Yotvata: The Ze'ev Meshel Excavations (1974–1980): The Iron I “Fortress” and the Early Islamic Settlement

Lily Singer-Avitz; Etan Ayalon

Published by Penn State University Press 2023

Yotvata

The Ze'ev Meshel Excavations (1974–1980): The Iron I “Fortress” and the Early Islamic Settlement

Lily Singer-Avitz and Etan Ayalon

In the series Monograph Series of the Sonia and Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781646022601

Overview
Contents

About this book

This book presents the final report of the excavations at Yotvata, the largest oasis in the Arabah Valley, conducted by the Sonia and Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University in 1974–1980 under the direction of Dr. Zeʾev Meshel. The report covers two central sites: a fortified Iron I site and an Early Islamic settlement.

The Iron I remains consist of an irregular casemate wall surrounding a courtyard. The location of this site suggests that the settlement was established in order to protect the water sources and to overlook and supervise the nearby crossroads. Based on the relative proximity of the site to Timna, it may be concluded that the oasis formed the main source of water and wood for the population involved in copper production in that region.

The rich finds uncovered at the Early Islamic settlement—including a large courtyard building and a nearby bathhouse, among other structures—point to habitation from the end of the seventh to the early ninth century CE. The proximity of the settlement to a sophisticated irrigation system (qanat) and the administrative/economic ostraca discovered at the site suggest that it served as the center of an agricultural estate owned by an elite Muslim family. Among the unique finds is a large assemblage of locally produced, handmade pottery, which is thoroughly studied here.

The findings from the excavations at the Yotvata oasis have made a major contribution to the study of Early Islamic settlement and material culture in the greater Arabah region and beyond.

Author / Editor information

Singer-Avitz Lily :

Lily Singer-Avitz is Recorder and Pottery Researcher at Tel Aviv University. She is the author of Beer-Sheba III: The Early Iron IIA Enclosed Settlement and the Late Iron IIA–Iron IIB Cities, also published by Eisenbrauns, as well as numerous scholarly articles.Ayalon Etan :

Etan Ayalon is an expert in ethno-archaeology and the material culture of the Land of Israel and has curated a variety of exhibitions in Israeli museums. He has participated in more than eighty archaeological excavations and archaeological and ethnographic surveys in Israel and published numerous books and papers.

Lily Singer-Avitz is Recorder and Pottery Researcher at Tel Aviv University. She is the author of Beer-Sheba III: The Early Iron IIA Enclosed Settlement and the Late Iron IIA–Iron IIB Cities, also published by Eisenbrauns, as well as numerous scholarly articles.

