Prof. Adi Erlich, Archaeologist and art historian from the University of Haifa (Zinman Institute of archaeology). Member of executive committee of the Association for Coroplastic Studies (ACoSt). Director of the Beth She'arim excavations. Fields of specialization: archaeology and art history of Israel in the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods
Bulletin of the American Society of Overseas Research, 2024
Paneas, situated at the foot of mount Hermon, is where the Hermon River emerges from a spring at ... more Paneas, situated at the foot of mount Hermon, is where the Hermon River emerges from a spring at the foot of a cliff with a natural cave. In the Hellenistic and Roman periods, the cave and nearby terrace served mainly for the cult of Pan. Herod the Great built in Paneas a temple to Augustus, and his son erected there his capital, Caesarea Philippi. A salvage excavation was recently conducted in front of the cave in the area that formerly was identified as Herod’s Augusteum. The new excavations have proven that during the Roman period, the place was unroofed and open to the cave, which was full of water. The water flowed out through a large aqueduct, water installations were constructed in the courtyard, and niches flanked on the west and east. The complex is dated to the last third of the 1st century c.e. and is attributed to Agrippa II, who built there a nymphaeum-triclinium facing a grotto in Italian style. Afterward, the courtyard was used as a cult place to Pan, and hydromantic rituals were performed in the cave. The sources for this complex will be discussed, as well as the changes that took place there through time.
Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, May 1, 2020
A stamp seal of the Iron Age has been found in a Late Roman level at Beth Sheʿarim, in a room tha... more A stamp seal of the Iron Age has been found in a Late Roman level at Beth Sheʿarim, in a room that collapsed in the beginning of the 5th century c.e. The seal is of the bifacial type, with two complex scenes of royal and divine imagery, and is dated ca. 1000 b.c.e., some 1400 years prior to the archaeological context in which it was found. Although there are Iron Age II finds at Beth Sheʿarim, the seal seems to have found its way to a later phase not by accident, but deliberately collected and reused in the Late Roman town. The paper will explore this unique seal and the phenomenon of readopting old seals as talisman antiques during the Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine periods in the region.
A call for papers is issued for the conference “Terracottas in the Mediterranean Through Time II”... more A call for papers is issued for the conference “Terracottas in the Mediterranean Through Time II” for March 2018.
Page 1. The Art of Hellenistic Palestine Adi Erlich BAR International Series 2010 2009 Page 2. Ta... more Page 1. The Art of Hellenistic Palestine Adi Erlich BAR International Series 2010 2009 Page 2. Table of Contents LIST OF FIGURES AND CREDITS iii PREFACE vii I. INTRODUCTION 1 HELLENISTIC PALESTINE: DEFINITIONS AND HISTORY OF RESEARCH 1 ...
This paper focuses on a 3rd–4th century AD pottery kiln from Khirbet ‘Azzun (Ra‘anana), in the Sh... more This paper focuses on a 3rd–4th century AD pottery kiln from Khirbet ‘Azzun (Ra‘anana), in the Sharon, in the central coastal plain of Israel. The kiln belongs to the updraft type, with an oval-shaped and crater-like firebox, a fuel opening on the north and spanned by brick arches designed to support the floor of the missing ware chamber. Like many other kilns in that region, it produced storage jars. Our kiln is the first from the region dating to the Roman period, to be fully studied. The kiln’s components, technology and supposed process of operation will be examined closely, in light of other kilns from Roman-Byzantine Palestine and ethnoarchaeological evidence.
Beth She‘arim was a Jewish town in the Galilee during the Roman period. Besides ritual baths, sto... more Beth She‘arim was a Jewish town in the Galilee during the Roman period. Besides ritual baths, stone vessels, and synagogues, all present at Beth She‘arim, a key property of Roman-period Jewish settlements is underground complexes. The precise time and duration of these hiding complexes in the Galilee are controversial since there is only little reliable evidence upon which to establish a date. Recent excavations at Beth She‘arim have discovered three new hiding complexes that join another previously discovered complex. Two of the three complexes were excavated and documented, and the results shed light on the historical circumstances in which these complexes were hewn. It seems that the Beth She‘arim hiding complexes should be dated to the 2nd century CE and thus are probably related to the Bar Kokhba Revolt. Therefore, the Beth She‘arim hiding complexes constitute an important contribution to the study of the Galilee during the Bar Kokhba Revolt.
