The easily accessible aeolianite sandstone ridges along the Southern Levantine coast have long pr... more The easily accessible aeolianite sandstone ridges along the Southern Levantine coast have long provided a convenient source of stone. Widespread coastal evidence for use of this sandstone, known locally as 'kurkar' rock, is demonstrated by its utilization for the building of homes and public structures dating back to the Neolithic. These activities reached their peak during the Roman and Byzantine periods, as attested by the 6th century CE coaster shipwreck, Dor 2001/1, which sank laden with recently quarried building stones in the Tantura lagoon near Tel Dor.
Here we present new evidence found underwater at Dor for the maritime transport of quarried stone along the Levantine coast, and related harbor infrastructure. A concentration of newly hewn stones has been documented resting on the seafloor, inside the Dor harbor basin. This deposit likely originated from an overturned barge used to ferry the stones. In addition to this a mooring installation, which may have been used by such barges and other vessels, was also excavated within the same harbor. These new data point to the extensive framework within which the complex enterprises of quarrying, transport, supply, use, and re-use of stone successfully operated along the Levantine coast.
Tsunami events in antiquity had a profound influence on coastal societies. Six thousand years of ... more Tsunami events in antiquity had a profound influence on coastal societies. Six thousand years of historical records and geological data show that tsunamis are a common phenomenon affecting the eastern Mediterranean coastline. However, the possible impact of older tsunamis on prehistoric societies has not been investigated. Here we report, based on optically stimulated luminescence chronology, the earliest documented Holocene tsunami event, between 9.91 to 9.29 ka (kilo-annum), from the eastern Mediterranean at Dor, Israel. Tsunami debris from the early Neolithic is composed of marine sand embedded within fresh-brackish wetland deposits. Global and local sea-level curves for the period, 9.91–9.29 ka, as well as surface elevation reconstructions, show that the tsunami had a run-up of at least ~16 m and traveled between 3.5 to 1.5 km inland from the palaeo-coastline. Submerged slump scars on the continental slope, 16 km west of Dor, point to the nearby “Dor-complex” as a likely cause. ...
This article presents new archaeological observations and multidisciplinary research from Dor, Is... more This article presents new archaeological observations and multidisciplinary research from Dor, Israel to establish a more reliable relative sea level for the Carmel Coast and Southern Levant between the Middle Bronze Age and the Roman period (ca. 3500–1800 y BP). Our record indicates a period of low relative sea level, around -2.5 m below present, from the Middle Bronze Age to the Hellenistic period (ca. 3500–2200 y BP). This was followed by a rapid rise to present levels, starting in the Hellenistic period and concluding during the Roman period (ca. 2200–1800 y BP). These Roman levels agree with other relative sea-level indications from Israel and other tectonically stable areas in the Mediterranean. Several relative sea-level reconstruction models carried out in the current study provide different predictions due to their parameters and do not model the changes observed from field data which points to a non-isostatic origin for the changes. Long-term low stable Iron Age relative s...
This article presents new archaeological observations and multidisciplinary research from Dor, Is... more This article presents new archaeological observations and multidisciplinary research from Dor, Israel to establish a more reliable relative sea level for the Carmel Coast and Southern Levant between the Middle Bronze Age and the Roman period (ca. 3500-1800 y BP). Our record indicates a period of low relative sea level, around-2.5 m below present, from the Middle Bronze Age to the Hellenistic period (ca. 3500-2200 y BP). This was followed by a rapid rise to present levels, starting in the Hellenistic period and concluding during the Roman period (ca. 2200-1800 y BP). These Roman levels agree with other relative sealevel indications from Israel and other tectonically stable areas in the Mediterranean. Several relative sea-level reconstruction models carried out in the current study provide different predictions due to their parameters and do not model the changes observed from field data which points to a non-isostatic origin for the changes. Long-term low stable Iron Age relative sea level can be seen in Dor, where Iron Age harbor structures remain around the same elevation between ca. 3100-2700 y BP. A similar pattern occurs at Atlit, the Iron Age harbor to the north used continuously from ca. 2900 y BP to the beginning of the Hellenistic period (ca. 2200 y BP). An examination of historical and archaeological sources reveals decline and occasional disappearance of Hellenistic sites along the coast of Israel at ca. 2200 y BP (2 nd century BCE), as in the case of Yavneh Yam, Ashdod Yam, Straton's Tower, and tel Taninim. In Akko-Ptolemais, the large harbor installations built in the Hellenistic period were never replaced by a substantial Roman harbor. The conclusions of this research are thus
Tsunami events in antiquity had a profound influence on coastal societies. Six thousand years of ... more Tsunami events in antiquity had a profound influence on coastal societies. Six thousand years of historical records and geological data show that tsunamis are a common phenomenon affecting the eastern Mediterranean coastline. However, the possible impact of older tsunamis on prehistoric societies has not been investigated. Here we report, based on optically stimulated luminescence chronology, the earliest documented Holocene tsunami event, between 9.91 to 9.29 ka (kilo-annum), from the eastern Mediterranean at Dor, Israel. Tsunami debris from the early Neolithic is composed of marine sand embedded within fresh-brackish wetland deposits. Global and local sea-level curves for the period, 9.91–9.29 ka, as well as surface elevation reconstructions, show that the tsunami had a run-up of at least ~16 m and traveled between 3.5 to 1.5 km inland from the palaeo-coastline. Sub-merged slump scars on the continental slope, 16 km west of Dor, point to the nearby “Dor-complex” as a likely cause. The near absence of Pre-Pottery Neolithic A-B archaeological sites (11.70–9.80 cal. ka) suggest these sites were removed by the tsunami, whereas youn-ger, late Pre-Pottery Neolithic B-C (9.25–8.35 cal. ka) and later Pottery-Neolithic sites (8.25–7.80 cal. ka) indicate resettlement following the event. The large run-up of this event highlights the disruptive impact of tsunamis on past societies along the Levantine coast.
