Shephelah

Tel Burna—widely identified as biblical Libnah—and Khirbet el-‘Atar, c. 2 km north, occupy both sides of Naḥal Guvrin in the western Shephelah. At Tel Burna, excavations have revealed a prominent casemate fortification wall that encloses the site’s summit and is confidently dated to the Iron Age II. It was established at the early stages of the Iron Age II and was apparently used for several centuries, albeit with some changes.
Previous surveys at Khirbat el-‘Atar indicated that this site was also occupied during the Iron Age II, and its topography is similar to that of Tel Burna. In November 2020, a highresolution survey was conducted at Khirbat el-‘Atar to better determine the periods of occupation at the site, explore the nature of its enclosed summit, and conduct a preliminary comparison with the Tel Burna excavations. Although no excavation
has been held at Khirbat el-‘Atar, the survey’s results allow us to produce an initial exploratory reconstruction of the site’s occupational sequences during the Iron Age II and enrich our understanding of the geopolitical changes in the region.

The process and date of the Philistine settlement in Canaan has received a great deal of scholarly attention. As well, scholars have also devoted much attention to the expansion of Philistine interaction with Levantine societies prior to the Philistines’ assimilation in the late Iron Age. While most studies view Philistine integration and acculturation as a gradual process, a close examination of the detailed faunal and ceramic evidence suggest otherwise. It appears that due to various processes of boundary maintenance, the Philistines maintained high ethnic boundaries with their neighbours for at least 150-200 years, before (quite suddenly) losing most of their unique traits in the 10th century BCE.

Garfinkel, Ganor, and Keimer’s ongoing excavations at Khirbet er-Raʿi have revealed a significant Iron I settlement with Philistine pottery and a small Early Iron IIA settlement. In light of this, and their analysis of the biblical sources, Garfinkel and Ganor propose that Khirbet er-Raʿi matches the historical-geographical details for Ziklag. This paper will challenge this identification and suggest a possible alternative ancient name for Khirbet er- Raʿi in light of the writings of Eusebius and existing Arabic toponyms in the vicinity.

Since the publication of the comprehensive provenance study of the Amarna letters by Goren, Finkelstein and Naʾaman (2004), several suggestions were made for the identification of city-states in southern Canaan. This article discusses the provenance of Letters EA 294 and EA 296 in light of new petrographic data, as well as the archaeological and textual evidence. It is proposed that the previous identification of the provenance of these two letters at Tel Ashdod should be revised. It is likely that the correspondence was sent from a site in the northwestern Shephelah, from Tel Batash. This identification is in keeping with the content of Letters EA 294 and EA 296 and the location of Tel Batash, as well as the ample archaeological evidence from the site. It is further
suggested that the Late Bronze Age city of Tel Batash should be identified with a place called ‘Tianna’ that is mentioned in the Amarna correspondence.

Tells (archaeological mounds) predominantly consist of poorly consolidated to unconsolidated sediments, and soils that are highly anthropogenic. This study examines pedogenic processes related to carbonate mobilization in tells in comparison with their peripheral soils (reference soil profiles). The key objective of this study is to test the hypothesis that tell deposits evolve through concurrent processes of sedimentation and pedogenesis (synlithogenic pedogenesis), and further explain it. Case studies are presented from three tells in semi-arid and Mediterranean climatic zones of the Levant. The methods applied included field survey, analyses of particle size distribution, pH, %CaCO3 and organic carbon content, and soil micromorphology. Soils of the tells contain miscellaneous cultural materials that derive mainly from degraded mud bricks, pottery and burnt wood. Chemical data show basic pH values, high CaCO3 content, and minor amounts of organic carbon. Field observations and lab analyses both indicate high similarity amongst the tells and their reference soil profiles. Buried tell soils show same characteristics as near-surface soils. However, the reference soil profiles show incipient horizonation, slightly darker colours, and more developed structure. Micromorphology of both the tells and the reference profiles show cohesively welded peds in a vughy microstructure, groundmass with an open porphyric c/f-related distribution, and discontinuous carbonate recrystallization. Relative rates of soil formation in the tells can be estimated when archaeological records are established. Contrary to the tells, the reference soil profiles show lower porosity and only minor remnants related to earth construction materials. We classify the soils of the studied tells as archaeological Calcareous Anthraltic Xerorthents. The correlative WRB classification would be Calcic Urbic Technosols (Archaic). The anthropogenic materials are as calcareous as the natural soils, but due to human action, carbonates in the tells are distributed differently. Based on these observations, ancient human actions and the dry climate have led to very little mobilization and accumulation of carbonates. The information provided in this study adds to the pedological understanding of archaeological environments. Specifically, it can be useful for the study of site formation processes of tells.

In this paper, we survey the Late Bronze Age remains at Tel Batash (Arabic Tell el-Batashi, identified with biblical Timnah) in light of the recent developments in the research of the Shephelah and related regions and with few new radiocarbon dates

Using a biographic-like approach, this article presents the initial results of the study of an elite Iron Age house at Tel 'Eton, from its conception, through its birth and life, to its death and decomposition. Massive preparations preceded the construction of the house, and the latter incorporated continuous foundations, and quality building materials, including ashlar stones. The building was pre-planned, and some of the original rooms had two doorways leading to them, in order to enable easy future subdivision, without endangering the structure's physical integrity. The house evolved over the years, and its inner division changed overtime, reflecting the changes in the life-cycle of the extended family that lived in it. The house was destroyed in heavy conflagration in the late eighth century BCE, and hundreds of artifacts and complete vessels were unearthed below and within the debris, allowing for a detailed reconstruction of the use of space within the building on the eve of its destruction, and the processes that accompanied its destruction (perhaps even "execution"), and subsequent collapse.

The recent excavation and publication of material from a number
of sites in the Shephelah, Hill Country, Beersheba‒Arad Valley and Sinai have prompted a revaluation of the ceramic horizon of the Iron Age IIB (c. late ninth and eighth century BCE) in Judah. In this article we report on the discovery of a ceramic assemblage situated within a short-term refuse pit at Tel Azekah, which has further contributed to this growing corpus of material. A typological assessment of these material remains suggests a new ceramic peg for the region — one that rests between the existing pegs of Tell eṣ-Ṣafi/Gath Stratum A3 (c. late ninth century BCE) and Lachish Level III (c. late eighth century BCE), and aligns with material from Tel Beth Shemesh Level 3 (c. late ninth‒early/ mid-eighth century BCE). The identification of such a ceramic horizon provides the opportunity to elevate the current chronological resolution of the Iron IIB
ceramic horizon into ‘early’ and ‘late’.

The paper deals with the finds from the late Persian and Early Hellenistic period settlement unearthed at Tel 'Eton. The settlement, which existed during the 4th and early 3rd centuries BCE, was comprised of a fort at the top of the mound and a large village that surrounded it. The article presents the architectural, ceramic and additional finds and discusses the possible circumstances surrounding the establishment of the site in the 4th century BCE, after a settlement hiatus of some 300–350 years. It also examines the possible causes for its abandonment during the course of the 3rd century BCE.