Bulletin of the American Society of Overseas Research, 2024
Paneas, situated at the foot of mount Hermon, is where the Hermon River emerges from a spring at ... more Paneas, situated at the foot of mount Hermon, is where the Hermon River emerges from a spring at the foot of a cliff with a natural cave. In the Hellenistic and Roman periods, the cave and nearby terrace served mainly for the cult of Pan. Herod the Great built in Paneas a temple to Augustus, and his son erected there his capital, Caesarea Philippi. A salvage excavation was recently conducted in front of the cave in the area that formerly was identified as Herod’s Augusteum. The new excavations have proven that during the Roman period, the place was unroofed and open to the cave, which was full of water. The water flowed out through a large aqueduct, water installations were constructed in the courtyard, and niches flanked on the west and east. The complex is dated to the last third of the 1st century c.e. and is attributed to Agrippa II, who built there a nymphaeum-triclinium facing a grotto in Italian style. Afterward, the courtyard was used as a cult place to Pan, and hydromantic rituals were performed in the cave. The sources for this complex will be discussed, as well as the changes that took place there through time.
Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, May 1, 2020
A stamp seal of the Iron Age has been found in a Late Roman level at Beth Sheʿarim, in a room tha... more A stamp seal of the Iron Age has been found in a Late Roman level at Beth Sheʿarim, in a room that collapsed in the beginning of the 5th century c.e. The seal is of the bifacial type, with two complex scenes of royal and divine imagery, and is dated ca. 1000 b.c.e., some 1400 years prior to the archaeological context in which it was found. Although there are Iron Age II finds at Beth Sheʿarim, the seal seems to have found its way to a later phase not by accident, but deliberately collected and reused in the Late Roman town. The paper will explore this unique seal and the phenomenon of readopting old seals as talisman antiques during the Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine periods in the region.
A call for papers is issued for the conference “Terracottas in the Mediterranean Through Time II”... more A call for papers is issued for the conference “Terracottas in the Mediterranean Through Time II” for March 2018.
Page 1. The Art of Hellenistic Palestine Adi Erlich BAR International Series 2010 2009 Page 2. Ta... more Page 1. The Art of Hellenistic Palestine Adi Erlich BAR International Series 2010 2009 Page 2. Table of Contents LIST OF FIGURES AND CREDITS iii PREFACE vii I. INTRODUCTION 1 HELLENISTIC PALESTINE: DEFINITIONS AND HISTORY OF RESEARCH 1 ...
This paper focuses on a 3rd–4th century AD pottery kiln from Khirbet ‘Azzun (Ra‘anana), in the Sh... more This paper focuses on a 3rd–4th century AD pottery kiln from Khirbet ‘Azzun (Ra‘anana), in the Sharon, in the central coastal plain of Israel. The kiln belongs to the updraft type, with an oval-shaped and crater-like firebox, a fuel opening on the north and spanned by brick arches designed to support the floor of the missing ware chamber. Like many other kilns in that region, it produced storage jars. Our kiln is the first from the region dating to the Roman period, to be fully studied. The kiln’s components, technology and supposed process of operation will be examined closely, in light of other kilns from Roman-Byzantine Palestine and ethnoarchaeological evidence.
Beth She‘arim was a Jewish town in the Galilee during the Roman period. Besides ritual baths, sto... more Beth She‘arim was a Jewish town in the Galilee during the Roman period. Besides ritual baths, stone vessels, and synagogues, all present at Beth She‘arim, a key property of Roman-period Jewish settlements is underground complexes. The precise time and duration of these hiding complexes in the Galilee are controversial since there is only little reliable evidence upon which to establish a date. Recent excavations at Beth She‘arim have discovered three new hiding complexes that join another previously discovered complex. Two of the three complexes were excavated and documented, and the results shed light on the historical circumstances in which these complexes were hewn. It seems that the Beth She‘arim hiding complexes should be dated to the 2nd century CE and thus are probably related to the Bar Kokhba Revolt. Therefore, the Beth She‘arim hiding complexes constitute an important contribution to the study of the Galilee during the Bar Kokhba Revolt.