Tsunami events in antiquity had a profound influence on coastal societies. Six thousand years of ... more Tsunami events in antiquity had a profound influence on coastal societies. Six thousand years of historical records and geological data show that tsunamis are a common phenomenon affecting the eastern Mediterranean coastline. However, the possible impact of older tsunamis on prehistoric societies has not been investigated. Here we report, based on optically stimulated luminescence chronology, the earliest documented Holocene tsunami event, between 9.91 to 9.29 ka (kilo-annum), from the eastern Mediterranean at Dor, Israel. Tsunami debris from the early Neolithic is composed of marine sand embedded within fresh-brackish wetland deposits. Global and local sea-level curves for the period, 9.91-9.29 ka, as well as surface elevation reconstructions, show that the tsunami had a run-up of at least~16 m and traveled between 3.5 to 1.5 km inland from the palaeo-coastline. Submerged slump scars on the continental slope, 16 km west of Dor, point to the nearby "Dor-complex" as a likely cause. The near absence of Pre-Pottery Neolithic A-B archaeological sites (11.70-9.80 cal. ka) suggest these sites were removed by the tsunami, whereas younger , late Pre-Pottery Neolithic B-C (9.25-8.35 cal. ka) and later Pottery-Neolithic sites (8.25-7.80 cal. ka) indicate resettlement following the event. The large run-up of this event highlights the disruptive impact of tsunamis on past societies along the Levantine coast.
Abstract Tel Dor overlooks the eastern Mediterranean on the Southern Levantine coastline of Israe... more Abstract Tel Dor overlooks the eastern Mediterranean on the Southern Levantine coastline of Israel. Underwater surveys and a coastal excavation in the North Bay of Dor have produced evidence of an anchorage in the 4th–7th c. CE Byzantine city of Dora. The existence of such an anchorage at the northwestern extremity of the city had been contemplated in the past. Also identified are traces of maritime activity from the time period between the 1st c. BCE and 3rd c. CE and from earlier periods. The concurrent use of the North Bay and the nearby South Bay and Tantura Lagoon during late antiquity mostly took advantage of the natural coastal morphology, augmented only modestly by man-made infrastructure. These three sites served local and interregional maritime traffic at Dor, a clear attestation to a decentralized resource management that resists strict categorization. The resulting image of the maritime interface(s) at Dor does not fit perceptions of a harbor as a spatially rigid, centralized managed phenomenon. Such a seemingly disheveled use of the scarce resource of natural anchorages has shown remarkable tenacity over the longue durée in the southern Levant, as typified by Dor in late antiquity.
The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, 2019
The aim of the Tel Dor joint Sea and Land Project is to reassess and expand understanding of the ... more The aim of the Tel Dor joint Sea and Land Project is to reassess and expand understanding of the maritime interface of Iron Age Dor. During 2016 and 2017 five features excavated under water provided new data about the development and chronology of this interface. The results support a revised dating and interpretation of previously excavated structures and the identification of several new stone-built coastal fortification and maritime features, dating to the Early Iron Age. A later phase of construction attributed to the 7th century BCEAssyrian period at Dorwas also documented. The outcome of the excavation is the introduction of new aspects of the development of Dor in the Iron Age, including what is likely part of the Iron Age II city’s harbour. This may encourage revisiting current views of harbour evolution in the eastern Mediterranean.
