channel may still be a conduit for shallow underground floodwater of the Soreq.

The Geomorphology and Sedimentology of the Tel Yavneh Environs I 19*

The Soreq and its tributaries in the coastal plain cross several aeolianite ridges upstream of the Soreq-Gamliel valley. As such, a significant part of its suspended load should include fine to medium size quartz sand grains eroded from the aeolianites. The other fraction of the load may be dominated by cyclic dust-sourced red Mediterranean silt-loam soil mantles {Frumkin, Stein and Goldstein 2022). These probably originated on the steep slopes of the NaJ:ial Soreq segment in the Judean Hills. During the Quaternary, ample fine-grained sediments were fluvially delivered to the Soreq-Gamliel valley near Yavne. Different grain sizes are expected in the Soreq-Gamliel sediments and soils as a mixture and in cases where flow was absent, probably in the form of couplets where the lower unit is sandy and the upper loam and clay. Fine-grained couplets are common where aeolian and fluvial environments interact {aeolian-fluvial interactions; Fig. 4c) {Robins et al. 2022). The Soreq-Gamliel valley is often flooded and is part of the {spatial) water losses {contribution) to the shallow aquifer along the path. Unfortunately, fluvial sediment monitoring in Israel is sparse, and there is limited data on the modern Soreq sediment budget. However, the study of the excavated sections at the Yavne mega site may be able to provide valuable insight that can be inferred to reconstruct ancient flows and sediment loads and investigate sedimentation amounts and rates.

Ancient Fluvial Regime ofNal:tal Soreq The general hydrological regime of NaJ:ial Soreq in the Late Holocene was probably similar to earlier Holocene times and relatively stable. In the Judean Hills, the vegetation cover, the karstic and jointed nature of the strata, and the thin sediment cover do not allow short-term rainwater storage on the slopes and flow within the alluvium. The theorized stable character of the Soreq basin in the Hills for at least 100,000 years {Ryb et al. 2013) suggests that the flow regime was relatively steady and usually dry {see below). The paucity of fluvial terraces in the Hills is also field evidence that the Soreq flows produced a limited range of flow discharge values during the Holocene. Therefore, these low floodplains are stable surfaces and are not usually prone to flooding {Raskin et al. 2022). This stable regime, though, does not necessarily imply that the sediment loads were the same. However, a mostly stable fluvial-sedimentological regime may have led to general gradual aggradation in the Yavne-Gamliel plain. The runoff and flow regime in NaJ:ial Soreq differs today from historic and prehistoric times due to the current climate and human-shaped geomorphology. While the terraced slopes reduce the present-day flow, increased and concentrated, urban runoff may cause a trade-off. These low fluvial load values may not indicate

20* I Yavne and Its Secrets

brief intervals when terraces were absent, and erosion rates of fine-grained material were higher, especially when vegetation cover was degraded by anthropogenic agents or decimated, say by fire (lnbar, Tamir and Wittenberg 1998). However, the fluvial regime may have been different in the past before the intensive terracing of its headwaters in the Judean Hills, mainly since the Roman-Byzantine periods and especially in Ottoman times {Porat et al. 2019). Thus, before the terracing of the uplands, sediment yield and consequent deposition were probably higher in the coastal plains, leading to floodplain aggradation near Yavne. The fertile sediment fill may mask underlying aeolianite exposures that may have been fluvially eroded, and mixed with the suspended load, resulted in sandy loam floodplain deposits.

Role of the Fluvial Regime of Na):tal Soreq upon Ancient Settlement The sediment availability and depositional regime of the coastal plain of Israel are highly variable. In several broad valleys, thick 3-5 m alluvial deposits cover Chalcolithic sites {Itach et al. 2019; Brink et al. 2019). In other valleys, even RomanByzantine fills hide evidence of earlier energetic flows that deposited coarse sand, pebbles, and gravel {Raskin, Asscher and Bennestein 2021). It appears that the depositional environment of Nal:ial Soreq in the Yavne environs is one of the most prominent ones on the whole coastal plain of Israel. This fact makes the Yavne environs a prime settlement setting at a regional level! The Soreq-Gamliel plain narrows to the north. The southern coast has ephemeral to locally perennial stream segments. The central coastal streams and Sharon and Carmel coast streams are perennial and transect a narrower coastal segment than south of the Yarkon. Thus, the southern coast's longer and less steep gradient allows for more fine-grained sedimentation. Furthermore, the Soreq stream has one of the largest basins and, accordingly, sediment availability for deposition on the coast. Thus, the Terra-Rossa sourced day-rich Grumusol valleys of the western segment of Nal:ial Soreq near Yavne, still within the Mediterranean climate zone, are one of the most extensive and most fertile zones of the coastal plain. This may explain the region's relatively high 19th-century Arab village density {Schaffer and Levin 2016). Possible Role of Late Holocene Dune Incursion on the Na):tal Soreq Path The aeolianite ridges south of Yavne are undergoing substantial erosion leading to fluvial choking of local wadis with sand {Laronne and Shulker 2002). This process can lead to overflow and enhanced floodplain sedimentation. Current urbanization that increases local discharges not fit to natural channel cross-sections can also enhance flood-plaining. This process may have also happened during peak times of ancient settlement.

