Judea and Samaria Research Studies Volume 29, No.1, 2020, pp. *25-*47 DOI: https://doi.org/10.26351/JSRS/29-1/6 ISSN: 0792-8416 (print); 2617-8737 (online) Shaʿab Romani: A Newly Discovered Iron Age Foot- Shaped Enclosure near Wadi al-Makuk Shay Bar Abstract Shaʿab Romani is located in the hilly region of southeastern Samaria, on the northern bank of Wadi al-Makuk, 11 km west-northwest of Tel es-Sultan. It belongs to a group of Iron Age sites in the Jordan Valley and eastern Samaria termed “foot-shaped enclosures”; these have been identified by Zertal as the biblical Gilgalim. Shaʿab Romani was probed in 2015, and the results of a detailed survey and the probe there are presented here. Keywords: Iron Age, foot-shaped enclosure, Samaria, southern Levant, Gilgal Dr. Shay Bar – Department of Archaeology, University of Haifa; [email protected] *25 *26 Shay Bar Introduction Shaʿab Romani (sometimes termed Gilgal Binyamin in Hebrew) is located in the hilly region of southeastern Samaria, on the northern bank of Wadi al-Makuk (Fig. 1), 3 km south of the modern village of Rimonim and 11 km west-northwest of Tel es-Sultan (ancient Jericho). The modern name Shaʿab Romani was given to the site by the local Bedouin inhabiting the region; the ancient name of the place is unknown. The site is located at the end of a moderate spur (ICS 18184/14581; Fig. 2) oriented northwest, leading from Elevation Point 590 to Wadi el-Falah, a tributary of the larger, steep-sided Wadi al-Makuk. An ancient path ascends the spur to the site from the north. The modern, unpaved Route 8035 (appearing on all Israeli 1:50,000 maps of the region) passes by the western and southern slopes of the site. Two known ancient roads passed close to the site, climbing from the Jordan Valley and the Jericho oasis to the hills of Samaria: Tariq Abu George 2 km north of the site, north of Wadi al-Makuk; and Tariq Abu Hindi 4 km southeast of the site, south of Wadi al-Makuk. Several Iron Age sites near Shaʿab Romani have been discovered in surveys. Most of them are enclosures or sherd scatters attesting to the nomadic character of the population of the region. The adjacent Khirbet el-Qunitrah (ICS 18235/14515) is exceptional; several structures there have been identified, and many Iron Age sherds were collected by the Manasseh Hill Country Survey team (henceforth MHCS).1 Shaʿab Romani was first noted by a team surveying the hill country of Benjamin (Goldfus and Golani 1993: 295); they collected only 11 indicative sherds at the site (dated to the Iron Age II and to the Hellenistic and Roman periods) and briefly described two rounded enclosures on a hill (with no plan or pottery illustrations). The site was surveyed by the Manasseh Hill Country Survey in May 2013 (Vol. 9). About 800 sherds from various periods (mainly Iron Age and Roman; see below) were collected. It was clear from the beginning of the research, based on its unique shape and ceramic finds, that Shaʿab Romani belongs to a group of Iron Age sites that Zertal termed 1 All nearby Iron Age sites will be published in Volume 9 of the Survey, where additional data and bibliography will be given. Shaʿab Romani: A Newly Discovered Iron Age Foot-Shaped Enclosure near Wadi al-Makuk *27 “foot-shaped enclosures”. These sites, found in the Jordan Valley and eastern Samaria, were identified by Zertal as the biblical Gilgalim (Zertal 2008b; 2019: chap. 7). Following the survey of the site, Zertal conducted a short probe there in May 2015. The survey and the probe are the focus of this paper, and both are discussed below. Fig. 1. Locations of Shaʿab Romani and the other Iron Age foot-shaped enclosures *28 Shay Bar Fig. 2. The vicinity of Shaʿab Romani Shaʿab Romani: A Newly Discovered Iron Age Foot-Shaped Enclosure near Wadi al-Makuk *29 Fig. 3. Aerial view of the region of Shaʿab Romani looking northwest. The site is at the bottom of the picture, Wadi el-Falah is in the middle, and the village of Ramon is in the background (A. Solomon) 1. Description of the Site The site is located on a low hill on a moderate spur edge with fine views, mainly to the east and south. It is very small, slightly less than 1500 m2 in area (Figs. 4 and 5). The enclosure is 42 m long (northwest-southeast axis) and 25 m wide. The interior of the enclosure is empty, with the exception of two cells abutting the western enclosure wall. The rocky surface is exposed on more than 60% of the enclosure area and on the adjacent slopes. The entrance