Mampsis was the smallest of the traditional six Nabatean towns in the central Negev. The extensive exposure and exceptionally good preservation of its town plan in the Nabatean period offer a unique opportunity to study the lifestyle of its inhabitants. The defenses of Nabatean Mampsis consisted of towers, at least one of which was founded in the Middle Nabatean period. Other buildings underlying the Late Nabatean structures also belong to the Middle Nabatean period. Mampsis in the Late Nabatean period was densely covered by buildings, some of which are of an unusually high standard and demonstrate characteristic features of Nabatean architecture. They presumably belonged to wealthy citizens. One of them contains unique wall frescoes which are illustrated in color. Other structures of the Late Nabatean period include a caravanserai, a bath house, a market, and a public reservoir. The sophistication of its construction makes Mampsis an isolated Nabatean architectural jewel.

This volume, the sequel to Qedem 26, continues the history of Mampsis. Unlike other towns in the central Negev, where ecclesiastical buildings form part of prosperous settlements built in the Late Roman-Byzantine period, at Mampsis they were imposed on a town built hundreds of years earlier. The author provides a historical discussion of the economic base of the town and addresses the problem of the early end of the town in the mid-6th century CE. Mampsis was the only Nabatean town to be surrounded by a city wall, probably built in the early 4th century. The presentation of the wall is followed by descriptions of the two Byzantine churches, the East Church and the West Church. A full numismatic report and a survey of the architectural decoration of all periods complete the volume.

This volume presents a detailed report of the excavations carried out in 1975-1977 at Tell Qiri in the Jezreel Valley, the first site excavated in the framework of the Yoqne`am Regional Project. The excavations revealed occupational levels of the Neolithic period, the Middle Bronze Age II, and from the Iron Age I to the Late Roman*Early Byzantine periods. Burial remains from the Late Muslim period were unearthed, as well as sporadic finds from the Chalcolithic, Early Bronze, Middle Bronze I, Late Bronze, Umayyad, Crusader, and Ottoman periods. The small, damaged and unimpressive site of Tell Qiri has revealed an astonishingly rich and diverse amount of remains from various periods. No less than 12 stratigraphic stages comprise the five major settlement strata spanning the entire Iron Age. An extensive analysis, employing various methods, has enabled the reconstruction of a small agricultural settlement within its environmental setting.

Caesarea Maritima, a large port city built by Herod and named in honor of Augustus, boasts a long and rich history spanning the Hellenistic to the Crusader periods. This volume is the first detailed scientific excavation report to be published on stratigraphic excavations carried out within the city limits. The site was dug by the authors in three seasons. The main area excavated was in the Crusader fortress, near the coast; five strata, from the early Roman to the Arab periods, were exposed. A unique promontory west of the theater and jutting out into the sea was uncovered; it appears to be the site on which Herod built his palace at Caesarea. This volume presents an overview of the history of archaeological excavations at Caesarea, a detailed stratigraphic report, and analyses of the ceramic and numismatic finds, as well as a discussion of the contribution of the archaeological finds to our understanding of the history of the city. A study of the important corpus of tesserae found at Caesarea over the years appears as an appendix.

Twelve hundred vessels found at Oboda (Avdat) in the Nabatean potter's workshop, in the fill of the podium of the Nabatean temple, in the ruins of a partly excavated Nabatean dwelling, in the large city dump, and in various other loci constitute the most complete corpus of pottery found on a Nabatean site and reveal the splendor of the Nabatean culture of the 1st century CE. Apart from the numerous imported vessels from all over the Roman empire, Oboda was an important production center of local pottery, which included the fine eggshell ware, sigillata, and innumerable types of plain ware. Most of the pottery pertains to the Middle Nabatean period (30 BCE*50-70 CE), when Oboda held a key position in the Nabatean caravan network. The meager finds of the early period, all imported from centers in the eastern Mediterranean, are in keeping with a site in transition between semi-nomadism and semi-sedentarization. An attempt has been made to classify the pottery not only by type but also by function.

The idea of renewing excavations at Beth Shean was conceived by Yigael Yadin in the context of his desire to gain a broader understanding of the Early Iron Age. After dealing with questions concerning this period during his excavations and studies of Hazor and Megiddo, he was convinced that in order to reexamine this period two further regions should be examined * the inland valleys and the coastal area. Beth Shean was chosen by him as the key site for the former region. The present volume presents the main results of this season of excavations, with detailed discussions of the pottery assemblages. The Early Iron Age was previously identified in three strata at the site; the renewed excavations resulted in the identification of an additional stratum of this period. A fresh reconstruction of the historical events and setting of the Early Iron Age in this part of the country may now be attempted.