https://rdcu.be/bAHmj
Tel Dor overlooks the eastern Mediterranean on the Southern Levantine coa... more https://rdcu.be/bAHmj
Tel Dor overlooks the eastern Mediterranean on the Southern Levantine coastline of Israel. Underwater surveys and a coastal excavation in the North Bay of Dor have produced evidence of an anchorage in the 4th–7th c. CE Byzantine city of Dora. The existence of such an anchorage at the northwestern extremity of the city had been contemplated in the past. Also identified are traces of maritime activity from the time period between the 1st c. BCE and 3rd c. CE and from earlier periods. The concurrent use of the North Bay and the nearby South Bay and Tantura Lagoon during late antiquity mostly took advantage of the natural coastal morphology, augmented only modestly by man-made infrastructure. These three sites served local and interregional maritime traffic at Dor, a clear attestation to a decentralized resource management that resists strict categorization. The resulting image of the maritime interface(s) at Dor does not fit perceptions of a harbor as a spatially rigid, centralized managed phenomenon. Such a seemingly disheveled use of the scarce resource of natural anchorages has shown remarkable tenacity over the longue durée in the southern Levant, as typified by Dor in late antiquity.
The 46th Israeli Congress of Archaeology, Bar-Ilan University, 2021, 2021
Underwater surveys in the Dor Lagoon have identified a wrecked cargo of marble slabs and addition... more Underwater surveys in the Dor Lagoon have identified a wrecked cargo of marble slabs and additional architectural stone items, as well as three stone anchors. Preliminary dating of the site points to the fourth-to- seventh centuries CE. The cargo showed signs of previous use, indicating that the ship may have been involved in the spolia trade. The nearly homogeneous cargo of marble differs from regional maritime traffic patterns of mixed goods, and suggests shipping patterns unique to stone cargoes.
The wide collapse of Mediterranean systems during the 12th century BCE required societies to re-i... more The wide collapse of Mediterranean systems during the 12th century BCE required societies to re-invent themselves, adopting new, and sometimes not so new, survival strategies. By combining underwater and terrestrial archaeology, we chart the coastal and maritime adaptation of communities along the Carmel coast to new social, political and economic conditions, in the wake of violent population displacement, the disruption of trade networks and the disintegration of central authority.
Since 2016 we have excavated the submerged Iron Age harbor of Dor in cooperation with the University of California – San Diego / Scripps Institute and the Tel Dor Excavation Project. The picture which emerges through our excavations and previously unpublished underwater surveys is one of resilience and, eventually, prosperity. This prosperity owes much to local initiative, new trade patterns which overlie traditional maritime routes, and improved environmental conditions. These are aspects which persist until they too are eclipsed by larger political powers who modify both strategy and landscape in their own image, to varying degrees of success.
The 2016 and 2017 underwater excavation seasons, part of the Dor Joint Land and Sea Expedition, h... more The 2016 and 2017 underwater excavation seasons, part of the Dor Joint Land and Sea Expedition, have produced new data which challenges our current understanding of the maritime interface of Iron Age Dor. The massive, ashlar-built coastal walls at the southern edge of the tel previously interpreted as quays, were found to be land structures. These are perhaps part of the site's fortifications during the Iron Ib-II period. An earlier wall made of limestone blocks, found underwater beneath these walls, can also be dated to the Iron I period. Further south, an extensive feature composed of ashlar stones is possibly a buried maritime structure. These discoveries provide a timeline of the development of coastal structures at Dor, possible indicators to ancient sea levels, and insights into the development of maritime activities in the coast of the Carmel.
This paper presents new and unpublished coastal and underwater Bronze Age assemblages from Tel Do... more This paper presents new and unpublished coastal and underwater Bronze Age assemblages from Tel Dor. We focus on finds originating from two areas: the well-built ashlar stone walls at the south bay, currently partially submerged under the sea and interpreted by Avner Raban as Late Bronze and Iron Age quays; and the massive walls in the “Love Bay” in the immediate vicinity of the current coastline, interpreted by Raban as Middle and Late Bronze Age architecture. To date, a large part of the ceramic assemblage from these two areas remains unpublished, including a number of Middle and Late Bronze Age imported ceramic wares. In addition, recent underwater surveys conducted by the University of Haifa yielded further evidence for Bronze Age activity in the bays of Dor; this includes pottery, some of which is imported, as well as possible Bronze Age anchors. We shall, in this paper, combine new and unpublished underwater evidence for maritime activity in Dor during the Bronze Age with a reexamination the chronology of coastal structures, in order to advance our understanding of the nature of maritime interactions and coastal infrastructure in the second millennium B.C.E.