may have been located in the eroded parts of the enclosure wall, most logically in the northern section of the site, where the slopes are gentler and an ancient path connects the site with the continuation of the spur to the northwest. The site has two main architectural components: the enclosure wall and the two cells. The enclosure wall: The enclosure wall gives the site the typical form of a foot-shaped enclosure. The eastern section of the wall bends inward at its middle towards the center *30 Shay Bar of the enclosure, forming the characteristic foot shape seen in several enclosures in the region (see below). The wall around the enclosure is built of two parallel rows of large fieldstones, most of them standing upright, with a total wall width ranging from 70 to 90 cm. Some parts of the wall have not survived, especially in the western and northern sections. The wall was preserved up to 70 cm high, with only one stone course; based on the masonry, the standing stones, and the lack of massive stone collapse near the wall, this seems to have been its height in antiquity as well. It is thus obvious that the wall was not intended for defense or animal husbandry. The cells: Two cells were built abutting the inside of the western section of the enclosure wall. They have identical masonry, which differs from that of the enclosure wall. The cell walls consist of two parallel rows of small and medium-sized stones, with an average width of 55 cm. Each cell protrudes 2.3–2.8 m towards the center of the enclosure. Prior to the dig, a low pile of stone collapse covered these cells. In addition, three cup marks were found on the rocky surface in the northern part of the enclosure. They vary in width from 4 to 9 cm, and in depth from 5 to 12 cm. These features are undated. Fig. 4. Aerial view of Shaʿab Romani before excavation (A. Solomon) Shaʿab Romani: A Newly Discovered Iron Age Foot-Shaped Enclosure near Wadi al-Makuk *31 Fig. 5. Plan of Shaʿab Romani *32 Shay Bar 2. An Archaeological Probe at the Site A one-day dig was conducted at the site on May 1, 2015. Four small probes were performed in the following locations (Fig. 5): L100: The southern cell L200: A concentration of rocks outside the presumed path of the eroded western enclosure wall L300: The northern cell L400: Near the eastern enclosure wall It is important to note that all the probes reached bedrock at a maximum depth of 40 cm below the surface of the site, and that none of the artifacts were found in situ. This makes dating the features at the site somewhat problematic. The scarcity and archaeological location of datable material are characteristic of excavations and surveys of short-lived sites in arid areas (see below; and see the recent case of Khirbet el-Mastara [Ben-Shlomo and Hawkins 2017]). The southern cell (Figs. 5 and 6): After the vegetation and stone collapse (L100) were cleared away, the layout of the cell was plainly visible. The three walls of the cell were built of two rows of medium-sized stones with an average width of 55 cm, up to two courses high and with the same masonry. The northern and southern walls abut the enclosure wall and seem to be later additions to the original construction phase of the enclosure. Excavation of the fill inside the cell (L101 and L102) resulted in the exposure of some collapsed stones and a few Iron Age and Roman body sherds. One Late Roman/Byzantine bowl rim was found in the fill (L102; Fig. 12:1), and a Mamluk painted body sherd was found in the collapse (L100; Fig. 12:5). The dating of this cell is thus not certain. A concentration of rocks on the slope outside the presumed path of the eroded western enclosure wall (Figs. 5 and 7): These were excavated because it was assumed during the survey that the pile of rocks covered another cell (similar to the northern and southern cells, but abutting the western enclosure wall from the outside). After the vegetation and stone collapse (L200) were cleared away, no architecture was found. Excavation below the collapse (L201) down to bedrock (L202) showed no evidence of architecture, and only a few artifacts that had probably been washed down from the enclosure. These were mainly Iron Age sherds (two jugs in L200 and L201; Fig. 11:5, 6) and a few Roman sherds (including a cooking pot in L201; Fig. 12:2). Shaʿab Romani: A Newly Discovered Iron Age Foot-Shaped Enclosure near Wadi al-Makuk *33 Fig. 6. The southern cell (L100–L101) during excavation (MHCS team) Fig.