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.

This is the second volume, following Qedem 9 (1978), of the final report on the excavations at Tel Mevorakh on the Carmel coast. The first settlement at the site was a rectangular Middle Bronze Age IIA fortress built of mudbricks and possibly established by the Egyptians. Later in the MB IIA the fortress was surrounded by residential buildings covering the entire mound. During the MB IIB the area was encircled by a high earthen rampart and a new military fortress housing a small garrison was built in the center. This fortress continued in use to the end of the Middle Bronze Age. In the Late Bronze Age three superimposed Canaanite sanctuaries occupied almost the entire area of the site, leaving no space for an ordinary settlement. It seems, therefore, that these structures were "road sanctuaries" for the use of travelers on the main road along the coast. The report deals with the various structures and finds of the Bronze Age discovered during the excavations.

This comprehensive interim report presents the results of the excavation, the conclusions reached, and the main finds uncovered at the City of David in Jerusalem in the first five seasons of excavation. The report describes the stratigraphy, architecture, and main finds in each of the 11 excavated areas. In addition, the excavation and initial results of the renewed study of Warren's Shaft are described. The stratigraphic reports are followed by a comprehensive discussion of the nature and contents of each of the 21 strata identified, from the Chalcolithic period to the late dumps covering the eastern slope of the hill. The discussion focuses primarily on the finds from the Bronze and Iron Ages. Previous conclusions on the urban character of the entire city during the First and Second Temple periods are reviewed in light of the finds from the City and David and other important excavations near the Temple Mount and in the Jewish Quarter. The Hebrew and English texts are accompanied by 84 plans and 85 photographs.

The excavation at Athienou, Cyprus, was conducted as a study dig by the Institute of Archaeology of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Its goal was to clarify the connections between Canaan and Cyprus in the Late Bronze-Iron Ages. This small inland site was an extremely important and rich settlement whose main strata span the 15th-12th centuries BCE. Athienou is outstanding in the variety of its finds, which testify to its close connections with the coastal centers of Cyprus and through them with the cities of the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean. The dominant feature of the excavation was the discovery of heaps containing thousands of votive vessels. This is the largest concentration of such vessels ever found in Cyprus and a clear-cut indicator of the cultic nature of the site. Moreover, the large amounts of ore and slag found together with copper-working installations point to the site's importance as a metal-working center. This symbiosis of cult and metal industry follows a well-known pattern in Cyprus.

Here, for the first time, is a general survey of ancient ivory work, of value to both the general reader and the specialist. The finds discussed in this volume come from a wide extent of countries from Spain to India and range in date from the late Chalcolithic period up to the establishment of the Byzantine empire. Topics explored include the elephant and ivory working, ivory workers, workshops, guilds, trade, and prices. The text features photographs (including many rare ones) of nearly 300 ivory objects, as well as line drawings and maps.

The excavation of Prof. E.L. Sukenik at Tell Jerishe (in present-day Ramat Gan) was one of the pioneering archaeological undertakings during the days of the British Mandate; a final season took place in 1951. Since the excavator died before he could work on the stratigraphy and finds, the results of his labors did not receive the recognition due to them. During the 1951 season, Sukenik had concentrated on the fortifications, a combination of wall and glacis that was little known at the time. Three decades later, S. Geva accomplished the formidable task of publishing this important Middle Bronze II fortification complex. In order to clarify certain points, she conducted a short season at Tell Jerishe in 1976. Her stratigraphic and structural analysis is copiously illustrated with plans and sections from both the 1951 and 1976 excavations. A large collection of sherds from four strata is presented in order to establish the date of construction of the fortification complex.

The volcano-like profile of Herodium, founded by Herod the Great ca. 26 BCE, crowns the skyline south of Jerusalem. Following a review of the reports of explorers and itinerants who visited the site since the 15th century is a description of the discoveries made during the excavations at Lower Herodium in 1972, 1973, and 1978 * the pool complex, the large lower palace, the course and monumental buildings, the northern wing, and the roads, water systems, and boundaries of the site. The author, who is an architect and archaeologist, presents an exhaustive structural analysis of the mountain palace-fortress on the summit and a comprehensive discussion of the role, planning, and background of Greater Herodium. Contributions dealing with the pottery, inscriptions, frescoes, and coins are included in the report.

