Books by George A. Pierce
Collection of papers on the archaeology and history of the ancient Land of Israel, in honor of J.... more Collection of papers on the archaeology and history of the ancient Land of Israel, in honor of J. R. Chadwick's 66th birthday
The city of Dothan appears both in the Joseph narratives (Genesis 37) and as the city to which El... more The city of Dothan appears both in the Joseph narratives (Genesis 37) and as the city to which Elisha the prophet fled from the Arameans--and where the king of the Arameans sent an army to attempt to retrieve him (2 Kings 6:13). In the late 1950s and early 1960s, excavations at the site were sponsored by Wheaton College (Illinois), with Joseph P. Free as Director. This first volume publishes the results of those excavations and will be welcomed by all who wish to study the material at greater length.
Chapters on the history of the expedition, methodology, Early Bronze Age and Late Bronze Age, the Iron Age, the Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine eras are complemented by studies on stone and metal artifacts, Iron II seal impressions, and Rhodian stamp seal impressions. The volume is profusely illustrated, with more than 200 photos and drawings and 2 color plates.
Papers by George A. Pierce
The History and Archaeology of Jaffa 2, Nov 2017
Burke, Aaron A., Shelley Wachsmann, Simona Avnaim-Katav, Richard K. Dunn, Krister Kowalski, Georg... more Burke, Aaron A., Shelley Wachsmann, Simona Avnaim-Katav, Richard K. Dunn, Krister Kowalski, George A. Pierce, and Martin Peilstöcker. 2017. Jaffa’s Ancient Inland Harbor: Historical, Cartographic, and Geomorphological Data. In The History and Archaeology of Jaffa 2, edited by A. A. Burke, K. S. Burke, and M. Peilstöcker, pp. 89–110. The Jaffa Cultural Heritage Project 2. Monumenta Archaeologica 41, A. A. Burke and M. Peilstöcker, eds., Cotsen Institute of Archaeology Press, Los Angeles, California.
This initial study in the Ioppa Maritima intiative, was conducted in connection with the Jaffa Cultural Heritage Project in 2014. Through written, iconographic, and geomorphological sources it addresses the potential for identifying the Bronze and Iron Age anchorage to the east of Tel Yafo in Tel Aviv-Jaffa.
by Aaron A Burke, Amy B Karoll, George A. Pierce, Nadia Ben-Marzouk, Jacob C . Damm, Andrew J Danielson, Brett Kaufman, Krystal V. Lords Pierce, Felix Höflmayer, Brian Damiata, and Heidi Dodgen Fessler American Journal of Archaeology, Dec 2016
Excavations of the Egyptian New Kingdom fortress in Jaffa (Tel Yafo, ancient Yapu), on the southe... more Excavations of the Egyptian New Kingdom fortress in Jaffa (Tel Yafo, ancient Yapu), on the southern side of Tel Aviv, were renewed by the Jaffa Cultural Heritage Project from 2011 to 2014. This work is an outgrowth of the project’s reappraisal of Jacob Kaplan’s excavations in the Ramesses Gate area from 1955 to 1962. As the Egyptian fortress in Jaffa is the only one excavated in Canaan, its archaeological record provides a unique perspective on resistance to Egyptian rule from ca. 1460 to 1125 B.C.E., but especially during the second half of the 12th century B.C.E., when Jaffa was twice destroyed. Radiocarbon dates from these two destructions are presented, and it is suggested that they offer the clearest basis thus far for proposing ca. 1125 B.C.E. as a terminus post quem for the end of Egyptian rule in Canaan. The archaeological evidence, taken together with textual sources, yields a picture of local resistance to the Egyptian military presence in Jaffa likely originating in Canaanite centers located throughout the coastal plain.
Journal of Field Archaeology, 2008
Abstract: During the Middle Bronze Age (MB) II period (ca. 1750–1600 BC), Tel Kabri, located in t... more Abstract: During the Middle Bronze Age (MB) II period (ca. 1750–1600 BC), Tel Kabri, located in the western Galilee, Israel, was the center of a thriving polity with economic and cultural connections to Egypt, Cyprus, and the Aegean. While Kabri and some neighboring sites have been partially excavated, the rise and fall of the polity has not been clearly understood. We present evidence from the Kabri Archaeological Project (KAP) to reconstruct shifting settlement patterns, demography, and aspects of trade in the Kabri hinterland from ...