The Geomorphology and Sedimentology of the Tel Yavneh Environs I 21*

The flat base of the tel is actually the edge of the Nal:ial Soreq floodplain that seems to have significantly expanded and aggraded several meters of sediments since the middle Holocene, covering Bronze Age and Byzantine features as reported 6 km downstream {Jakoel and Rauchberger 2014). The incursion of sand sheets during the late Holocene across the Yavne dune field and into the Soreq valley (Fig. la), downstream of the site where the Soreq breaks to the west, may have contributed to channel narrowing, meandering and loss of transmission energy, leading to upstream sedimentation in floodplains and vertical and lateral growth of the floodplains. Damming the Soreq by encroaching dunes would surely lead to water bodies depositing amplified amounts of sediment. However, the amount of dunes required to dam a stream the size of the Soreq were probably not present before the last centuries.

Conclusions The ancient Tel Yavne environs have undergone considerable and non-linear anthrogeomorphic evolution since the middle Holocene (Chalcolithic times). Earlier aeolian and fluvial processes shaped the physical setting and character of the region. The Nal:ial Soreq-Gamliel valley floor was several meters lower and less wide than today's geometry The hydrological regime was probably more copious and reliable for ancient water needs. The agricultural soils were slightly different than today's that may explain the transition from vines during Mishanaic times to orchards and field crops today. It is unclear if the geologically rapid aggradation and growing spatial cover of the fluvial deposits along the fringes of the Nal:Jal Soreq valley had a deterministic impact during the settlement and expansion phases of ancient Yavne. This preliminary study highlights the importance of detailed geoarchaeological investigations to decipher ancient landscapes that are found to be substantially different from today's.

References Avron M. 1973. Sediment Yield and Differences in Erosional Regimes in Several Streams of Israel. M.A. thesis. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Hebrew). Bar A., Haddad E., Asscher Y., Zuiden A. van, Elimelech C., Bookman R. and Zviely D. This volume. Beachrock Finds at Yavne-East Excavations: Preliminary Results. Brink E.C.M. van den, Ackermann O.,Anker Y., DrayY., ltach G., Jakoel E., Kaput R, RoskinJ. and Weiner. S. 2019. Chalcolithic Groundwater Mining in the Southern Levant: Open, Vertical Shafts in the Late Chalcolithic Central Coastal Plain Settlement Landscape of Israel. Levant 51(3):236-270.

22* I Yavne and Its Secrets

Dan J., Fine P. and Lavee H. 2007. The Soils of the Land of Israel. Jerusalem (Hebrew). Dan J., Yaalon D.H., Koyumdjisky H. and Raz Z. 19 72. The Soil Association Map of Israel. Israel Journal of Earth Sciences 21:29-49 (Hebrew). Dan J., Yaalon D.H., Koyumdjisky H. and Raz Z. 1976. The Soils of Israel (Volcani Center Institute of Soils and Water Pamphlet 159). Bet Dagan (Hebrew). Frumkin A., Stein M. and Goldstein S.L. 2022. High Resolution Environmental Conditions of the Last Interglacial (MIS5e) in the Levant from Sr, C and O Isotopes from a Jerusalem Stalagmite. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 586:110761. Gophna R., Paz Y. and Taxel I. 2010. Al-Maghar: an Early Bronze Age Walled Town in the Lower Soreq Valley and the EB IB-II Sequence in the Central Coastal Plain of Israel. Strata: BAIAS 28:9-37. Govmap - Soil Types Layer https://www.govmap.gov.il/?c=197509.43,661024.28&z=5&lay =SOIL_TYPES (retrieved 11 January 2022) Hare! M., Amit R, Porat N. and Enzel Y. 2017. Evolution of the Southeastern Mediterranean Coastal Plain. In M. Hare!, R Amit, N. Porat and Y. Enzel eds. Quaternary of the Levant: Environments, Climate Change, and Humans. Cambridge. Pp. 433-446. Inbar M., Tamir M.I. and Wittenberg L. 1998. Runoff and Erosion Processes After a Forest Fire in Mount Carmel, a Mediterranean Area. Geomorphology 24(1):17-33. Itach G., Brink E.C.M. van den, Golan D., Zwiebel E.G., Cohen-Weinberger A., Shemer M., Haklay G.,Ackermann 0., Roskin J., Regev J., Boaretto E. and Turgeman-Yaffe Z. 2019. Late Chalcolithic Remains South ofWienhaus Street in Yehud, Central Coastal Plain, Israel.Journal of the Israel Prehistoric Society 49: 19 0-28 3. Jakoel E. and Rauchberger L. 2014. El-Jisr. HA-ES! 126 (August 28) https://www.hadashot-esi. org.il/report_detail_eng.aspx?id=9565&mag_id=121 (accessed July 23, 2022). Laronne J.B. and Shulker 0. 2002. The Effect of Urbanization on the Drainage System in a Semiarid Environment In E.W. Strecker and W.C. Huber eds. Global Solutions for Urban Drainage (Proceedings of the Ninth International Conference on Urban Drainage, Portland, OR, 8-13 September 2002). Reston, VI. Pp. 1-10. Malinsky-Buller A., Barzilai 0., Ayalon A., Bar-Matthews M., Birkenfeld M., Porat N., Ron H., Roskin J. and Ackermann 0. 2016. The Age of the Lower Paleolithic Site of Kefar Menachem West, Israel-Another Facet of Acheulian Variability. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 10:350-362. Negev M., Simin A and Keller P. 1970. Surface Water in the Soreq Drainage Near the Coas tal Road. Taha/ report HG/70/024. Tel-Aviv (Hebrew). Nir Y. 1964. Studies on Recent Coarse Clastic Sediments from Nahal Soreq. Israel Journal of Earth Sciences 13(1):27. Porat N., Lopez G.I., Lensky N., Elinson R., Avni Y., Elgart-Sharon Y., Faershtein G. and Gadot Y. 2019. Using Portable OSL Reader to Obtain a Time Scale for Soil Accumulation and Erosion in Archaeological Terraces, the Judean Highlands, Israel. Quaternary Geochronology 49: 65-70.