The excavation of Tell Qasile, situated on a bank of the River Yarkon in north Tel Aviv, was resumed in 1971-1974. Area C proved to be the sacred area of the Philistine town, offering a unique opportunity to excavate a Philistine sanctuary that underwent a series of architectural changes in Strata XII-VII of the late 12th-late 10th centuries BCE. A thorough description of the architectural remains, with numerous plans and sections, is followed by a comparative study of temples in Syria-Palestine, Cyprus, and the Aegean. The rich assemblage of exotic cult objects, including anthropomorphic and zoomorphic vessels, masks, stands, kernoi and figurines, is presented in detail and their cultural connections are studied. Qedem 20 (1985) treats the pottery and small finds from Tell Qasile and discusses the chronological, cultural, and historical conclusions to be drawn from the excavations at the site.

Buried beneath 5-10 meters of sand dunes in the Gaza Strip lies a Late Bronze Age cemetery that originally contained at least 40 anthropoid clay coffins and large quantities of bronze, faience, and alabaster vessels, figurines, scarabs, jewelry of gold and semiprecious stones, and pottery from Mycenaean Greece, Cyprus, and Egypt, as well as local Canaanite vessels. Unfortunately, most of the graves had been plundered in clandestine digs over the years; some had even been robbed in antiquity. In this report, three excavated anthropoid coffins and their rich funerary offerings receive full publication. The skeletal remains of the nine individuals interred in these coffins are also analyzed. The concluding discussion refers to the larger picture of the cemetery gained through the illicitly dug finds as well as the excavated material. The volume is lavishly illustrated with photographs and line drawings.

This study, which begins with a comprehensive corpus of proto-Aeolic capitals and discussions of their origin, ornamentation, positioning, typology, and dating, also offers an examination of the special features and construction techniques at the royal centers of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Ashlar masonry, with which the proto-Aeolic capitals were closely associated, is analyzed in all its aspects and compared to the stone masonry of neighboring cultures. The presentation concludes with a discussion of the question of Phoenician influence on Israelite masonry.

The large and varied collection of ancient lamps bequeathed by Mrs. Miriam Schaar-Schloessinger of New York to the Institute of Archaeology of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is classified and published in this volume. The 683 lamps (some of glass, bronze, and stone), 3 lamp molds and 11 lamp-fillers range in date from the Archaic Greek to the Islamic periods and in provenance from North Africa to India. The descriptions are accompanied by photographs and, in some cases, drawings. This volume is a useful reference work for students, archaeologists and aficionados of ancient lamps.

Although Tel Mevorakh is very small in area, its strategic location at the junction of the broad Sharon plain, the narrow Carmel coast, and Nahal Tanninim (Crocodile River) probably explains why the accumulation of artificial debris reaches a height of 8 meters and includes more than 15 strata. Strata I-II, the Crusader-Muslim cemetery and Roman remains, were found in the immediate vicinity of the mound, while Strata III-VIII, on the mound itself, cover the Hellenistic period to the late 11th century BCE, with settlement gaps in the 9th-6th and 3rd centuries BCE. Special studies on Phoenician architectural elements and neutron activation analysis of some painted Iron Age pottery supplement the presentation of the remains and finds by strata. Plans, sections, line drawings, and photographs extensively illustrate the report. The Bronze Age remains from Tel Mevorakh are published in Qedem 18 (1984).

About 400 Nabatean, Greek, Latin, Hebrew-Aramaic, Coptic, Armenian, and Thamudic rock-cut inscriptions were photographed in 1970-1971 in a section of Wadi Haggag in western Sinai; 267 of them are published here. They include Nabatean and pre-Christian Greek graffiti written by Nabateans in the 2nd-3rd centuries CE, a Greek inscription of the early 4th century, and Greco-Christian, Jewish, Armenian, and perhaps early Arabic inscriptions from the 5th century and later. The discussions in the catalogue are supplemented by a survey of modern exploration in the area, observations on symbols and pilgrimages, a description of the related pottery, and indexes.

This volume summarizes the emergency surveys and excavations conducted in 1970-1976 in the Gebel Maghara section of northern Sinai, an area whose prehistory was previously virtually unknown. Primary attention is devoted to the Upper Paleolithic, Epi-Paleolithic, and Neolithic occurrences and industries. Studies on the environment (past and present), radiocarbon dating, and Middle Bronze Age I finds are also included.