Journal of Field Archaeology, 2008
Abstract: During the Middle Bronze Age (MB) II period (ca. 1750–1600 BC), Tel Kabri, located in t... more Abstract: During the Middle Bronze Age (MB) II period (ca. 1750–1600 BC), Tel Kabri, located in the western Galilee, Israel, was the center of a thriving polity with economic and cultural connections to Egypt, Cyprus, and the Aegean. While Kabri and some neighboring sites have been partially excavated, the rise and fall of the polity has not been clearly understood. We present evidence from the Kabri Archaeological Project (KAP) to reconstruct shifting settlement patterns, demography, and aspects of trade in the Kabri hinterland from ...
In 2009 the Jaffa Cultural Heritage Project undertook a pilot-project excavation within the soon-... more In 2009 the Jaffa Cultural Heritage Project undertook a pilot-project excavation within the soon-to-be-renovated visitor’s centre in Qedumim Square. These excavations were intended to clarify stratigraphic questions within area C of Jacob Kaplan’s excavations (1961, 1965) and to lay the groundwork for future excavations by the project which was founded in 2007 as a partnership between UCLA and the Israel Antiquities Authority. Along with achieving these goals, the excavations exposed one of the best preserved examples of Hellenistic architecture in the southern Levant and confirmed the employment of a Hippodamian-style town plan from as early as the late Persian period.
The History and Archaeology of Jaffa 1, M. Peilstocker and A. Burke (eds., 2011
Near Eastern Archaeology 73: 20-21, 2010
Talks by George A. Pierce
Conference Presentations by George A. Pierce
The maritime cultural landscape of the central coastal plain of Canaan, centered on the port city... more The maritime cultural landscape of the central coastal plain of Canaan, centered on the port city of Jaffa and its hinterland, flourished as a nexus between sea and land, culture and nature, during the Middle Bronze Age. This study attempts to establish the cultural and temporal foundations of Jaffa as a maritime outlet for larger centers on the coastal plain and addresses questions about the role of the region in maritime and terrestrial commerce and the socio-economic relationship between Jaffa and its hinterland by focusing on the settlement patterns and settlement systems, the relationship between the sites in the pattern, within their coastal environment. The pattern of sites and their ceramic chronology illuminate broader topics of settlement and society in the MB such as the spatial sequence of the re-urbanization of Canaan and the degree to which the Amorite cultural koiné is present in the archaeology of Jaffa and its neighbors. Although the region has been previously treated in various syntheses, new interpretations of Jacob Kaplan’s excavations in the region as well as survey and excavation data, from both salvage and research operations, collected in the last thirty years necessitate this re-analysis of the settlement patterns and systems in the greater Tel Aviv-Yafo metropolitan area and present an opportunity to examine the establishment and development of a port and its hinterland on the eastern Mediterranean littoral.
"Studies of the archaeology of the Philistine phenomenon in the southern Levant largely focus on ... more "Studies of the archaeology of the Philistine phenomenon in the southern Levant largely focus on the stages of initial settlement in the 12th century BCE (Iron Age IA) and the differences in material culture between the Philistines and neighboring indigenous peoples. With notable exceptions, such discussions are mostly silent about the 11th and early 10th centuries BCE (Iron Age IB) and about sites considered ancillary to the core Philistine settlement area in the southern coastal plain of modern Israel. Recent treatments of the Philistine ceramic corpus have brought to light some little-known combinations of forms and decorative schemes of the 11th century BCE and fueled renewed investigations into Philistine foodways, including cooking techniques and choices in cuisine.
This study presents Iron Age IB Philistine forms and decoration recently identified within the pottery recovered by Jacob Kaplan during his excavations in Jaffa (1955–74) with special attention given to cooking vessels. Combined with particular faunal evidence, the pottery illustrates some of the food preparation and consumption choices made by Jaffa’s Iron IB residents. Special attention is given to regional ceramic parallels to situate Jaffa within the larger Iron IB cultural landscape of the central coastal plain. Based on the evidence presented in this study, the role of Jaffa in the Philistine settlement in the Yarkon River basin and the social organization of the region must be re-considered."
"Intensive examinations of the effects of New Kingdom Egyptian imperialism over the last two deca... more "Intensive examinations of the effects of New Kingdom Egyptian imperialism over the last two decades necessitate a reconsideration of the question of Late Bronze Age settlement patterns in the southern Levant that take into account nuances made possible by a clearer understanding of settlement types and historical developments during the Late Bronze Age. In these respects, the Late Bronze Age in the Levant has greatly suffered owing conclusions lacking diachronic nuance asserting population decline as the overarching result of settlement pattern shifts. Attempts to expose the nature of settlement system changes over the course of the Late Bronze Age primarily rely on Amarna letters and Ramesside artifacts, which present a static picture of settlement conditions following initial Egyptian conquests.
