Tell es-Safi/Gath II

The present volume is the second volume in the series of final reports of the Tell es-Safi/Gath Archaeological Project. In the first volume, various studies and reports on and relating to the project were presented, up until the 2010 season. In the current volume an assortment of excavation reports and topical studies of finds are presented. Chapter 2: final report on Ḥorvat Shimon, a small Iron IIB site, located ca. 1 km to the west of Tell es-Safi/Gath. Chapter 3 deals with the excavations at various locations along the Iron IIA (9th century BCE) Aramean siege system. In addition to the elements relating to the siege system itself, other finds that were discovered, primarily in Area C6, are described and discussed. Chapter 4 presents the final publication of a late Iron I/early Iron IIA tomb, excavated in 2006, including studies on the human remains, isotopic analyses on these remains, pottery, radiocarbon dating, faunal analysis, and the jewelry and amulets discovered in the tomb. Chapter 5 is the final report on the stratigraphy and architecture of the excavations in Upper Area F, near the summit of the site. Chapter 6 discusses the Middle Bronze Age at the site. In this chapter, a general survey of the MB on Tell es-Safi/Gath, based on materials found in the surface survey and the excavations in Area F is presented. Chapter 7 is an updated summary and final report on the Late Bronze Age finds from Area E. The report includes a variety of studies on the remains from the LB, including the stone implements, shells, beads, a scarab, the imported pottery, figurines, lithics and the archaeobotanical remains. Chapter 8 presents an analysis of stone weights found in the excavations up until the 2014 season. Chapter 9 presents the relatively small amount of coins found during the project, including surface finds and finds from the excavations.

Chapter 1: Introduction and Overview

Introduction and Overview (Aren M. Maeir)

Chapter 2: Ḥorvat Shimon: An Eighth Century BCE Site on the Periphery of Tell es-Safi/Gath

Ḥorvat Shimon: An Eighth Century BCE Site on the Periphery of Tell es-Safi/Gath: The Site and Finds (Amit Dagan and Aren M. Maeir)

Petrographic and Chemical Analysis of Pottery from Horvat Shimon (David Ben-Shlomo)

Chapter 3: Area C: The Siege Trench and Features in its Vicinity

The Excavations in Area C (Shira Gur-Arieh and Aren M. Maeir)

Petrographic Analysis of Pottery from Area C (David Ben-Shlomo)

The Shells from Area C (Henk K. Mienis)

Chapter 4: The Excavations in Cave T1, Area T

The Excavations in Cave T1, Area T: Background and Stratigraphy (Joe Uziel and Aren M. Maeir)

The Pottery from Cave T1 (Joe Uziel and Aren M. Maeir)

The Human Remains from Cave T1 (Marina Faerman and Patricia Smith)

Radiocarbon Dates from Cave T1 (Elisabetta Boaretto)

Strontium Isotope Investigation of Human Mobility based on Teeth from Cave T1 (Ian Moffat, Renaud Joannes-Boyau, Les Kinsley, Malte Willmes and Rainer Grün)

The Faunal Remains from Cave T1 (Liora Kolska Horwitz and Rebecca Biton)

The Iron Age I/IIA Jewelry from Cave T1 (Josephine A. Verduci)

Seals and Amulets from Cave T1 (Stefan J. Wimmer and Manfred Görg)

Concluding Remarks (Joe Uziel and Aren M. Maeir)

Chapter 5: The Stratigraphy and Architecture of Area F-Upper, Strata F4-F8a

The Stratigraphy and Architecture of Area F-Upper, Strata F4-F8a (Jeffrey R. Chadwick and Aren M. Maeir)

Chapter 6: The Middle Bronze Age in Area F

Middle Bronze Age Fortifications and Finds in Area F (Jeffrey R. Chadwick, Eric L. Welch, Joe Uziel and Aren M. Maeir)

Petrographic Analysis of Middle Bronze Age Pottery from Area F (David Ben-Shlomo)

Chapter 7: The Late Bronze Age Remains in Area E: Final Report

The Late Bronze Age Stratigraphy and Architecture (Itzhaq Shai, Joe Uziel and Aren M. Maeir 379)

The Aegean-Type Pottery (Philipp W. Stockhammer)

Jewelry from Stratum E4 (Shira Albaz)

An Additional Scarab from Area E (Daphna Ben-Tor)

Late Bronze Age Figurines from Area E (Joe Uziel and Itzhaq Shai)

Ground Stone Objects from Stratum E4 (Merav Y. Levmore-Raziel)

The Second Millennium BCE Lithic Assemblage from Area E, Seasons 2005-2011 (Francesca Manclossi And Steven A Rosen)

Canaan’s Staples, Seasonal Vegetables and Luxury Fruits: Finds from Stratum E4 (Suembikya Frumin, Yoel Melamed and Ehud Weiss)

The Shells from the Late Bronze Age in Area E (Henk K. Mienis)

Overview of the Late Bronze Age Remains from Area E (Itzhaq Shai, Joe Uziel and Aren M. Maeir)

Chapter 8: Balance Weights

Balance Weights (Ely Levine)

Chapter 9: Coins from Excavations at Tell es-Safi/Gath (1996–2010)

Coins from Tell es-Safi/Gath (1996–2010) (Donald T. Ariel)