[A REPORT ON OUR ACTIVITIES BY ROBIN NGO]
Who was the Roman governor of Judea during the time lea... more [A REPORT ON OUR ACTIVITIES BY ROBIN NGO] Who was the Roman governor of Judea during the time leading up to the Bar-Kokhba revolt, the second Jewish revolt against Rome (132–136 C.E.)? This question has now been answered thanks to an inscribed stone block recently discovered off the coast of Tel Dor in northern Israel.
The early Iron Age in the Levant marks a transformation in the Eastern Mediterranean marine adapt... more The early Iron Age in the Levant marks a transformation in the Eastern Mediterranean marine adaptation. The nature of the cargoes seems to have changed: during the Late Bronze Age, maritime trade was dominated by cargoes of metal and pottery from Cyprus as well as amphorae from along the Levantine coast. In the Iron Age, however, there is relatively little in terms of ceramic imports from Cyprus, some evidence for Egyptian imports, and minimal evidence for metal cargoes. At the same time, there seems to be a technological transition, a move from the likely utilization of natural anchorages of the Bronze Age to stone-built maritime installations at Dor and Atlit, as well as later at Tyre and Tabbat al-Hammam. This lecture will trace the impact of the change in patterns of social complexity on maritime trade during the 11th-7th centuries BCE, from the emerging coastal city states of the early Iron Age of the Levant to the inclusion of the area within the Neo-Assyrian empire. We shall also, for the first time, integrate finds from Iron Age underwater surveys and excavations with finds in coastal and inland land excavations, in order to understand the role of maritime trade in the subsistence economy of the Iron Age Levant.
The easily accessible aeolianite sandstone ridges along the Southern Levantine coast have long pr... more The easily accessible aeolianite sandstone ridges along the Southern Levantine coast have long provided a convenient source of stone. Widespread coastal evidence for use of this sandstone, known locally as 'kurkar' rock, is demonstrated by its utilization for the building of homes and public structures dating back to the Neolithic. These activities reached their peak during the Roman and Byzantine periods, as attested by the 6th century CE coaster shipwreck, Dor 2001/1, which sank laden with recently quarried building stones in the Tantura lagoon near Tel Dor.
Here we present new evidence found underwater at Dor for the maritime transport of quarried stone along the Levantine coast, and related harbor infrastructure. A concentration of newly hewn stones has been documented resting on the seafloor, inside the Dor harbor basin. This deposit likely originated from an overturned barge used to ferry the stones. In addition to this a mooring installation, which may have been used by such barges and other vessels, was also excavated within the same harbor. These new data point to the extensive framework within which the complex enterprises of quarrying, transport, supply, use, and re-use of stone successfully operated along the Levantine coast.
Tsunami events in antiquity had a profound influence on coastal societies. Six thousand years of ... more Tsunami events in antiquity had a profound influence on coastal societies. Six thousand years of historical records and geological data show that tsunamis are a common phenomenon affecting the eastern Mediterranean coastline. However, the possible impact of older tsunamis on prehistoric societies has not been investigated. Here we report, based on optically stimulated luminescence chronology, the earliest documented Holocene tsunami event, between 9.91 to 9.29 ka (kilo-annum), from the eastern Mediterranean at Dor, Israel. Tsunami debris from the early Neolithic is composed of marine sand embedded within fresh-brackish wetland deposits. Global and local sea-level curves for the period, 9.91–9.29 ka, as well as surface elevation reconstructions, show that the tsunami had a run-up of at least ~16 m and traveled between 3.5 to 1.5 km inland from the palaeo-coastline. Submerged slump scars on the continental slope, 16 km west of Dor, point to the nearby “Dor-complex” as a likely cause. ...
This article presents new archaeological observations and multidisciplinary research from Dor, Is... more This article presents new archaeological observations and multidisciplinary research from Dor, Israel to establish a more reliable relative sea level for the Carmel Coast and Southern Levant between the Middle Bronze Age and the Roman period (ca. 3500–1800 y BP). Our record indicates a period of low relative sea level, around -2.5 m below present, from the Middle Bronze Age to the Hellenistic period (ca. 3500–2200 y BP). This was followed by a rapid rise to present levels, starting in the Hellenistic period and concluding during the Roman period (ca. 2200–1800 y BP). These Roman levels agree with other relative sea-level indications from Israel and other tectonically stable areas in the Mediterranean. Several relative sea-level reconstruction models carried out in the current study provide different predictions due to their parameters and do not model the changes observed from field data which points to a non-isostatic origin for the changes. Long-term low stable Iron Age relative s...
This article presents new archaeological observations and multidisciplinary research from Dor, Is... more This article presents new archaeological observations and multidisciplinary research from Dor, Israel to establish a more reliable relative sea level for the Carmel Coast and Southern Levant between the Middle Bronze Age and the Roman period (ca. 3500-1800 y BP). Our record indicates a period of low relative sea level, around-2.5 m below present, from the Middle Bronze Age to the Hellenistic period (ca. 3500-2200 y BP). This was followed by a rapid rise to present levels, starting in the Hellenistic period and concluding during the Roman period (ca. 2200-1800 y BP). These Roman levels agree with other relative sealevel indications from Israel and other tectonically stable areas in the Mediterranean. Several relative sea-level reconstruction models carried out in the current study provide different predictions due to their parameters and do not model the changes observed from field data which points to a non-isostatic origin for the changes. Long-term low stable Iron Age relative sea level can be seen in Dor, where Iron Age harbor structures remain around the same elevation between ca. 3100-2700 y BP. A similar pattern occurs at Atlit, the Iron Age harbor to the north used continuously from ca. 2900 y BP to the beginning of the Hellenistic period (ca. 2200 y BP). An examination of historical and archaeological sources reveals decline and occasional disappearance of Hellenistic sites along the coast of Israel at ca. 2200 y BP (2 nd century BCE), as in the case of Yavneh Yam, Ashdod Yam, Straton's Tower, and tel Taninim. In Akko-Ptolemais, the large harbor installations built in the Hellenistic period were never replaced by a substantial Roman harbor. The conclusions of this research are thus
Tsunami events in antiquity had a profound influence on coastal societies. Six thousand years of ... more Tsunami events in antiquity had a profound influence on coastal societies. Six thousand years of historical records and geological data show that tsunamis are a common phenomenon affecting the eastern Mediterranean coastline. However, the possible impact of older tsunamis on prehistoric societies has not been investigated. Here we report, based on optically stimulated luminescence chronology, the earliest documented Holocene tsunami event, between 9.91 to 9.29 ka (kilo-annum), from the eastern Mediterranean at Dor, Israel. Tsunami debris from the early Neolithic is composed of marine sand embedded within fresh-brackish wetland deposits. Global and local sea-level curves for the period, 9.91–9.29 ka, as well as surface elevation reconstructions, show that the tsunami had a run-up of at least ~16 m and traveled between 3.5 to 1.5 km inland from the palaeo-coastline. Sub-merged slump scars on the continental slope, 16 km west of Dor, point to the nearby “Dor-complex” as a likely cause. The near absence of Pre-Pottery Neolithic A-B archaeological sites (11.70–9.80 cal. ka) suggest these sites were removed by the tsunami, whereas youn-ger, late Pre-Pottery Neolithic B-C (9.25–8.35 cal. ka) and later Pottery-Neolithic sites (8.25–7.80 cal. ka) indicate resettlement following the event. The large run-up of this event highlights the disruptive impact of tsunamis on past societies along the Levantine coast.
Tsunami events in antiquity had a profound influence on coastal societies. Six thousand years of ... more Tsunami events in antiquity had a profound influence on coastal societies. Six thousand years of historical records and geological data show that tsunamis are a common phenomenon affecting the eastern Mediterranean coastline. However, the possible impact of older tsunamis on prehistoric societies has not been investigated. Here we report, based on optically stimulated luminescence chronology, the earliest documented Holocene tsunami event, between 9.91 to 9.29 ka (kilo-annum), from the eastern Mediterranean at Dor, Israel. Tsunami debris from the early Neolithic is composed of marine sand embedded within fresh-brackish wetland deposits. Global and local sea-level curves for the period, 9.91-9.29 ka, as well as surface elevation reconstructions, show that the tsunami had a run-up of at least~16 m and traveled between 3.5 to 1.5 km inland from the palaeo-coastline. Submerged slump scars on the continental slope, 16 km west of Dor, point to the nearby "Dor-complex" as a likely cause. The near absence of Pre-Pottery Neolithic A-B archaeological sites (11.70-9.80 cal. ka) suggest these sites were removed by the tsunami, whereas younger , late Pre-Pottery Neolithic B-C (9.25-8.35 cal. ka) and later Pottery-Neolithic sites (8.25-7.80 cal. ka) indicate resettlement following the event. The large run-up of this event highlights the disruptive impact of tsunamis on past societies along the Levantine coast.