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Reeder P., Pol H.M., Bauman P., Darawsha M., Workman V., Yanklevitz S., Freund R and Savage C. 2019. From Bethsaida to Yavne and Beyond. In F. Strickert and R. Freund eds. A Festschrift in Honor of Rami Arav ''And They Came to Bethsaida ...". Newcastle Upon Tyne. Robins L., Roskin J., Yu L., Bookman R. and Greenbaum N. 2022. Aeolian-Fluvial Processes Control Landscape Evolution Along Dunefield Margins of the Northwestern Negev (Israel) Since the Late Quaternary. Quaternary Science Reviews 285:107520. Roskin J., Asscher Y. and Bennestein N. 2021. Function and Development Stages of WadiTerrace and Field Walls in the Nahal Zanoah Valley; Judean Foothills, Israel. Judea and Samaria Research Studies 30(2):189- 220 (Hebrew). Roskin J., Asscher Y., Khalaily H., Ackermann 0. and Vardi J. 2022. The Palaeoenvironment and the Environmental Impact of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic Motza Megasite and its Surrounding Mediterranean Landscape in the Central Judean Highlands (Israel). Mediterranean Geoscience Reviews 4:215-245. Roskin J., Sivan D., Shtienberg G., Porat N. and Bookman R 2017. Holocene Beach Buildup and Coastal Aeolian Sand Incursions off the Nile Littoral Cell. Geophysical Research Abstracts 19:844. Roskin J., SivanD., Shtienberg G., Roskin E., PoratN. and Bookman R. 2015. Natural and Human Controls of the Holocene Evolution of the Beach, Aeolian Sand and Dunes of Caesarea (Israel). Aeolian Research 19A:65-85. Roskin J. and Taxel I. 2021. "He Who Revives Dead Land": Groundwater Harvesting Agroecosystems in Sand Along the Southeastern Mediterranean Coast Since Early Medieval Times. Mediterranean Geoscience Reviews 3(3):293-318. Ryb U., Matmon A, Porat N. and Katz 0. 2013. From Mass-Wasting to Slope Stabilization: Putting Constrains on a Tectonically Induced Transition in Slope Erosion Mode: A Case Study in the Judea Hills, Israel. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 38( 6):551-560. Schaffer G. and Levin N. 2016. Reconstructing Nineteenth Century Landscapes from Historical Maps-the Survey of Western Palestine as a Case Study. Landscape Research 41(3):360-379. Taxel I., Sivan D., Bookman R. and Roskin J. 2018. An Early Islamic Inter-Settlement Agroecosystem in the Coastal Sand of the Yavneh Dunefield, Israel. Journal of Field Archaeology 43 (7) :551-569. Weiner S. 2010. Microarchaeology: Beyond the Visible Archaeological Record. Cambridge. Zaidner Y., Porat N., Zilberman E., Herzlinger G., Almogi-Labin A. and Roskin, J. 2018. GeoChronological Context of the Open-Air Acheulian Site at Nahal Hesi, Northwestern Negev; Israel. Quaternary International 464A:18-31.

