Pottery Production at Tel Ḥevron During the Early Roman Period
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*111 Pottery Production at Tel Ḥevron during the Early Roman Period David Ben-Shlomo* Abstract Recent excavations at Tel Ḥevron (Rumeida) have revealed a pottery workshop dated to the Early Roman period. The portion of the workshop preserved includes a series of settling pools in various sizes and depths, an adjacent structure, and a kiln. This workshop was located in a well planned settlement dated to the Hasmonean and Early Roman periods, up to the Bar Kokhba Revolt, situated on the western part of the biblical tell of Ḥevron. Other finds, such as large ritual baths, indicate that the population here was Jewish during this period. The paper discusses the finds related to pottery production and the related pottery assemblage, as well as compositional analysis of pottery (including ‘wasters’) from the site, consisting of petrographic and chemical analysis. The analysis defines a local petrographic and chemical profile of the site, which was used for a large variety of pottery forms including transport amphorae. A different clay type was used to produce some of the cooking pots. Keywords: Tel Ḥevron, Early Roman, pottery, potter’s workshop, petrography, neutron activation Tel Ḥevron during the Early Roman period The article will discuss finds evidencing pottery production during the Early Roman period unearthed in the recent excavations at Tel Ḥevron. Related compositional analysis of the pottery will also be presented and discussed. The site of Tel Ḥevron (Tell Rumeida), about 30 km south of Jerusalem, was accepted as the location of biblical (Bronze and Iron Age) Ḥevron as early as the 1950s (Mader 1957). Hebron was the major town in Judah for a lengthy period of time. While the impressive ashlar structure of the Cave of the Patriarchs is attributed by most scholars to Herod the Great (e.g., Vincent, MacKay and Abel 1923), the location of the town of Ḥevron (el-Khalil) during this period was until recently unclear. The question is whether it was located near the Cave of the Patriarchs in the current 'Old City' of Ḥevron, or on top of the biblical town of Ḥevron on the nearby tell (Tel Ḥevron). The site was excavated by P. Hammond (1964–66; Hammond 1968), A. Ofer (1984–86; Ofer 1986; 1993) and E. Eisenberg (1999; Eisenberg and Nagorski 2002), yet the results of these excavations have been published so far only very briefly. Eisenberg’s Stratum IV, dating to the Hellenistic period (second to first century BCE), included the eastern part of a dwelling built on top of the EB III city wall. This may indicate that the town or this part of it was not fortified during this period and later. This building continued to be used during the Early Roman period Judea and Samaria Research Studies | Volume 25 Number 2 | 2016 *112 Pottery Production at Tel Ḥevron during the Early Roman Period (Stratum III), when the floor was raised (Eisenberg and Nagorski 2002). Recently (2014), the excavations at the site were renewed.1 The excavation areas (Areas 52, 53A, and 53B) were located on the western and southwestern fringes of the Tell. The article will discuss finds from the recent excavations at Tel Ḥevron. The excavations at Tel Ḥevron, Areas 53A and 52, on the western part of the tell revealed four occupation phases dated to the Hasmonean and Early Roman period (Phases 6–3, ca. 100 BCE–135 CE), while Phase 2 dates to the Late Roman to Early Byzantine period (third to fifth centuries CE; Ben-Shlomo 2016). The earliest phase is not well-known since the upper levels were not removed. However, pottery from the fills under the Early Roman levels represents the Hasmonean period (first century BCE). During the Early Roman period (Phases 5 and 4, late first century BCE–70 CE) the domestic and industrial quarter, located on the southwestern margins of the town, included a wide paved stepped street that connected it to the upper tell, which was probably the center of the settlement (but was not excavated) (Fig. 1). Domestic houses were excavated on both sides of the street. The most well-preserved architectural phase belongs to the Early Roman period, ended by the destruction of the Great Jewish Revolt (70 CE, Phase 4). These included, in addition to the domestic structures, an industrial area comprised of a potter’s workshop, a series of pools, a large ritual bath (miqveh), and winepresses and olive oil presses (Fig. 1). Phase 3 is dated to the period between the Great and Bar Kokhba Revolts (ca. 70–135 CE). During this phase an additional large (western) miqveh was built. According to the new results. it is apparent that the settlement at Second Temple period Ḥevron continued at the location of the biblical tell. It is likely that the lower area of the Cave of the Patriarchs functioned as a cultic compound and possibly as a cemetery, and living quarters of the town did not extend to that area. The ritual baths, as well as some chalk stone vessels found in the Hasmonean and Early Roman phases at Tel Ḥevron, indicate that during this period the settlement was occupied by a Jewish population. 