Figurative Representations from Neveh Yam and Other Sites in Israel: Markers of the Late Neolithic/Early Chalcolithic South Levant Cultures.

Four symbolic artefacts were recovered from the Late Neolithic/Early Chalcolithic (Wadi Rabah culture) site of Neveh Yam, dated to the sixth--fifth millennia BCE. These comprise two anthropomorphic figurines made of stone, one anthropomorphic image incised on bone and a sherd with zoomorphic incisions. These artefacts are described and discussed with reference to similar objects found in additional Late Neolithic/Early Chalcolithic sites in the southern Levant and later sites in Mesopotamia, the Aegean and the Iberian Peninsula. It is proposed that the bone figurines from Neveh Yam, ʿEn Ṣippori and Ha-Gosherim could represent a symbolic marker for the Wadi Rabah culture and contemporary cultures in the South Levant. 151 DANIEL VAINSTUB and DAVID BEN-SHLOMO: A Hebrew Seal and an Ostracon from Tel Hebron ABSTRACT: This article describes and discusses a private Hebrew seal and a fragment of a Hebrew ostracon recently found in an archaeological excavation at Tel Hebron (Roumeida). The items were uncovered in the context of Iron IIB fortification elements, in a layer dated to the late eighth or early seventh century BCE. The seal bears the name Shepaṭyahu (son of) Samak and the depiction of an animal. The parallels for the name and the palaeography of the script are compatible with the dating of the find spot. The ostracon fragment bears remains of Hebrew names. The implications of the finds are briefly discussed. This article describes and discusses a private Hebrew seal and a fragment of a Hebrew ostracon recently found in an archaeological excavation at Tel Hebron (Roumeida). The items were uncovered in the context of Iron IIB fortification elements, in a layer dated to the late eighth or early seventh century BCE. The seal bears the name Shepaṭyahu (son of) Samak and the depiction of an animal. The parallels for the name and the palaeography of the script are compatible with the dating of the find spot. The ostracon fragment bears remains of Hebrew names. The implications of the finds are briefly discussed. 166 ASSAF KLEIMAN, ADAM KAPLAN and ISRAEL FINKELSTEIN: Building 338 at Megiddo: New Evidence from the Field ABSTRACT: Building 338 at Megiddo is one of the most impressive Iron Age structures unearthed in the southern Levant. Scholars have debated its function and its dating — Iron IIA or Iron IIB. In this article we present new evidence from excavations conducted in the vicinity of the building that suggests that it was constructed in the Iron IIB. We then place these results within the context of Iron II Megiddo. Building 338 at Megiddo is one of the most impressive Iron Age structures unearthed in the southern Levant. Scholars have debated its function and its dating — Iron IIA or Iron IIB. In this article we present new evidence from excavations conducted in the vicinity of the building that suggests that it was constructed in the Iron IIB. We then place these results within the context of Iron II Megiddo. 177 LIORA FREUD: A Note on Sixth-Century BCE Phoenician Chalice-Shaped Vessels from Judah ABSTRACT: Distributed along the Phoenician coast (from Al Mina in the north to Tel Dor and Jezreel Valley in the south), chalice-shaped Phoenician vessels have been attributed to the late eighth and the seventh century BCE. The same vessels, however, have been identified within assemblages from the Jerusalem and Benjamin areas dating from the early sixth century BCE. While the proximity of the Jezreel Valley to Phoenicia may explain their presence in Yoqneʿam and Tel Qiri, their presence in the Judaean Hills — in the City of David, in a burial cave at ʿAlmit, and at Tell enNasbeh — is extraordinary. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the evidence of this geographical distribution and to consider how a renewed analysis may broaden our current understanding of connections between Judah and Phoenicia during the final days of the Judahite kingdom and possibly even during the Babylonian domination of Judah. Distributed along the Phoenician coast (from Al Mina in the north to Tel Dor and Jezreel Valley in the south), chalice-shaped Phoenician vessels have been attributed to the late eighth and the seventh century BCE. The same vessels, however, have been identified within assemblages from the Jerusalem and Benjamin areas dating from the early sixth century BCE. While the proximity of the Jezreel Valley to Phoenicia may explain their presence in Yoqneʿam and Tel Qiri, their presence in the Judaean Hills — in the City of David, in a burial cave at ʿAlmit, and at Tell enNasbeh — is extraordinary. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the evidence of this geographical distribution and to consider how a renewed analysis may broaden our current understanding of connections between Judah and Phoenicia during the final days of the Judahite kingdom and possibly even during the Babylonian domination of Judah. 