Settlement systems analysis, focused on site location, type and inter-site relationships, is widely regarded as relevant for the potential to permit a great understanding of sociopolitical organization, economic and environmental strategies, and for revealing patterns of domination. Data from surveys, research excavations, and salvage operations permit such an analysis for a case study using centered on Jaffa and its coastal hinterland. The results of this synthesis of archaeological and historical data will detail the diachronic developments that were the result of Egyptian imperialism in Canaan, a dynamic phenomenon that progressed through a series of distinct stages corresponding largely with Egyptian historical chronology.
"
Jaffa has a long history as a hub for maritime trade stretching from the Bronze Age to the presen... more Jaffa has a long history as a hub for maritime trade stretching from the Bronze Age to the present. Although earlier material has been recovered from areas surrounding the site, the oldest remains on the mound of Jaffa date to the Middle Bronze Age (c.2000-1550 BCE). The MBA material includes a specific ceramic ware type known as Levantine Painted Ware, usually dated to the beginning of the Middle Bronze Age. This research agenda specifically focuses on Levantine Painted Ware as an indicator of commercial or cultural connections and the nature of settlement at Jaffa during the early decades of its founding. Although this pottery remained in production throughout the duration of the Middle Bronze Age, a decline in production is indicated by the small numbers of fragments recovered from late Middle Bronze Age contexts. The geographic spread of Levantine Painted Ware demonstrates its international character, having been found along the eastern Mediterranean coast from northern Syria, through the Levant, to Aswan in Egypt. The appearance of this ceramic group at Jaffa shows that the newly-founded city already had connections, either culturally or commercially, with the larger Near Eastern world. Examination of the other ceramics found in association with the painted pottery should elucidate these relations.
"The Late Bronze Bichrome Ware of Jaffa
Bichrome Ware has long been considered a fossil direct... more "The Late Bronze Bichrome Ware of Jaffa
Bichrome Ware has long been considered a fossil directeur of the Late Bronze Age I. In her typology of Bichrome forms, Claire Epstein noted the presence of several unpublished fragments in the Jaffa Museum. Except for a few profiles in Epstein’s volume and a color photograph of a single vessel in a book by Jacob Kaplan, the LB Bichrome pottery recovered at Jaffa has not been thoroughly treated. This ware has been found in the main area of Kaplan’s excavations in the center of the tell and in excavation areas on the eastern side of the mound. This study examines the forms and decoration of LB Bichrome at Jaffa and presents supplementary parallels to the typology developed by Epstein. Consideration of locally made pottery and imported ceramics from Cyprus and Egypt, recovered from the same stratum, communicate a more holistic picture of the LB I ceramics and the wider sphere of cultural interaction at Jaffa.
"
At the present time, there is an increasing availability of databases of different kinds holding ... more At the present time, there is an increasing availability of databases of different kinds holding information on different aspects of cultural heritage. With modern computer applications, it is thus possible to combine vast amounts of data and analyze these in relation to each other and other sources of information. However, there are today no common standard for heritage data, and there are often problems of incompatibility between formats when records are being digitized. This paper presents some aspects on how these problems have been dealt with for two different projects. One uses the newly digitized record of ancient monuments in Sweden, and the second utilizes data collected from various sources in Israel. In order to use the data provided by the Swedish National Heritage Board in a GIS environment for research, it was necessary to rebuild the table holding the data, and combine data of different formats, using specialized software. Primary excavation and survey data from Israel and records from the Israel Antiquities Authority, combined with environmental survey data, were incorporated into a research database. Implementing this database into a GIS framework provides a platform for reassessing previous conclusions about the Chalcolithic culture (4500-3500 BCE) of the northern Negev desert in Israel. The assimilation of various types of data in both projects yields fruitful results for scholarly research in both countries.
