The size and artistic richness of the mosaic in the triclinium of the House of Dionysos, and the diversity of the depictions relating to Dionysos and his cult as actually celebrated in the Roman period, as well as the complex relationship between Dionysos and Herakles reflected in some of the floor’s panels, make it outstanding among the finds from Sepphoris. Chapters in this volume present an overview of the other mosaic floors of the same general period in Israel and Jordan; the building itself and the architectural and archaeological data (including the pottery) provided by its excavation; a detailed description of the Dionysiac mosaic and its iconography; a stylistic analysis of the mosaic with comparisons to other mosaics in the region and discussion of the evidence for its dating; the technical features of the mosaic; the mosaics found in the other parts of the structure; and the unique decorative program of the mosaic and its implications, the value of the mosaic as a historical and cultural source, and the questions of its ownership and purpose.

This volume is the second of the final reports on the excavations carried out under the direction of Benjamin Mazar in 1968–1978 (the first volume was published as Qedem 29). The excavations at the foot of the southern wall and the southeast corner of the enclosure of the Temple Mount were conducted on a huge scale and eventually extended over an area of about eight acres. Part One of the present volume presents the architecture and finds of three Byzantine structures in Areas XV and XVII. Part Two presents the “House of the Menorot”, a Byzantine and Early Islamic building in Area VI. Part Three presents three probably residential structures of the Byzantine period in Areas III and XII. The architectural description of these structure is accompanied by presentation of their rich assemblages of finds. Separate chapters are devoted to special groups of finds from the excavations: pottery vessels, pottery and glass lamps, coins and flan molds, an ossuary, inscriptions, stamped roof tiles and bricks, ecclesiastical furniture, arms and pottery figurines.

The eight seasons of excavation at the small site of Tel Qashish were conducted as part of the Yoqne‘am Regional Project that also included the excavations at Tel Qiri and Tel Yoqne‘am and a survey of the western Jezreel Valley. Remains consisting mainly of domestic structures and dating principally from the Early Bronze Age I to the Late Bronze Age were uncovered at Tel Qashish. The present volume presents the architecture, pottery assemblages and pottery typology of the three main periods, the EB I, EB II–III and Middle to Late Bronze Ages, with a description of the minor remains of later periods. The volume also includes overviews of the settlement history of the site in the different periods, a petrographic study of the EB II–III pottery and discussions of special finds, such as a cylinder seal and seal impressions, decorated bones, a bead, figurines, chipped stone artifacts, human skeletal remains, shell beads, freshwater clams and landsnails, and botanical and faunal remains.

Qedem Reports 4 is the first volume of the final reports of the large-scale excavations conducted by the Institute of Archaeology of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem at Bet Shean-Scythopolis between 1980 and 1996. The present study constitutes the full publication of the local and imported clay lamps, lamp molds, bronze lamps and clay lanterns found by the expedition, ranging in date from the Hellenistic to the Mamluk periods. The volume opens with a short introduction to the excavations at Bet Shean, illustrated with plans and photographs, which places the lamps in their historical and stratigraphic context. Of approximately 2800 classifiable lamps and fragments found in the excavations, 534 are illustrated and discussed within the typological framework, and statistics are given for the different typological groups. The importance of this assemblage lies first and foremost in its having been found in an archaeological excavation, allowing most of the lamps to be dated on the basis of the contexts in which they were found. Some of the types have been discovered only at Bet Shean and lack parallels at other sites in Palestine or neighboring countries, while others attest to connections with other parts of the region that vary from period to period. The final chapter is dedicated to examining the connections between lamp finds from Bet Shean and different regions in Palestine, and the connections with the neighboring countries of Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt.

This second two-volume set of the final report on the excavations at Timnah (Tel Batash) in the northern Shephelah of Judah presents the pottery and other finds from the first millennium BCE, i.e. the Iron Age II and the Persian period (Strata IV–I), with a few stray finds of the Hellenistic period. The major part of the text volume is devoted to detailed typological and comparative discussion of the pottery, accompanied by examination of aspects such as surface treatment, provenience, and distribution by stratum and in particular architectural units. In the remainder of the volume different classes of finds are presented: these include inscriptions and seal impressions, figurative clay objects, metal objects, stone objects, and various other classes of small finds. The concluding chapter presents additional conclusions that stem from the material presented in the volume, exploring issues relating to chronology, geopolitics and the Iron Age society and economy. The plates volume contains 106 plates of drawings of pottery and other objects, arranged according to homogeneous architectural units or groups of loci of similar stratigraphic nature in each of the excavation areas.