188 SUEMBIKYA I. FRUMIN and YANA TCHEKHANOVETS: Plant Imprints on Pottery Reveal Fig Tree in Hellenistic Jerusalem ABSTRACT: This article proposes and tests a novel interdisciplinary method for reconstructing the ancient humans’ environment by using plant imprints on pottery. Sherds with plant imprints may provide a valuable source for reconstructing certain components of the ancient vegetation, and the imprints may represent a link to the potter’s immediate environment, pottery production methods, and the local cultural relationships with plants. We examined 15 sherds with plant imprints retrieved from Hellenistic strata from Givʿati Parking Lot, Jerusalem. Plant imprints were analysed for their position on the vessel and to determine which plant organ was presented; the imprints were then scanned and measured to determine the plant species. Results show clear evidence for the intentional use of green leaves for vessel rim repair. Archaeobotanical analysis of these sherds has also revealed the earliest evidence for the presence of fig tree, Ficus carica, in Jerusalem and the surrounding region. These results show that analysis of plant leaf imprints on pottery can further improve the reconstruction of ancient settlement life and its environmental conditions. This article proposes and tests a novel interdisciplinary method for reconstructing the ancient humans’ environment by using plant imprints on pottery. Sherds with plant imprints may provide a valuable source for reconstructing certain components of the ancient vegetation, and the imprints may represent a link to the potter’s immediate environment, pottery production methods, and the local cultural relationships with plants. We examined 15 sherds with plant imprints retrieved from Hellenistic strata from Givʿati Parking Lot, Jerusalem. Plant imprints were analysed for their position on the vessel and to determine which plant organ was presented; the imprints were then scanned and measured to determine the plant species. Results show clear evidence for the intentional use of green leaves for vessel rim repair. Archaeobotanical analysis of these sherds has also revealed the earliest evidence for the presence of fig tree, Ficus carica, in Jerusalem and the surrounding region. These results show that analysis of plant leaf imprints on pottery can further improve the reconstruction of ancient settlement life and its environmental conditions. 202 YUVAL GADOT and YONATAN ADLER: A Quantitative Analysis of Jewish Chalk Vessel Frequencies in Early Roman Jerusalem: A View from the City’s Garbage Dump ABSTRACT: The recent excavations of a section of the first-century CE garbage dump found on the eastern slope of the Lower City of Jerusalem (the City of David/Silwan) have provided an opportunity to conduct the first quantitative analysis of the relative The recent excavations of a section of the first-century CE garbage dump found on the eastern slope of the Lower City of Jerusalem (the City of David/Silwan) have provided an opportunity to conduct the first quantitative analysis of the relative frequencies of the various functional groups and types within a complete assemblage of chalk vessels. As our assemblage derives entirely from random garbage deposited in the Jerusalem city dump, these data may be presumed representative of the quantitative breakdown of vessel types used by Jerusalem’s population during the last decades of the Second Temple period. Our study also investigates the ratio of chalk vessels to pottery at our site, an issue of particular interest in light of the manner that contemporary Jewish ritual law related to utensils made of these two kinds of materials. 220 RIVKA ELITZUR LEIMAN and UZI LEIBNER: An Amulet from Khirbet Wadi Ḥamam ABSTRACT: This article describes an amulet in the shape of a thin copper plaque that was found on the floor of a domestic structure at Khirbet Wadi Ḥamam in the eastern Lower Galilee. It contains a five-line engraved inscription with a sequence of magic signs and a few Hebrew (or pseudo-Hebrew) letters. Dated to the first half of the fourth century CE, the amulet is the earliest example of its type known to date from a Jewish context. Its meaning, use and place in the development of such amulets are discussed, as well as its date and the stratigraphic context in which it was found. This article describes an amulet in the shape of a thin copper plaque that was found on the floor of a domestic structure at Khirbet Wadi Ḥamam in the eastern Lower Galilee. It contains a five-line engraved inscription with a sequence of magic signs and a few Hebrew (or pseudo-Hebrew) letters. Dated to the first half of the fourth century CE, the amulet is the earliest example of its type known to date from a Jewish context. Its meaning, use and place in the development of such amulets are discussed, as well as its date and the stratigraphic context in which it was found. 232 LILY SINGER-AVITZ: Khirbet Qeiyafa: Late Iron Age I in Spite of It All — Once Again ABSTRACT: The debate regarding the periodical attribution of the Khirbet Qeiyafa pottery assemblag