"
Data that enable the analysis of landscape and settlements exist in a variety of formats, scal... more "
Data that enable the analysis of landscape and settlements exist in a variety of formats, scales, and map projections. Environmental data such as geology or soil maps and topographic maps providing height and slope information area also readily available in printed format. Archaeological site locations and artifact assemblages can be gleaned from published surveys and excavation reports. Yet each of these sources of data indicates either researcher bias in scale or extent, format limitations, or retains grid projections no longer in preferred use.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) facilitate the integration and analysis of these disparate data types. What once took a great amount of time and intuition using paper maps has been greatly simplified using digital information in GIS, allowing more complex and difficult questions to be asked and answered in a short amount of time. My research project here illustrates this point. After constructing a database holding various details about site locations and material culture, a re-assessment of various claims about the Chalcolithic culture of the northern Negev was made. This involved testing hypotheses about Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic population pressure using formulae from demographic archaeologists in conjunction with site catchment analysis, examining the amount of regularity between site clusters along the Nahal Beersheba and Nahal Besor, and estimating the population density and site size using both environmental and archaeological data. While these results are in no way final, the possibility of future experimentation with and refinement of these conclusions in a digital environment make GIS a valuable tool in the archaeological toolkit.
"
In Judges 19-21, Israel resolved to wage war against the sinful men of Gibeah, and a blood feud e... more In Judges 19-21, Israel resolved to wage war against the sinful men of Gibeah, and a blood feud ensued which almost eradicated the Benjaminites. While a simple reading of the text proves useful for theology or basic Israelite history, to understand the narrative better, we will explore the dynamics of the kinship ties and tribal organization in ancient Israel and comprehend certain facets of tribal warfare and blood feuds. I contend that because Israel was a blood-related, family-based kinship group with laws governing morality dating to the patriarchal narratives, Israel’s reaction to the outrage at Gibeah was typical, even expected, for their tribal society, and perhaps only their strong sense of kinship stopped the hostilities.
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Books by George A. Pierce
Chapters on the history of the expedition, methodology, Early Bronze Age and Late Bronze Age, the Iron Age, the Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine eras are complemented by studies on stone and metal artifacts, Iron II seal impressions, and Rhodian stamp seal impressions. The volume is profusely illustrated, with more than 200 photos and drawings and 2 color plates.
Papers by George A. Pierce
This initial study in the Ioppa Maritima intiative, was conducted in connection with the Jaffa Cultural Heritage Project in 2014. Through written, iconographic, and geomorphological sources it addresses the potential for identifying the Bronze and Iron Age anchorage to the east of Tel Yafo in Tel Aviv-Jaffa.
Talks by George A. Pierce
Conference Presentations by George A. Pierce
This study presents Iron Age IB Philistine forms and decoration recently identified within the pottery recovered by Jacob Kaplan during his excavations in Jaffa (1955–74) with special attention given to cooking vessels. Combined with particular faunal evidence, the pottery illustrates some of the food preparation and consumption choices made by Jaffa’s Iron IB residents. Special attention is given to regional ceramic parallels to situate Jaffa within the larger Iron IB cultural landscape of the central coastal plain. Based on the evidence presented in this study, the role of Jaffa in the Philistine settlement in the Yarkon River basin and the social organization of the region must be re-considered."
Settlement systems analysis, focused on site location, type and inter-site relationships, is widely regarded as relevant for the potential to permit a great understanding of sociopolitical organization, economic and environmental strategies, and for revealing patterns of domination. Data from surveys, research excavations, and salvage operations permit such an analysis for a case study using centered on Jaffa and its coastal hinterland. The results of this synthesis of archaeological and historical data will detail the diachronic developments that were the result of Egyptian imperialism in Canaan, a dynamic phenomenon that progressed through a series of distinct stages corresponding largely with Egyptian historical chronology.
"
Bichrome Ware has long been considered a fossil directeur of the Late Bronze Age I. In her typology of Bichrome forms, Claire Epstein noted the presence of several unpublished fragments in the Jaffa Museum. Except for a few profiles in Epstein’s volume and a color photograph of a single vessel in a book by Jacob Kaplan, the LB Bichrome pottery recovered at Jaffa has not been thoroughly treated. This ware has been found in the main area of Kaplan’s excavations in the center of the tell and in excavation areas on the eastern side of the mound. This study examines the forms and decoration of LB Bichrome at Jaffa and presents supplementary parallels to the typology developed by Epstein. Consideration of locally made pottery and imported ceramics from Cyprus and Egypt, recovered from the same stratum, communicate a more holistic picture of the LB I ceramics and the wider sphere of cultural interaction at Jaffa.