The unique iconography of the Elephant mosaic panel in the Huqoq synagogue, considered by project... more The unique iconography of the Elephant mosaic panel in the Huqoq synagogue, considered by project director J. Magness as “the first non-biblical story ever found decorating an ancient synagogue”, has attracted a great deal of attention since it first began to be exposed in 2013. The synagogue is still under excavation and little has been published so far, but some of the mosaic panels of the late 4th-early 5th c. plainly depict Biblical scenes; there are also decorative motifs with inscriptions. The panel in question is set roughly in the centre of the E aisle, some 60 cm from the E wall. It faces east, to be correctly viewed by a person facing west towards the nave. Its orientation is similar to that of the nearby panel on the south, but it faces the opposite way from the Samson panel farther south.
Maresha is located in the Judean lowlands approximately 40 km southwest of Jerusalem and approxim... more Maresha is located in the Judean lowlands approximately 40 km southwest of Jerusalem and approximately 30 km southeast of Ashkelon. This volume is the final report of one of the most interesting subterranean complexes at Maresha. Located in close proximity to an area identified as a temple or shrine, its contents suggest a possible connection to this structure. It was within this cave complex that the “Heliodorus” stele was discovered (Chapter 12), along with Aramaic (Chapter 8) and Greek ostraca (Chapter 9), numerous figurines (Chapter 6), kernos lamps (Chapter 5), coins (Chapter 10), stamped handles (Chapter 7), astragals and an extraordinary array of faunal remains (Chapter 11). In addition, a 7th century BCE bulla of a sphinxa was found (Chapter 4).
Join us in advocating for campus safety, opposing academic boycotts, and combating rising antisem... more Join us in advocating for campus safety, opposing academic boycotts, and combating rising antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment in education. Please read, sign, and share our open letter to make a stand for truth, justice, and intellectual freedom in our academic communities. https://forms.gle/6VzLphuf6o6otuPo9
Y. Arbel (ed.) Excavations at the Ottoman Police Compound (Qishle) of Jaffa, 2007, 2009. Jaffa Cultural Heritage Project (Ägypten und Altes Testament 91). Münster: Zaphon, pp. 73-74. , 2021
G. Papantoniou, D. Michaelides and M. Dikomitou-Eliadou (eds.), Hellenistic and Roman Terracottas, pp. 371-382. Leiden-Boston: Brill, 2019
Ties between Cyprus and Coele Syria are evident from the earliest
periods of human history. Durin... more Ties between Cyprus and Coele Syria are evident from the earliest periods of human history. During the Hellenistic period, the Levantine terracottas were for the most part koine types, with some local characteristics. Cyprus and Coele Syria share common features in their coroplastic production, such as reoccurring types, unique types and a Ptolemaic influence. The terracottas from the region convey transformations of general Hellenistic ideas to local values and beliefs. The terracottas that compose the Levantine koine are the result of a cultural choice rather than commerce or political borders. The terracotta figurines are not mere goods but are signs of culture and identity.
G. Papantoniou, C. Morris and A.K. Vionis (eds.), Unlocking Sacred Landscapes: Spatial Analysis of Ritual and Cult in the Mediterranean (Studies in Mediterranean Archaeology), pp. 257-270, 2019
During the 4th century BC the region of the Judaean Shephelah (low hills) in south Israel became ... more During the 4th century BC the region of the Judaean Shephelah (low hills) in south Israel became an Idumaean territory. The Aramaic ostraka (inscribed sherds) from the Shephelah attest to a mixed population with a majority of Idumaean and Arab names. The region is characterised by specific types of terracotta figurines, which are local variants and adaptations of Achaemenid, Phoenician and Greek types. The favissae with terracottas from Tel Halif in the south of the region and Tel Ṣippor on its west border and close to the coast display mixed assemblages with different sources of influence, both Idumaean and non-Idumaean. In contrast, the assemblage of terracottas from the main inland town of Maresha is almost purely Idumaean and shows much conservatism and segregation. The disparity between the main town and the peripheral sites is evident also in the gender distribution of types. This chapter examines the resemblances and differences between the three assemblages, in light of the settlement hierarchy and the formation of ethnic identity conveyed by the figurines. An inter-site analysis based on geography, historical sources, epigraphical evidence and archaeological data provides a complex picture of Idumaea in the Persian period.