Land and Sea: On the Relationships, Similarities, and Differences between Yavne and Yavne-Yam from the Persian to the Beginning of the Crusader Period Itamar Taxel1

In antiquity, the southern coastal plain of historical Palestine {between Na}:ial Yarqon and Na}:ial Besor) had a unique phenomenon in terms of local settlement patterns and inter-settlement relationships, namely the development of pairs of inland and seashore urban/semi-urban centers that shared a similar name and nurtured connections based on mutual reliance alongside lines of independence and uniqueness. This paper discusses the northernmost pair of these "twin cities," i.e., Yavne and Yavne-Yam {Figs. 1, 2). 2 Although the first major phase of existence of both settlements occurred as early as the Middle Bronze Age 11, this study only concentrates on the Persian period until the beginning of the Crusader period {fifth century BCE-twelfth century CE). 3 This article is based on the preliminary published Yavne-Yam excavations and Yavne Map survey projects {see below) and on the published and unpublished results of many excavations carried out in Yavne, mainly before the present mega-excavation. Considering this vast amount of data, in the following pages, I will rather briefly describe the historical evidence and primarily focus on the archaeological findings regarding Yavne and Yavne-Yam {and, to a

1

2

3

This article is dedicated to the blessed memory of my teacher, colleague, and friend, Professor Emeritus Moshe Fischer, who passed away on August 22, 2021. Under the auspices of his academic home, Tel Aviv University (hereafter TAU), Moshe dedicated much of his time during the last three decades to the investigation of ancient Yavne, Yavne-Yam, and their surroundings, and I will always be grateful for the opportunity I had to work with him on these projects. The two other most prominent pairs of this kind were Ashdod and Ashdod-Yam and Gaza and Gaza Maiumas. For the archaeology of Yavne in the Middle and Late Bronze and Iron Ages, see Fischer and Taxel 2007:215-218; Kletter and Nagar 2015; Kletter, Ziffer and Zwickel 2010; Kletter, Zwickel and Ziffer, this volume. For Yavne-Yam in the same periods, see Fischer 2005:176183; 2008:2073; Uziel 2008:54-114.

26* I Yavne and Its Secrets

lesser extent-their hinterland/s) during the discussed time period in an attempt to provide a first cross-period and simultaneous assessment of both sites.

General Background Yavne was one of the major ancient cities in the southern coastal plain of Israel, situated about midway between Jaffa and Ashdod and 7 km east of the Mediterranean (Fig. 1). The main part of the site of ancient Yavne is a large, raised tel ( c. 150 dunams in size), which developed on a natural kurkar (fossilized sandstone) hill located close to the western bank of Nal:ial Soreq, the main river of the area (Fig. 2:1). Surface finds and architectural remains indicate that the mound was inhabited, possibly even continuously, between the MB II and British Mandate times, although virtually in every period the plain and hills that surround the tel were also inhabited or used for various activities (primarily funerary or industrial; see below).4 Although the former Arab village ofYubna (situated on the mound) and the medieval monuments inside and around it were already documented in the late nineteenth century CE, modern archaeological research at the site began only in the mid-twentieth century and continues to the present day. This activity includes dozens of (mostly salvage) excavations carried out by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) and a thorough regional survey of the Map of Yavne (Archaeological Survey of Israel, no. 75) carried out by M. Fischer and the author on behalf of Tel Aviv University (TAU). 5 The site ofYavne-Yam is located about 7 km northwest of the modern city ofYavne and 2.5 km to the south of Nal:ial Soreq's estuary (Fig. 1). It developed on the shore of a small natural bay which was delimited from the south by a promontory that protrudes c. 75 m into the sea (Fig. 2:2). In ancient times, this bay served as one of the few anchorages located on the southern coast of Israel (Galili 2009). The ancient settlement stretched to the east and northeast of the promontory covering an area of approximately 250 dunams delimited to the north, east and south by MB II earth ramparts. 6 The site was inhabited, probably continuously, until the beginning of the Crusader period (early twelfth century CE) while only temporarily occupied during

4

5

6

Although the recent excavations revealed evidence for a Chalcolithic-period settlement on the plain to the east of Tel Yavne (Fadida et al. 2021; Abadi-Reiss, Betzer and Varga 2022) there is currently no indication that the mound itself was inhabited prior to the MB II. The final survey results are yet unpublished; for a preliminary discussion of the survey results and a review of excavations as for the early 2000s see Fischer and Taxel 2007. In Yavne-Yam, no evidence of a pre-MB II occupation has yet been found. However, intensive activity from the Chalcolithic period and the Early Bronze Age was found in various locations to the north and northeast of the site (e.g., Gorzalczany 2018).

Land and Sea: On the Relationships, Similarities, and Differences between Yavne and Yavne-Yam I

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