This volume comprises a report on excavation areas located outside the Canaanite-Israelite city wall of the City of David. First are stratigraphic reports of Areas B and D1, two of the four excavation areas located east of the city wall on the eastern slope of the City of David hill. They are followed by a report on pottery finds from the two areas and a discussion that focuses on the most significant aspect of the finds in all four areas, namely the existence of extramural quarters in part of the Israelite period (especially Stratum 12). This volume concentrates on finds from the major strata from the City of David, from the Iron Age. The material presented here will contribute to a clearer understanding of biblical Jerusalem, for which, despite the large number of excavations there, well-documented archaeological data are still rare.

This volume presents the inscribed finds and related material from all areas and strata of the City of David excavations. Chapters are devoted to Hebrew and Aramaic inscriptions, inscribed pottery, Hebrew bullae, bullae with figurative decoration, Lmlk seal impressions and concentric circles, a Hebrew seal and seal impressions, rosette-stamped handles, incised handles, and locally stamped handles and associated body fragments of the Persian and Hellenistic periods. Appendices are devoted to an Arabic ostracon and potsherds with incised South Arabian letters. A concordance to Volumes V–VI of the City of David reports (Qedem 40 and 41) concludes the volume.

Khirbet ed-Deir is one of the most isolated and remote monastic sites of the Judean Desert. The well-preserved remains of the monastery, founded in the late fifth or early sixth century CE, are concealed in a rocky gorge some 30 km south of Jerusalem. The preserved architectural remains, described in detail in the first chapter, include a stable, a gatehouse and hospice, a baptistery, a large cave church, a burial recess and chapel, a kitchen and refectory, living quarters, an elaborate water supply system and agricultural terraces. Subsequent chapters present all of the finds made at the site: the four Greek inscriptions, rich mosaic pavements, marble furnishings and fittings, fresco fragments, pottery vessels, glass and coins. The concluding chapter comprises a general discussion, placing the results of the excavations in the context of literary sources on monasticism in the Judean Desert and the remains of other monasteries in the region.

This volume establishes a coherent typological framework for the description and analysis of pottery products manufactured in the southern Levant from the sixth to the first half of the fourth millennia BCE, enabling the subdivision of the period into cultural phases and their classification into the Pottery Neolithic and Early, Middle and Late Chalcolithic periods. In the typological analysis the study concentrates on key sites and assemblages from clear archaeological contexts, presenting quantitative analyses wherever possible, though examples from a wide variety of sites are illustrated. Particular emphasis is placed on the regional character of the assemblages. Both relative and absolute chronologies are established, the latter based on the available radiometric datings. The volume is copiously illustrated with line drawings and photographs, presenting for the first time a complete picture of the pottery of the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods.

The Nabatean site of Oboda (Avdat), excavated in 1958-1961, 1975-1977, and 1989, is renowned for its imposing architectural remains. The final report presents the architectural remains of the Nabatean sacred compound, of which the retaining walls, the temple court, the staircase tower, and the magnificent portal have survived, as well as the remains of a small temple identified with the deified King Obodas and discovered in 1989. Remains of the Late Roman period include a well-preserved tower, a patrician villa, and a burial cave. In the Late Roman-Byzantine period a citadel with walls and towers was built. Byzantine remains include the two churches constructed within the Nabatean sacred compound, a cave dwelling, a burial cave, and a bath house. Special reports describe the Late Roman and Byzantine architectural decoration, architectural elements in secondary use, coins, and small finds, including the splendid hoard of bronzes.

The site of Tel Batash is identified with Biblical Timnah, well known as the setting of the Samson stories. The final report of its stratigraphy and architecture provides a comprehensive picture of the history of the town. Its distinctive square shape and concave surface were determined by the ramparts of the Middle Bronze Age. The unwalled Late Bronze Age town contained several patrician houses. Philistine Timnah was a substantial and densely built-up site and the excavations provided evidence of the existence of a city wall. In the 10th century BCE the town was unwalled and sparsely settled, but the earliest phase of the city gate probably dates from this period. Timnah of the 8th-7th centuries BCE was defended by a stone wall and a city gate. The densely built-up town included large public buildings, private dwellings, and evidence of an olive oil industry. This two-part set consists of a text volume, lavishly illustrated by photographs and schematic plans, and a volume containing 107 detailed plans and sections.