Etan Ayalon is an expert in ethno-archaeology and the material culture of the Land of Israel and has curated a variety of exhibitions in Israeli museums. He has participated in more than eighty archaeological excavations and archaeological and ethnographic surveys in Israel and published numerous books and papers.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
CONTENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	v
PREFACE Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION: THE YOTVATA OASIS Zeʾev Meshel Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
SECTION I YOTVATA HILL THE IRON I “FOR TRESS” AND OTHER REMAINS
PART I THE SITE IN CONTEXT
CHAPTER 2 YOTVATA: A “FORTRESS” ON A ROAD JUNCTION Uzi Avner and Lily Singer-Avitz Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	7
PART II ARCHITECTURAL REMAINS
CHAPTER 3 THE EXCAVATIONS AND ARCHITECTURAL COMPONENTS Lily Singer-Avitz Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	21
PART III ARTIFACTS
CHAPTER 4 THE POTTERY ASSEMBLAGE OF THE IRON I Lily Singer-Avitz Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	51
CHAPTER 5 PETROGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF THE IRON I POTTERY David Ben-Shlomo and Lily Singer-Avitz Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	69
CHAPTER 6 THE CERAMIC FINDS FROM THE NABATAEAN BUILT TOMB Tali Erickson-Gini and Lily Singer-Avitz Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	71
CHAPTER 7 THE CHIPPED ST ONE COLLECTIONS: LITHIC PERSPECTIVES ON AN OASIS SITE IN THE ARABAH Steven A Rosen and Lily Singer-Avitz Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	73
CHAPTER 8 SHELL ARTIFACTS Daniella E. Bar-Yosef Mayer and Lily Singer-Avitz Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	81
CHAPTER 9 TWO BONE OBJECTS Etan Ayalon and Lily Singer-Avitz Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	85
CHAPTER 10 OSTRICH EGGSHELLS Lily Singer-Avitz Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	89
CHAPTER 11 GROUND STONE TOOLS Aaron Greener and Lily Singer-Avitz Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	91
CHAPTER 12 WORKED WOODEN OBJECTS FROM THE IRON I Yigal Sitry and Lily Singer-Avitz Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	97
CHAPTER 13 A WOOD COFFIN FROM THE NABATAEAN BUILT TOMB Yigal Sitry and Lily Singer-Avitz Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	99
CHAPTER 14 CORDS AND BASKETRY FROM THE IRON I AND TEXTILES FROM THE NABATAEAN BUILT TOMB Naama Sukenik, Orit Shamir and Lily Singer-Avitz Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	109
PART IV ECOFACTS
CHAPTER 15 ARCHAEOBOTANICAL REMAINS FROM THE IRON I “FORTRESS” AND THE NABATAEAN BUILT TOMB Nili Liphschitz and Lily Singer-Avitz Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	119
CHAPTER 16 CHARCOAL SAMPLES FROM THE CHALCOLITHIC/EARLY BRONZE I SETTLEMENT Mark Cavanagh, Mordechay Benzaquen, Dafna Langgut and Lily Singer-Avitz Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	125
CHAPTER 17 DENDROARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT ON THE COFFIN FROM THE NABATAEAN BUILT TOMB Mordechay Benzaquen, Mark Cavanagh, Dafna Langgut and Lily Singer-Avitz Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	131
CHAPTER 18 IRON I AND CHALCOLITHIC/EARLY BRONZE I F AUNA Liora Kolska Horwitz and Lily Singer-Avitz Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	133
CHAPTER 19 RADIOCARBON DATES Israel Carmi, Dror Segal, Linda Scott Cummings, Peter Kováčik, Uzi Avner and Lily Singer-Avitz Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	141
PART V CONCLUDING REMARKS
CHAPTER 20 MAṢṢEBOTH (STANDING STONES) IN GATES Uzi Avner and Lily Singer-Avitz Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	149
CHAPTER 21 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS Lily Singer-Avitz Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	161
ADDENDUM LATER EXCAVATIONS IN THE NABATAEAN BUILT TOMB Uzi Avner Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	179
LIST OF LOCI Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	181
SECTION II THE EARLY ISLAMIC SETTLEMENT
PART VI ARCHITECTURAL REMAINS
CHAPTER 22 ARCHITECTURE AND STRATIGRAPHY Etan Ayalon Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	183
PART VII ARTIFACTS
CHAPTER 23 THE POTTERY Itamar Taxel and Etan Ayalon Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	241
CHAPTER 24 PERFECTING LOCAL PRODUCTION OF DESERT POTTERY: PETROGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF EARLY ISLAMIC WARES Paula Waiman-Barak, Willie Ondricek and Etan Ayalon Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	281
CHAPTER 25 STONE AND METAL OBJECTS Itamar Taxel and Etan Ayalon Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	287
CHAPTER 26 GLASS FINDS Ruth E. Jackson-Tal and Etan Ayalon Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	295
CHAPTER 27 THE OSTRACA Nitzan Amitai-Preiss, Etan Ayalon and Itamar Taxel Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	299
CHAPTER 28 THE COINS Nitzan Amitai-Preiss, Ariel Berman and Etan Ayalon Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	311
CHAPTER 29 TEXTILES, TEXTILE IMPRESSIONS AND A PLAIT Orit Shamir and Etan Ayalon Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	315
PART VIII ECOFACTS
CHAPTER 30 IDENTIFICATION OF DYES Naama Sukenik, Zohar Amar, David Iluz and Etan Ayalon Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	327
CHAPTER 31 ARCHAEOBOTANICAL REMAINS FROM THE EARLY ISLAMIC SITE Nili Liphschitz and Etan Ayalon Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	337
CHAPTER 32 FAUNAL REMAINS Vered Kishon, Shlomo Hellwing and Etan Ayalon Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	345
CHAPTER 33 MOLLUSCS Henk K. Mienis and Etan Ayalon Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	363
PART IX CONCLUDING REMARKS
CHAPTER 34 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Itamar Taxel, Zeʾev Meshel and Etan Ayalon Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	367
LIST OF LOCI Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	385

Language: English
Publisher: Penn State University Press
Pages
- Main content: 396
Illustrations
- Illustrations: 3
- Images: 103
- Coloured Images: 73
- Tables: 26
Keywords: Yotvata excavations; Early Islamic settlement history; material culture in the greater Arabah region; Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University; fortified Iron I site

eBook

Published: December 27, 2022
ISBN: 9781646022601