"
Data that enable the analysis of landscape and settlements exist in a variety of formats, scales, and map projections. Environmental data such as geology or soil maps and topographic maps providing height and slope information area also readily available in printed format. Archaeological site locations and artifact assemblages can be gleaned from published surveys and excavation reports. Yet each of these sources of data indicates either researcher bias in scale or extent, format limitations, or retains grid projections no longer in preferred use.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) facilitate the integration and analysis of these disparate data types. What once took a great amount of time and intuition using paper maps has been greatly simplified using digital information in GIS, allowing more complex and difficult questions to be asked and answered in a short amount of time. My research project here illustrates this point. After constructing a database holding various details about site locations and material culture, a re-assessment of various claims about the Chalcolithic culture of the northern Negev was made. This involved testing hypotheses about Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic population pressure using formulae from demographic archaeologists in conjunction with site catchment analysis, examining the amount of regularity between site clusters along the Nahal Beersheba and Nahal Besor, and estimating the population density and site size using both environmental and archaeological data. While these results are in no way final, the possibility of future experimentation with and refinement of these conclusions in a digital environment make GIS a valuable tool in the archaeological toolkit.
"
Chapters on the history of the expedition, methodology, Early Bronze Age and Late Bronze Age, the Iron Age, the Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine eras are complemented by studies on stone and metal artifacts, Iron II seal impressions, and Rhodian stamp seal impressions. The volume is profusely illustrated, with more than 200 photos and drawings and 2 color plates.
This initial study in the Ioppa Maritima intiative, was conducted in connection with the Jaffa Cultural Heritage Project in 2014. Through written, iconographic, and geomorphological sources it addresses the potential for identifying the Bronze and Iron Age anchorage to the east of Tel Yafo in Tel Aviv-Jaffa.
This study presents Iron Age IB Philistine forms and decoration recently identified within the pottery recovered by Jacob Kaplan during his excavations in Jaffa (1955–74) with special attention given to cooking vessels. Combined with particular faunal evidence, the pottery illustrates some of the food preparation and consumption choices made by Jaffa’s Iron IB residents. Special attention is given to regional ceramic parallels to situate Jaffa within the larger Iron IB cultural landscape of the central coastal plain. Based on the evidence presented in this study, the role of Jaffa in the Philistine settlement in the Yarkon River basin and the social organization of the region must be re-considered."
Settlement systems analysis, focused on site location, type and inter-site relationships, is widely regarded as relevant for the potential to permit a great understanding of sociopolitical organization, economic and environmental strategies, and for revealing patterns of domination. Data from surveys, research excavations, and salvage operations permit such an analysis for a case study using centered on Jaffa and its coastal hinterland. The results of this synthesis of archaeological and historical data will detail the diachronic developments that were the result of Egyptian imperialism in Canaan, a dynamic phenomenon that progressed through a series of distinct stages corresponding largely with Egyptian historical chronology.
"
Bichrome Ware has long been considered a fossil directeur of the Late Bronze Age I. In her typology of Bichrome forms, Claire Epstein noted the presence of several unpublished fragments in the Jaffa Museum. Except for a few profiles in Epstein’s volume and a color photograph of a single vessel in a book by Jacob Kaplan, the LB Bichrome pottery recovered at Jaffa has not been thoroughly treated. This ware has been found in the main area of Kaplan’s excavations in the center of the tell and in excavation areas on the eastern side of the mound. This study examines the forms and decoration of LB Bichrome at Jaffa and presents supplementary parallels to the typology developed by Epstein. Consideration of locally made pottery and imported ceramics from Cyprus and Egypt, recovered from the same stratum, communicate a more holistic picture of the LB I ceramics and the wider sphere of cultural interaction at Jaffa.
"
Data that enable the analysis of landscape and settlements exist in a variety of formats, scales, and map projections. Environmental data such as geology or soil maps and topographic maps providing height and slope information area also readily available in printed format. Archaeological site locations and artifact assemblages can be gleaned from published surveys and excavation reports. Yet each of these sources of data indicates either researcher bias in scale or extent, format limitations, or retains grid projections no longer in preferred use.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) facilitate the integration and analysis of these disparate data types. What once took a great amount of time and intuition using paper maps has been greatly simplified using digital information in GIS, allowing more complex and difficult questions to be asked and answered in a short amount of time. My research project here illustrates this point. After constructing a database holding various details about site locations and material culture, a re-assessment of various claims about the Chalcolithic culture of the northern Negev was made. This involved testing hypotheses about Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic population pressure using formulae from demographic archaeologists in conjunction with site catchment analysis, examining the amount of regularity between site clusters along the Nahal Beersheba and Nahal Besor, and estimating the population density and site size using both environmental and archaeological data. While these results are in no way final, the possibility of future experimentation with and refinement of these conclusions in a digital environment make GIS a valuable tool in the archaeological toolkit.
"