So, last Friday, the third - and likely last - season of excavations ended. For a number of reasons it was decided early on that there'd only be three weeks this season, as opposed to four during previous years. It was a fairly quick season, but we got quite a bit of things done.
In Area A we continued excavating what is apparently a city wall from the late Second Temple period and it seems to have remained in use until the Bar Kokhba Revolt. Two more rolling stones were found, as well as a coin dated to the time of Emperor Galba, who ruled for a few months in 68 CE, during the Year of the Four Emperors that led up to the coronation of Vespasian. We also continued uncovering what is apparently a second paved street (in addition to the one found last season). Jokingly, we referred to the two as the "cardo" and "decumanus" because one runs NS and the other EW. I was most excited by progress made at my behest in excavating an Iron I/IIa installation I had uncovered with two other diggers way back during the first couple of weeks of the first season. The findings inside the unidentified installation are rather mystifying. I hope I'll be able to share more in the future. Not far from the location of the installation - which is currently the oldest identified layer at the tel - an Iron IIb wall was excavated, perhaps part of a structure that may have stood by the Iron Age city wall (though that hasn't actually been found (yet?)).
In Area G we continued excavating the large Herodian period structure. The current conclusions are preliminary, but for the moment it looks like the structure was first built during the Hellenistic period and remained in use throughout the Early and Middle Roman periods, until the Jewish town was abandoned during the Bar Kokhba Revolt. Peak usage periods seem to have been the Herodian (ca. 37-1 BCE) and Early Roman (1-70 CE) periods, when the building seems to have been used as a warehouse. This fits in well with what we know about Timna - the town that was located at Tel Tibneh - from historical sources, it having served as a toparchy (district) capital during the Roman era.
Finds from both areas and the survey that was held alongside include: a Hellenistic lead sling bullet, Persian coins, ballista stones, a Bar Kokhba-era arrowhead, multiple lamp fragments from various periods (particularly the Greco-Roman periods), stone vessel fragments, a Rhodian stamped jar handle, flint blades, and more.
Some pictures:
The Roman period city wall with some of the rolling stones and one of the ballistas:
A coin with a hole drilled through it, likely repurposing it as jewelry:
A flint blade:
A curious unidentified stone object:
A radial lamp fragment:
In Area A we continued excavating what is apparently a city wall from the late Second Temple period and it seems to have remained in use until the Bar Kokhba Revolt. Two more rolling stones were found, as well as a coin dated to the time of Emperor Galba, who ruled for a few months in 68 CE, during the Year of the Four Emperors that led up to the coronation of Vespasian. We also continued uncovering what is apparently a second paved street (in addition to the one found last season). Jokingly, we referred to the two as the "cardo" and "decumanus" because one runs NS and the other EW. I was most excited by progress made at my behest in excavating an Iron I/IIa installation I had uncovered with two other diggers way back during the first couple of weeks of the first season. The findings inside the unidentified installation are rather mystifying. I hope I'll be able to share more in the future. Not far from the location of the installation - which is currently the oldest identified layer at the tel - an Iron IIb wall was excavated, perhaps part of a structure that may have stood by the Iron Age city wall (though that hasn't actually been found (yet?)).
In Area G we continued excavating the large Herodian period structure. The current conclusions are preliminary, but for the moment it looks like the structure was first built during the Hellenistic period and remained in use throughout the Early and Middle Roman periods, until the Jewish town was abandoned during the Bar Kokhba Revolt. Peak usage periods seem to have been the Herodian (ca. 37-1 BCE) and Early Roman (1-70 CE) periods, when the building seems to have been used as a warehouse. This fits in well with what we know about Timna - the town that was located at Tel Tibneh - from historical sources, it having served as a toparchy (district) capital during the Roman era.
Finds from both areas and the survey that was held alongside include: a Hellenistic lead sling bullet, Persian coins, ballista stones, a Bar Kokhba-era arrowhead, multiple lamp fragments from various periods (particularly the Greco-Roman periods), stone vessel fragments, a Rhodian stamped jar handle, flint blades, and more.
Some pictures:
The Roman period city wall with some of the rolling stones and one of the ballistas:
A coin with a hole drilled through it, likely repurposing it as jewelry:
A flint blade:
A curious unidentified stone object:
A radial lamp fragment:
