Israeli Archaeological Activity in the West Bank 1967–2007
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ISRAELI ARCHAEOLOGICAL ACTIVITY IN THE WEST BANK 1967–2007 A SOURCEBOOK RAPHAEL GREENBERG ADI KEINAN THE WEST BANK AND EAST JERUSALEM ARCHAEOLOGICAL DATABASE PROJECT © 2009 Raphael Greenberg and Adi Keinan Cover: Surveying in western Samaria, early 1970s (courtesy of Esti Yadin) Layout: Dina Shalem Production: Ostracon Printed by Rahas Press, Bar-Lev Industrial Park, Israel Distributed by Emek Shaveh (CPB), El‘azar Hamoda‘i 13, Jerusalem [email protected] ISBN 978-965-91468-0-2 CONTENTS FOREWORD 1 PART 1. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND, ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEYS AND EXCAVATIONS IN THE WEST BANK SINCE 1967 Introduction 3 Israeli Archaeology in the West Bank 3 Note on Palestinian Archaeology in the West Bank 7 Israeli Archaeology in East Jerusalem 8 Conclusion 10 PART 2. CONSTRUCTING THE DATABASE A. Surveys 11 Survey Motivation and Design 12 Survey Method 12 Definition of Sites 13 Site Names 14 Dating 14 Survey Database Components 15 B. Excavations 18 Basic Data on Excavations 19 The Excavation Gazetteer 20 Excavated Site Types and Periods 21 C. GIS Linkage and Its Potential 22 Case No. 1: The Iron Age I Revisited 23 Case No. 2: Roman Neapolis 26 Case No. 3: An Inventory of Mosaic Floors 26 D. Database Limitations 28 Concluding Remarks 29 References (for Parts 1 and 2) 30 PART 3. GAZETTEER OF EXCAVATIONS, 1967–2007 33 PART 4. BIBLIOGRAPHY 151 PART 5. INDEX OF EXCAVATED SITES 173 PART 6. DATABASE FILES (on CD only) FOREWORD The authors will be the first to concede that modern been subsumed in a particular view of Jerusalem’s political boundaries—the Green Line, the Separation significance in history. Wall and Barrier, or the municipal boundaries of This volume is therefore, first and foremost, an Jerusalem—have no archaeological significance. attempt to fill a void. It is a first effort to create a Archaeology, at its best, is a challenge to commonly unified archaeological inventory of an area of vital held beliefs about borders and boundaries and offers a historical importance that is internationally defined as vision of the myriad alternative ways that any landscape occupied Palestinian territory. The attempt is perforce can be lived in and made significant. It is, however, schematic, limited by the availability of data, by the an inescapable fact that the political division of the shortcomings of the authors, and by the quality of the Holy Land has created stark archaeological realities, original records. It is carried out within a particular insofar as professional practice, administration, and cultural, social and political context, but does not public impact are concerned. attempt to evaluate the impact of that context on the The ongoing redrawing of boundaries in Israel/ evidence presented (legal issues as well as questions Palestine since 1967 has had both a dividing of research bias have been addressed by us in an and a pooling effect. The existence of a military earlier publication). It does not and cannot provide administration in most parts of the West Bank has information on the current status of the sites, many severed the archaeology of this region from Israel and— of which are threatened by or have succumbed to to a great extent—from the international archaeological military and domestic construction as well as illicit community. The linkage of archaeological practice excavation. We welcome all criticism, particularly to the legal framework of military occupation has from those who would add new data to that compiled. made the conduct of archaeology in the West Bank This study in no way absolves the relevant largely opaque; there is neither requirement for authorities from a full disclosure of activities, finds, disclosure nor any structure of accountability. While and present status of sites. In fact, we would gladly practice ranges from the idealistic to the ideological, see this work become obsolete. It does provide a the issues of legitimacy have rendered quantities preliminary handle on what is a vast, crucially of archaeological information virtually invisible— important inventory of thousands of years of human inaccessible to nearly all, bar those directly engaged history in the Levant. in its retrieval. In annexed East Jerusalem a different The report is composed of several parts, of which reality obtains. Here, archaeological practice and the first five are available in print and in digital media administration have seamlessly been joined to those and the sixth exists only in digital form: Part 1 includes of Israel proper, creating a single unit comprised of a brief review of the history and administrative/ Jerusalem and points west. By the same token, the legal framework of archaeological work in the archaeology of Jerusalem has been severed from West Bank and East Jerusalem; Part 2 introduces its immediate geographical context on the north, the database, beginning with the surveyed sites east and south, and made inaccessible to many of (extent of surveys, field methodology and database those living in and among the sites themselves. It has components), continuing with the excavated sites 2 FOREWORD (database components and limitations), and ending the IAA; Yitzhak Magen and Yoav Zionit of the SOA. with a presentation, through selected case studies, of For GIS layers and cartographic help: Hanita the GIS platform linked to the database; Part 3 is the Cinamon, Dan Rothem (S. Daniel Abraham Center, Gazetteer of excavated sites, including distribution Washington) and Adi Bin-Nun (Hebrew University). maps; Part 4 is a bibliography, and Part 5 comprises For legal help: Raz Ben-Dor of the Freedom of an alphabetical index of excavated sites. Part 6, Information Movement. comprising the database files (excavations, surveys, The sponsors of our research, at various stages, list of SOA licenses), is available in digital form only. have been: the United States Institute for Peace The database includes records of excavations and (USIP), the Center for Religious and Civic Culture surveys conducted to 2007; bibliographic references at USC, the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at were collated during 2008. UCLA, the S. Daniel Abraham Centers for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation (Washington Acknowledgements DC) and for International and Regional Studies (Tel The research leading to this publication was initiated Aviv University), Andrea and Charles Bronfman at the behest of Lynn Swartz Dodd and Ran Boytner, Philanthropies and private donors. Emek Shaveh conveners of the Israeli-Palestinian Archaeology (CBP) supported the production and distribution of Working Group, and was originally intended to this publication. provide a factual foundation for the deliberations of Parts of the manuscript were vetted by Raz Kletter the group on the future of archaeology in the event and Gideon Solimany; Zvi Gal and Dina Shalem of a final status agreement. Documents relating to of Ostracon press gave it its final form. We also the work of IPAWG can be found at: http://www. thank the following for their personal support in this sharedfuture.org. long and arduous venture: the members of IPAWG We wish to acknowledge the following (Adel Yahya, Ghattas Sayej, Nazmi al-Ju'beh, David organizations and individuals: Ilan, Moty Cristal, Lynn Dodd and Ran Boytner), For their assistance in obtaining basic published Raanan Rein, Sarit Paz, Mark Iserlis, Alina Getzel and archival information: Aryeh Rochman, Ruthy and Yonathan Mizrachi. We hope we have lived up Shem-Tov, Michal Shmuel, Gideon Avni, Jon to their expectations. Seligman, Gideon Solimany and Yehuda Dagan of PART 1 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEYS AND EXCAVATIONS IN THE WEST BANK SINCE 1967 Introduction of the key pieces in the historical and archaeological Throughout history, the country between the mosaic of the Holy Land began to be revealed here. Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea has been Jerusalem was, of course, the primary target for repeatedly re-created through the inscription of nascent Biblical archaeologists, but by the end of its inventory. Ancient Egyptian ‘execration texts’ Ottoman rule, ground had been broken at the major defined the landscape of Egypt’s adversaries in the tells of Balatah (Shechem), Jericho, Samaria, and early second millennium BCE, and the place-lists Taanach. The PEF Survey of Western Palestine (Fig. of Egypt’s New Kingdom rulers defined the extent 1) for its part, identified hundreds of ancient sites, of its imperial domination. Tribal allotments and though their dating was by and large rudimentary boundary-lists define the Biblical Promised Land and (Conder and Kitchener 1881-1883). Excavations of pilgrim’s itineraries define the sacred geography of tells and major sites continued during the decades of the Christian Holy Land. In modern times, Palestine’s (and, later, modern Israel’s) deep history has been walked and written into existence by the surveyor- archaeologists. This is a cultural project, no less than a scientific (or, for that matter, political) one, and often intensely personal. As such, its history, motivations, and content are subjects worthy of academic study. They are an indivisible component of the inventory itself. We therefore begin this presentation with a brief history and explication of the origins and nature of the inventory, and of the editorial decisions made by us in the process of offering it to the public. Israeli Archaeology in the West Bank The central highlands of the Holy Land and their margins, encompassed by the modern political boundaries of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, have long attracted the interest and curiosity of archaeologists and scholars. Starting in the late 19th century and during the decades that followed, many Fig. 1. The PEF surveyors. After Conder 1878, frontispiece 4 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND British and Jordanian rule, with sites such as Tell el- with the troops. Immediately after the war, on the Far‘ah, Tell Dothan, Tell en-Nasbeh, Tell el-Ful, el-Jib, 15th of June 1967, the Archaeological Council was Beitin, Sebastiya, Herodium, Khirbet al-Mafjar and convened: at the top of its agenda were the protection Qumran joining the other major sites—all of which of sites in the newly occupied areas and the fate of were re-excavated as well.