Abstract Tel Dor overlooks the eastern Mediterranean on the Southern Levantine coastline of Israe... more Abstract Tel Dor overlooks the eastern Mediterranean on the Southern Levantine coastline of Israel. Underwater surveys and a coastal excavation in the North Bay of Dor have produced evidence of an anchorage in the 4th–7th c. CE Byzantine city of Dora. The existence of such an anchorage at the northwestern extremity of the city had been contemplated in the past. Also identified are traces of maritime activity from the time period between the 1st c. BCE and 3rd c. CE and from earlier periods. The concurrent use of the North Bay and the nearby South Bay and Tantura Lagoon during late antiquity mostly took advantage of the natural coastal morphology, augmented only modestly by man-made infrastructure. These three sites served local and interregional maritime traffic at Dor, a clear attestation to a decentralized resource management that resists strict categorization. The resulting image of the maritime interface(s) at Dor does not fit perceptions of a harbor as a spatially rigid, centralized managed phenomenon. Such a seemingly disheveled use of the scarce resource of natural anchorages has shown remarkable tenacity over the longue durée in the southern Levant, as typified by Dor in late antiquity.
The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, 2019
The aim of the Tel Dor joint Sea and Land Project is to reassess and expand understanding of the ... more The aim of the Tel Dor joint Sea and Land Project is to reassess and expand understanding of the maritime interface of Iron Age Dor. During 2016 and 2017 five features excavated under water provided new data about the development and chronology of this interface. The results support a revised dating and interpretation of previously excavated structures and the identification of several new stone-built coastal fortification and maritime features, dating to the Early Iron Age. A later phase of construction attributed to the 7th century BCEAssyrian period at Dorwas also documented. The outcome of the excavation is the introduction of new aspects of the development of Dor in the Iron Age, including what is likely part of the Iron Age II city’s harbour. This may encourage revisiting current views of harbour evolution in the eastern Mediterranean.
https://rdcu.be/bAHmj
Tel Dor overlooks the eastern Mediterranean on the Southern Levantine coa... more https://rdcu.be/bAHmj
Tel Dor overlooks the eastern Mediterranean on the Southern Levantine coastline of Israel. Underwater surveys and a coastal excavation in the North Bay of Dor have produced evidence of an anchorage in the 4th–7th c. CE Byzantine city of Dora. The existence of such an anchorage at the northwestern extremity of the city had been contemplated in the past. Also identified are traces of maritime activity from the time period between the 1st c. BCE and 3rd c. CE and from earlier periods. The concurrent use of the North Bay and the nearby South Bay and Tantura Lagoon during late antiquity mostly took advantage of the natural coastal morphology, augmented only modestly by man-made infrastructure. These three sites served local and interregional maritime traffic at Dor, a clear attestation to a decentralized resource management that resists strict categorization. The resulting image of the maritime interface(s) at Dor does not fit perceptions of a harbor as a spatially rigid, centralized managed phenomenon. Such a seemingly disheveled use of the scarce resource of natural anchorages has shown remarkable tenacity over the longue durée in the southern Levant, as typified by Dor in late antiquity.
The 46th Israeli Congress of Archaeology, Bar-Ilan University, 2021, 2021
Underwater surveys in the Dor Lagoon have identified a wrecked cargo of marble slabs and addition... more Underwater surveys in the Dor Lagoon have identified a wrecked cargo of marble slabs and additional architectural stone items, as well as three stone anchors. Preliminary dating of the site points to the fourth-to- seventh centuries CE. The cargo showed signs of previous use, indicating that the ship may have been involved in the spolia trade. The nearly homogeneous cargo of marble differs from regional maritime traffic patterns of mixed goods, and suggests shipping patterns unique to stone cargoes.
The wide collapse of Mediterranean systems during the 12th century BCE required societies to re-i... more The wide collapse of Mediterranean systems during the 12th century BCE required societies to re-invent themselves, adopting new, and sometimes not so new, survival strategies. By combining underwater and terrestrial archaeology, we chart the coastal and maritime adaptation of communities along the Carmel coast to new social, political and economic conditions, in the wake of violent population displacement, the disruption of trade networks and the disintegration of central authority.
Since 2016 we have excavated the submerged Iron Age harbor of Dor in cooperation with the University of California – San Diego / Scripps Institute and the Tel Dor Excavation Project. The picture which emerges through our excavations and previously unpublished underwater surveys is one of resilience and, eventually, prosperity. This prosperity owes much to local initiative, new trade patterns which overlie traditional maritime routes, and improved environmental conditions. These are aspects which persist until they too are eclipsed by larger political powers who modify both strategy and landscape in their own image, to varying degrees of success.
The 2016 and 2017 underwater excavation seasons, part of the Dor Joint Land and Sea Expedition, h... more The 2016 and 2017 underwater excavation seasons, part of the Dor Joint Land and Sea Expedition, have produced new data which challenges our current understanding of the maritime interface of Iron Age Dor. The massive, ashlar-built coastal walls at the southern edge of the tel previously interpreted as quays, were found to be land structures. These are perhaps part of the site's fortifications during the Iron Ib-II period. An earlier wall made of limestone blocks, found underwater beneath these walls, can also be dated to the Iron I period. Further south, an extensive feature composed of ashlar stones is possibly a buried maritime structure. These discoveries provide a timeline of the development of coastal structures at Dor, possible indicators to ancient sea levels, and insights into the development of maritime activities in the coast of the Carmel.
