Ashdod-Yam is an important archaeological site with a history spanning the Late Bronze Age to the... more Ashdod-Yam is an important archaeological site with a history spanning the Late Bronze Age to the early Islamic period. The Hellenistic period marked an important phase for the site, when its acropolis served as a military base. This report presents the interim results of recent excavations that focused on the Hellenistic period at Ashdod-Yam. Based on the numismatic and ceramic evidence, the stronghold was established in the first half of the 2nd century BCE and should be considered within the framework of Seleucid military activity. Although it is difficult to determine under which Seleucid king this military stronghold was initially commissioned, it was most probably reinforced in the days of Antiochus VII Sidetes by his general Cendebaeus and then destroyed by John Hyrcanus I towards the end of his reign. The precision in dating the Hellenistic occupation at Ashdod-Yam offers a rare window into the life of a 2nd-century BCE coastal military settlement, enriching our knowledge of the site and contributing new insights into the region’s historical and cultural developments.
Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies , 2024
The remains of the Iron Age at Ashdod-Yam (Ashdod-by the-Sea), located at the southern coastal pl... more The remains of the Iron Age at Ashdod-Yam (Ashdod-by the-Sea), located at the southern coastal plain of Israel, were first investigated by Jacob Kaplan between 1965 and 1968. Renewed excavations at the Iron Age compound of Ashdod-Yam and at additional areas across the site were initiated in 2013, on behalf of the Institute of Archaeology at Tel Aviv University. This article presents an interim report of architectural remains and accompanying finds associated with the Iron Age sequence at Ashdod-Yam. The remains were attributed to two strata: Stratum IV (Iron Age IIB) and Stratum III (Iron Age IIC). This endeavor enables a new assessment and analysis of the site’s significance in a broader regional context during various stages of the late Iron Age.
Excavations at Ashdod-Yam exposed a fortification system that features a massive mudbrick wall wi... more Excavations at Ashdod-Yam exposed a fortification system that features a massive mudbrick wall with large earthen ramparts laid on either side. This fortified horseshoe-shaped enclosure once surrounded what was likely a human-made harbor and an adjacent acropolis with complex earthen architecture, constructed and active during Iron Age IIB-C (eighth-seventh centuries B.C.E.). These Iron Age public structures are at the center of the current research. In this paper, we present the geoarchaeological analyses of Ashdod-Yam's earthen architecture. We applied a multidisciplinary methodology to new evidence for mudbrick manufacture with the goal of understanding the relationship between governing bodies and craftsmen. The analyses combine X‐ray fluorescence, loss on ignition, environmental scanning electron microscopy, and thin‐section petrography to investigate raw material procurement, manufacturing choices, and labor organization at Ashdod‐Yam during Iron IIB–C. Construction techniques and the standardization of the mudbrick recipe point to a local enterprise regarding the site's public earthen architecture. Furthermore, the degree of labor organization must have been closely observed and supervised by a central political power. Thus, it is argued here that construction and maintenance of the site was carried out by the kingdom of Ashdod, either as a part of its own local initiative or on behalf of the Neo‐Assyrian empire.
Bulletin of the American Society of Overseas Research, 2022
The destructions caused by the military campaigns of the Neo-Assyrian empire in the southern Leva... more The destructions caused by the military campaigns of the Neo-Assyrian empire in the southern Levant during the Iron Age IIB and IIC (8th-7th centuries B.C.E.) led to mass deportations of local populations and a forced displacement of refugees. Although several studies in recent years have focused their attention on displacement and refugees in the ancient Near East during the period in question, they often deal with large scale processes, while generally neglecting more localized phenomena. Such phenomena include, among others, post-destruction squatter phases. These frequently overlooked strata reflect the resettlement of a site following its destruction by local individuals who were forced, to some degree, to leave their homes for an unknown period. This paper attempts to define some of these post-destruction squatter phases in the archaeological record during the Iron IIB-C through the analysis of nine case studies, and to examine this phenomenon from a refugee standpoint.
This article presents a summary of excavations that took place some 30 years ago at Horvat Tov, a... more This article presents a summary of excavations that took place some 30 years ago at Horvat Tov, a late Iron Age fortress in the northeastern Negev. The finds suggest that Horvat Tov was established in the transitional period from the Iron IIB and IIC, and was destroyed like most of the other sites in the region at the end of the 7th or early 6th century BCE. The study reconstructs the historical framework of Judah’s southern frontier, with an emphasis on the Arad–Beer-sheba Valley during the 7th century BCE, and examines the ties between Horvat Tov, the nearby fortress at Tel Arad, and other fortresses in the region at the end of the Iron Age.
Ashdod-Yam is an important archaeological site with a history spanning the Late Bronze Age to the... more Ashdod-Yam is an important archaeological site with a history spanning the Late Bronze Age to the early Islamic period. The Hellenistic period marked an important phase for the site, when its acropolis served as a military base. This report presents the interim results of recent excavations that focused on the Hellenistic period at Ashdod-Yam. Based on the numismatic and ceramic evidence, the stronghold was established in the first half of the 2nd century BCE and should be considered within the framework of Seleucid military activity. Although it is difficult to determine under which Seleucid king this military stronghold was initially commissioned, it was most probably reinforced in the days of Antiochus VII Sidetes by his general Cendebaeus and then destroyed by John Hyrcanus I towards the end of his reign. The precision in dating the Hellenistic occupation at Ashdod-Yam offers a rare window into the life of a 2nd-century BCE coastal military settlement, enriching our knowledge of the site and contributing new insights into the region’s historical and cultural developments.
Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies , 2024
The remains of the Iron Age at Ashdod-Yam (Ashdod-by the-Sea), located at the southern coastal pl... more The remains of the Iron Age at Ashdod-Yam (Ashdod-by the-Sea), located at the southern coastal plain of Israel, were first investigated by Jacob Kaplan between 1965 and 1968. Renewed excavations at the Iron Age compound of Ashdod-Yam and at additional areas across the site were initiated in 2013, on behalf of the Institute of Archaeology at Tel Aviv University. This article presents an interim report of architectural remains and accompanying finds associated with the Iron Age sequence at Ashdod-Yam. The remains were attributed to two strata: Stratum IV (Iron Age IIB) and Stratum III (Iron Age IIC). This endeavor enables a new assessment and analysis of the site’s significance in a broader regional context during various stages of the late Iron Age.
Excavations at Ashdod-Yam exposed a fortification system that features a massive mudbrick wall wi... more Excavations at Ashdod-Yam exposed a fortification system that features a massive mudbrick wall with large earthen ramparts laid on either side. This fortified horseshoe-shaped enclosure once surrounded what was likely a human-made harbor and an adjacent acropolis with complex earthen architecture, constructed and active during Iron Age IIB-C (eighth-seventh centuries B.C.E.). These Iron Age public structures are at the center of the current research. In this paper, we present the geoarchaeological analyses of Ashdod-Yam's earthen architecture. We applied a multidisciplinary methodology to new evidence for mudbrick manufacture with the goal of understanding the relationship between governing bodies and craftsmen. The analyses combine X‐ray fluorescence, loss on ignition, environmental scanning electron microscopy, and thin‐section petrography to investigate raw material procurement, manufacturing choices, and labor organization at Ashdod‐Yam during Iron IIB–C. Construction techniques and the standardization of the mudbrick recipe point to a local enterprise regarding the site's public earthen architecture. Furthermore, the degree of labor organization must have been closely observed and supervised by a central political power. Thus, it is argued here that construction and maintenance of the site was carried out by the kingdom of Ashdod, either as a part of its own local initiative or on behalf of the Neo‐Assyrian empire.
Bulletin of the American Society of Overseas Research, 2022
The destructions caused by the military campaigns of the Neo-Assyrian empire in the southern Leva... more The destructions caused by the military campaigns of the Neo-Assyrian empire in the southern Levant during the Iron Age IIB and IIC (8th-7th centuries B.C.E.) led to mass deportations of local populations and a forced displacement of refugees. Although several studies in recent years have focused their attention on displacement and refugees in the ancient Near East during the period in question, they often deal with large scale processes, while generally neglecting more localized phenomena. Such phenomena include, among others, post-destruction squatter phases. These frequently overlooked strata reflect the resettlement of a site following its destruction by local individuals who were forced, to some degree, to leave their homes for an unknown period. This paper attempts to define some of these post-destruction squatter phases in the archaeological record during the Iron IIB-C through the analysis of nine case studies, and to examine this phenomenon from a refugee standpoint.
This article presents a summary of excavations that took place some 30 years ago at Horvat Tov, a... more This article presents a summary of excavations that took place some 30 years ago at Horvat Tov, a late Iron Age fortress in the northeastern Negev. The finds suggest that Horvat Tov was established in the transitional period from the Iron IIB and IIC, and was destroyed like most of the other sites in the region at the end of the 7th or early 6th century BCE. The study reconstructs the historical framework of Judah’s southern frontier, with an emphasis on the Arad–Beer-sheba Valley during the 7th century BCE, and examines the ties between Horvat Tov, the nearby fortress at Tel Arad, and other fortresses in the region at the end of the Iron Age.
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Papers by Eli Itkin
of Ashdod-Yam and at additional areas across the site were initiated in 2013, on behalf of the Institute of Archaeology at Tel Aviv University. This article presents an interim report of architectural remains and accompanying finds associated with the Iron Age sequence at Ashdod-Yam. The remains were attributed to two strata: Stratum IV (Iron Age IIB) and Stratum III (Iron Age IIC). This endeavor enables a new assessment and analysis of the site’s significance in a broader regional context during various stages of the late Iron Age.
(For a PDF of the full publication email me at: [email protected])
of Ashdod-Yam and at additional areas across the site were initiated in 2013, on behalf of the Institute of Archaeology at Tel Aviv University. This article presents an interim report of architectural remains and accompanying finds associated with the Iron Age sequence at Ashdod-Yam. The remains were attributed to two strata: Stratum IV (Iron Age IIB) and Stratum III (Iron Age IIC). This endeavor enables a new assessment and analysis of the site’s significance in a broader regional context during various stages of the late Iron Age.
(For a PDF of the full publication email me at: [email protected])