Ties between Cyprus and Coele Syria are evident from the earliest
periods of human history. Durin... more Ties between Cyprus and Coele Syria are evident from the earliest periods of human history. During the Hellenistic period, the Levantine terracottas were for the most part koine types, with some local characteristics. Cyprus and Coele Syria share common features in their coroplastic production, such as reoccurring types, unique types and a Ptolemaic influence. The terracottas from the region convey transformations of general Hellenistic ideas to local values and beliefs. The terracottas that compose the Levantine koine are the result of a cultural choice rather than commerce or political borders. The terracotta figurines are not mere goods but are signs of culture and identity.
in L.D. Chrupcała (ed.), Christ is Here! Studies in Biblical and Christian Archaeology in Memory of Michele Piccirillo, ofm (Studium Biblicum Franciscanum. Collectio Maior 52), Edizioni Terra Santa, Milano 2012, pp. 1-10.
Terracotta figurines of the Persian and Hellenistic periods found in subterranean complex no. 57 ... more Terracotta figurines of the Persian and Hellenistic periods found in subterranean complex no. 57 at Maresha, Idumaea (Southern Israel).
The province of Iudaea, becoming Syria Palaestina after 135 C.E., was the home for various ethnic... more The province of Iudaea, becoming Syria Palaestina after 135 C.E., was the home for various ethnicities and religions: Jews, Samaritans, Christians, local pagans of different origins, and Roman officials and soldiers. The land was occupied by pagan poleis, Roman colonies, Jewish towns and villages and Samaritan settlements. Worship was conducted in temples, shrines, synagogues and Christian prayer halls and it left a record in Greek, Aramaic, Hebrew, Samaritan and Latin inscriptions. Some of the people, from diverse backgrounds, lived side by side in the cities, others in separate communities, but they all traded and negotiated with each other. Normally the relations between the groups were peaceful and based on coexistence, though sometimes they turned into hostility and struggle. But even during peaceful times of coexistence the boundaries between the communities remained clear and religious conversions and mixed marriages were uncommon. The diversity of communities in Roman Palestine is further emphasized by their strong and distinct self-identity. The diversity and strong identity is echoed in both historical sources and the archaeological data. In our session we would like to present new studies on the archaeology of Roman Iudaea/Syria Palaestina, rendering the province as multi-ethnic and multi-religious, and presenting its inhabitants as preoccupied with their identity that is mirrored in others.
Beth Sheʿarim in Lower Galilee was an important Jewish village in the Roman period, with an exten... more Beth Sheʿarim in Lower Galilee was an important Jewish village in the Roman period, with an extensive necropolis containing lavish tombs that provided burial for Jews from across the Roman East. The necropolis is renowned for its many inscriptions in Greek, Aramaic, Hebrew, and more. Two catacombs previously unknown were discovered recently in the western part of the necropolis. Each contains a few halls shaped as corridors with arcosolium chambers along the walls. Each arcosolium accommodates 3–4 burial places. In one of the caves, two Greek inscriptions painted in red were found; one, written on a slab of stone, mentions a proselyte named Jacob, while the other, inscribed on the wall, mentions Judah, the owner of the tomb. This article deals with the catacombs and the inscriptions in the context of late Roman Palestine.