This paper presents new and unpublished coastal and underwater Bronze Age assemblages from Tel Do... more This paper presents new and unpublished coastal and underwater Bronze Age assemblages from Tel Dor. We focus on finds originating from two areas: the well-built ashlar stone walls at the south bay, currently partially submerged under the sea and interpreted by Avner Raban as Late Bronze and Iron Age quays; and the massive walls in the “Love Bay” in the immediate vicinity of the current coastline, interpreted by Raban as Middle and Late Bronze Age architecture. To date, a large part of the ceramic assemblage from these two areas remains unpublished, including a number of Middle and Late Bronze Age imported ceramic wares. In addition, recent underwater surveys conducted by the University of Haifa yielded further evidence for Bronze Age activity in the bays of Dor; this includes pottery, some of which is imported, as well as possible Bronze Age anchors. We shall, in this paper, combine new and unpublished underwater evidence for maritime activity in Dor during the Bronze Age with a reexamination the chronology of coastal structures, in order to advance our understanding of the nature of maritime interactions and coastal infrastructure in the second millennium B.C.E.
[A REPORT ON OUR ACTIVITIES BY ROBIN NGO]
Who was the Roman governor of Judea during the time lea... more [A REPORT ON OUR ACTIVITIES BY ROBIN NGO] Who was the Roman governor of Judea during the time leading up to the Bar-Kokhba revolt, the second Jewish revolt against Rome (132–136 C.E.)? This question has now been answered thanks to an inscribed stone block recently discovered off the coast of Tel Dor in northern Israel.
The early Iron Age in the Levant marks a transformation in the Eastern Mediterranean marine adapt... more The early Iron Age in the Levant marks a transformation in the Eastern Mediterranean marine adaptation. The nature of the cargoes seems to have changed: during the Late Bronze Age, maritime trade was dominated by cargoes of metal and pottery from Cyprus as well as amphorae from along the Levantine coast. In the Iron Age, however, there is relatively little in terms of ceramic imports from Cyprus, some evidence for Egyptian imports, and minimal evidence for metal cargoes. At the same time, there seems to be a technological transition, a move from the likely utilization of natural anchorages of the Bronze Age to stone-built maritime installations at Dor and Atlit, as well as later at Tyre and Tabbat al-Hammam. This lecture will trace the impact of the change in patterns of social complexity on maritime trade during the 11th-7th centuries BCE, from the emerging coastal city states of the early Iron Age of the Levant to the inclusion of the area within the Neo-Assyrian empire. We shall also, for the first time, integrate finds from Iron Age underwater surveys and excavations with finds in coastal and inland land excavations, in order to understand the role of maritime trade in the subsistence economy of the Iron Age Levant.
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Here we present new evidence found underwater at Dor for the maritime transport of quarried stone along the Levantine coast, and related harbor infrastructure. A concentration of newly hewn stones has been documented resting on the seafloor, inside the Dor harbor basin. This deposit likely originated from an overturned barge used to ferry the stones. In addition to this a mooring installation, which may have been used by such barges and other vessels, was also excavated within the same harbor. These new data point to the extensive framework within which the complex enterprises of quarrying, transport, supply, use, and re-use of stone successfully operated along the Levantine coast.
may encourage revisiting current views of harbour evolution in the eastern Mediterranean.
Tel Dor overlooks the eastern Mediterranean on the Southern Levantine coastline of Israel. Underwater surveys and a coastal excavation in the North Bay of Dor have produced evidence of an anchorage in the 4th–7th c. CE Byzantine city of Dora. The existence of such an anchorage at the northwestern extremity of the city had been contemplated in the past. Also identified are traces of maritime activity from the time period between the 1st c. BCE and 3rd c. CE and from earlier periods. The concurrent use of the North Bay and the nearby South Bay and Tantura Lagoon during late antiquity mostly took advantage of the natural coastal morphology, augmented only modestly by man-made infrastructure. These three sites served local and interregional maritime traffic at Dor, a clear attestation to a decentralized resource management that resists strict categorization. The resulting image of the maritime interface(s) at Dor does not fit perceptions of a harbor as a spatially rigid, centralized managed phenomenon. Such a seemingly disheveled use of the scarce resource of natural anchorages has shown remarkable tenacity over the longue durée in the southern Levant, as typified by Dor in late antiquity.