1 The excavation (Permit 1-01-14) was carried out during January–June, and September–October 2014, and directed by David Ben-Shlomo of Ariel University and Emanuel Eisenberg of the Israel Antiquities Authority (Eisenberg and Ben-Shlomo 2016, forthcoming; Farhi and Ben-Shlomo 2016; Ben-Shlomo 2016). Plans were prepared by Jay Rosenberg; photographs of finds are by Tomer Applebaum and field photos are by Assaf Peretz and David Ben-Shlomo. David Ben-Shlomo *113 Fig. 1: Schematic plan of Area 53A of the 2014 excavations at Tel Ḥevron The Potter’s workshop and evidence for pottery production at Tel Ḥevron In the west part of Area 53A at Tel Ḥevron (Fig. 2, Sqs. QQ–O19–21 and SS–OO20– 21) an industrial zone was uncovered (Figs. 2–6), which was probably associated with pottery production. The main feature unearthed was Installation 2291 (Fig. 3), interpreted as a pottery kiln, with what seems to be an adjacent structure on the north (denoted Workshop 2291). In addition, a series of shallow and deeper plastered pools were found to the west and south (Figs. 4–6). The western portion of Area 52, about 30 m to the northwest (Fig. 7), may have been part of the same workshop complex, as suggested by the burnt brick installation with floors containing slag and pottery wasters (distorted and over-fired sherds, Fig. 8). *114 Pottery Production at Tel Ḥevron during the Early Roman Period Fig. 2: Detailed map of the workshop and pools in Area 53A Workshop 2291 Workshop 2291 includes the kiln in the south and two or three units to the north of it. Kiln 2291 is an oval structure (Fig. 3, internally 1.6×2.1 m, externally ca. 3.5×4.8 m), comprised of an area carved and fit into the bedrock and a superstructure, only partly preserved. The kiln was composed of a cavity (possibly partly natural) in the bedrock, which was the lower part of the firing chamber, while the vessel floor was probably located on a carved square pillar, which left its mark on the burnt rock (Fig. 3 center) but was not preserved. The lower stones of the inner walls are plastered, burnt, and cracked as a result of exposure to high temperature. The fill inside the feature David Ben-Shlomo *115 contained mostly Early Roman pottery, but no ‘wasters’ or slag were found here. The kiln may have been cleaned before it went out of use. To the southeast, in an area of about 1.3×2.2 m, a dark burnt packed layer of sediment was covered by many pottery sherds, darkened by fire (Fig. 3 right). This was linked to the kiln through a 0.55 m opening in its wall. These are probably remains of the loading compartment of the kiln's firing chamber. Fig. 3: The pottery kiln (No. 2291) and the structure to the north (No. 2197, above; photo Assaf Peretz) Somewhat similar kilns were found at Khirbet Qumran (Magen and Peleg 2007:52, Figs. 56,57, Early Roman period) and the Jerusalem Convention Center (Levy and Be'eri 2010; Levy and Be'eri 2011: Fig. 8, dated to the period between the revolts). To the north, a ca. 3.3×4 m space was covered by a partially preserved pavement of flat stones built on the bedrock (Floor 2197, Fig. 2 top). This area is delimited to the south by Kiln 2291, and by the poorly preserved stone walls. These remains may indicate that the structure may have been a working space. No finds were foundin situ and the entire structure is only preserved to, at best, a single course of stones between the topsoil and the bedrock. To the west, a roughly 4×5 m area can be defined according to carving lines on the bedrock, assumed to mark the border of the walls above that were not preserved, as well as the continuation of a wall to the west. These spaces north of Kiln 2291 are assumed to be auxiliary rooms related to the kiln production, possibly including space for the potter and the wheel, clay storage, vessels storage, drying area, etc. Yet, it should be noted that related finds, such as the potter's wheels, tools, raw clay, or wasters were not found in this area. It seems the area of Kiln 2291 probably did not continue to function as a pottery workshop and was leveled in Phase 3 after the destruction of Phase 4.