Jerusalem Journal of Archaeology 3/2: 134–163, 2023
Beth She'arim was a Jewish town in the Galilee during the Roman period. Besides ritual baths, sto... more Beth She'arim was a Jewish town in the Galilee during the Roman period. Besides ritual baths, stone vessels, and synagogues, all present at Beth She'arim, a key property of Roman-period Jewish settlements is underground complexes. The precise time and duration of these hiding complexes in the Galilee are controversial since there is only little reliable evidence upon which to establish a date. Recent excavations at Beth She'arim have discovered three new hiding complexes that join another previously discovered complex. Two of the three complexes were excavated and documented, and the results shed light on the historical circumstances in which these complexes were hewn. It seems that the Beth She'arim hiding complexes should be dated to the 2nd century CE and thus are probably related to the Bar Kokhba Revolt. Therefore, the Beth She'arim hiding complexes constitute an important contribution to the study of the Galilee during the Bar Kokhba Revolt.
A stamp seal of the Iron Age has been found in a Late Roman level at Beth Sheʿarim, in a room tha... more A stamp seal of the Iron Age has been found in a Late Roman level at Beth Sheʿarim, in a room that collapsed in the beginning of the 5th century C.E. The seal is of the bifacial type, with two complex scenes of royal and divine imagery, and is dated ca. 1000 B.C.E., some 1400 years prior to the archaeological context in which it was found. Although there are Iron Age II finds at Beth Sheʿarim, the seal seems to have found its way to a later phase not by accident, but deliberately collected and reused in the Late Roman town. The paper will explore this unique seal and the phenomenon of readopting old seals as talisman antiques during the Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine periods in the region.
Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins 138 (2022), pp. 108-121, 2022
The site of Beth She arim, located in the Lower Galilee, Israel, is famous for its Late Roman-Ear... more The site of Beth She arim, located in the Lower Galilee, Israel, is famous for its Late Roman-Early Byzantine Necropolis, with its lavish network of catacombs cut into the hillside. The urban settlement of Beth She arim was situated mainly on the hill of Šēh Abrēk. This hill dominates the Jezreel Valley from the west and the road system leading to it. An assemblage of metal artifacts dating to the 12 th to the 14 th cent. C.E. was excavated during the 2014 excavation season. The finds and their location open a window into medieval Beth She arim, a rarely discussed historical period in the history of the site. The aim of this paper is to present the assemblage and identify its significance in its landscape context. Analysis of the finds and their location point to the strategic importance of the hill of Šēh Abrēk as a dominating observation point which controls the "gates" to the Jezreel Valley.
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periods of human history. During the Hellenistic period,
the Levantine terracottas were for the most part koine types,
with some local characteristics. Cyprus and Coele Syria share
common features in their coroplastic production, such as reoccurring
types, unique types and a Ptolemaic influence. The
terracottas from the region convey transformations of general
Hellenistic ideas to local values and beliefs. The terracottas that
compose the Levantine koine are the result of a cultural choice
rather than commerce or political borders. The terracotta figurines
are not mere goods but are signs of culture and identity.
periods of human history. During the Hellenistic period,
the Levantine terracottas were for the most part koine types,
with some local characteristics. Cyprus and Coele Syria share
common features in their coroplastic production, such as reoccurring
types, unique types and a Ptolemaic influence. The
terracottas from the region convey transformations of general
Hellenistic ideas to local values and beliefs. The terracottas that
compose the Levantine koine are the result of a cultural choice
rather than commerce or political borders. The terracotta figurines
are not mere goods but are signs of culture and identity.
corridors with arcosolium chambers along the walls. Each arcosolium accommodates 3–4 burial places. In one of the caves, two Greek inscriptions painted in red were found; one, written on a slab of stone, mentions a proselyte named Jacob, while the other, inscribed on the wall, mentions Judah, the owner of the tomb. This article deals with the catacombs and the inscriptions in the context of late Roman Palestine.
of royal and divine imagery, and is dated ca. 1000 B.C.E., some 1400 years prior to the archaeological context in which it was found. Although there are Iron Age II finds at Beth Sheʿarim, the seal seems to
have found its way to a later phase not by accident, but deliberately collected and reused in the Late Roman town. The paper will explore this unique seal and the phenomenon of readopting old seals as
talisman antiques during the Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine periods in the region.