Since 2016 we have excavated the submerged Iron Age harbor of Dor in cooperation with the University of California – San Diego / Scripps Institute and the Tel Dor Excavation Project. The picture which emerges through our excavations and previously unpublished underwater surveys is one of resilience and, eventually, prosperity. This prosperity owes much to local initiative, new trade patterns which overlie traditional maritime routes, and improved environmental conditions. These are aspects which persist until they too are eclipsed by larger political powers who modify both strategy and landscape in their own image, to varying degrees of success.
interpreted by Avner Raban as Late Bronze and Iron Age quays; and the massive walls in the “Love Bay” in the immediate vicinity of the current coastline, interpreted by Raban as Middle and Late Bronze Age architecture. To date, a large part of the ceramic assemblage from these two areas remains unpublished, including a number of Middle and Late Bronze Age imported ceramic wares. In addition, recent underwater surveys conducted by the University of Haifa yielded further evidence for Bronze Age activity in the bays of Dor; this includes pottery, some of which is imported, as well as possible Bronze Age anchors. We shall, in this paper, combine new and unpublished underwater evidence for maritime activity in Dor during the Bronze Age with a reexamination the chronology of coastal structures, in order to advance our understanding of the nature of maritime interactions and coastal infrastructure in the second millennium B.C.E.
Who was the Roman governor of Judea during the time leading up to the Bar-Kokhba revolt, the second Jewish revolt against Rome (132–136 C.E.)? This question has now been answered thanks to an inscribed stone block recently discovered off the coast of Tel Dor in northern Israel.
Here we present new evidence found underwater at Dor for the maritime transport of quarried stone along the Levantine coast, and related harbor infrastructure. A concentration of newly hewn stones has been documented resting on the seafloor, inside the Dor harbor basin. This deposit likely originated from an overturned barge used to ferry the stones. In addition to this a mooring installation, which may have been used by such barges and other vessels, was also excavated within the same harbor. These new data point to the extensive framework within which the complex enterprises of quarrying, transport, supply, use, and re-use of stone successfully operated along the Levantine coast.
may encourage revisiting current views of harbour evolution in the eastern Mediterranean.
Tel Dor overlooks the eastern Mediterranean on the Southern Levantine coastline of Israel. Underwater surveys and a coastal excavation in the North Bay of Dor have produced evidence of an anchorage in the 4th–7th c. CE Byzantine city of Dora. The existence of such an anchorage at the northwestern extremity of the city had been contemplated in the past. Also identified are traces of maritime activity from the time period between the 1st c. BCE and 3rd c. CE and from earlier periods. The concurrent use of the North Bay and the nearby South Bay and Tantura Lagoon during late antiquity mostly took advantage of the natural coastal morphology, augmented only modestly by man-made infrastructure. These three sites served local and interregional maritime traffic at Dor, a clear attestation to a decentralized resource management that resists strict categorization. The resulting image of the maritime interface(s) at Dor does not fit perceptions of a harbor as a spatially rigid, centralized managed phenomenon. Such a seemingly disheveled use of the scarce resource of natural anchorages has shown remarkable tenacity over the longue durée in the southern Levant, as typified by Dor in late antiquity.
Since 2016 we have excavated the submerged Iron Age harbor of Dor in cooperation with the University of California – San Diego / Scripps Institute and the Tel Dor Excavation Project. The picture which emerges through our excavations and previously unpublished underwater surveys is one of resilience and, eventually, prosperity. This prosperity owes much to local initiative, new trade patterns which overlie traditional maritime routes, and improved environmental conditions. These are aspects which persist until they too are eclipsed by larger political powers who modify both strategy and landscape in their own image, to varying degrees of success.
interpreted by Avner Raban as Late Bronze and Iron Age quays; and the massive walls in the “Love Bay” in the immediate vicinity of the current coastline, interpreted by Raban as Middle and Late Bronze Age architecture. To date, a large part of the ceramic assemblage from these two areas remains unpublished, including a number of Middle and Late Bronze Age imported ceramic wares. In addition, recent underwater surveys conducted by the University of Haifa yielded further evidence for Bronze Age activity in the bays of Dor; this includes pottery, some of which is imported, as well as possible Bronze Age anchors. We shall, in this paper, combine new and unpublished underwater evidence for maritime activity in Dor during the Bronze Age with a reexamination the chronology of coastal structures, in order to advance our understanding of the nature of maritime interactions and coastal infrastructure in the second millennium B.C.E.
Who was the Roman governor of Judea during the time leading up to the Bar-Kokhba revolt, the second Jewish revolt against Rome (132–136 C.E.)? This question has now been answered thanks to an inscribed stone block recently discovered off the coast of Tel Dor in northern Israel.