Abstract:

This volume concludes the final report on the excavations of the Philistine sanctuary at Tell Qasile, the first part of which was published in Qedem 12 (1980). The major part of the volume deals with the rich stratified assemblages of pottery found in the various sanctuaries and surrounding structures at the site. The pottery is discussed in the text with accompanying photographs according to a typological classification developed especially for the site, and presented by stratified architectural units in the 48 pottery figures. Computerized registration of all the sherds found in stratified loci has enabled a comprehensive catalogue of pottery finds from each locus. A separate chapter reports the results of neutron activation analysis made on a sample of pottery from Tell Qasile. Other chapters describe the various bronze, iron, ivory, alabaster, and stone artifacts and the beads and scarabs found in the sanctuary. Studies of plant remains, animal bones, sediments, brick composition, and textile remains are presented in the appendixes. The concluding chapter summarizes the contribution of the excavations at Tell Qasile to the study of the Iron Age in general and the Philistine culture in particular.