Table of Contents for NEA 86.1 (2023) - American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR)

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Table of Contents for <em>NEA</em> 86.1 (2023)

Table of Contents for Near Eastern Archaeology 86.1 (March 2023)

Pp. 4-15: “Indus-Style Stone Beads in the Late Third-Millennium BCE Southern Levant: The Role of Trade and Curation in the Distribution of High-Value Ornaments,” by Geoffrey E. Ludvik

This article discusses how identification of stylistic, morphometric, mineralogical, and technological characteristics of carnelian stone beads can provide major insights into EB IV/MB I interregional networks and social differentiation. Based on unique drilling techniques, stylistic shapes, morphometric proportions, and mineralogical characteristics, fifty-four carnelian beads found in Israel/Palestine have been identified as crafted in a manner ultimately diagnostic of the Indus tradition of modern Pakistan and western India. Fifty Indus-style beads in the EB IV/MB I probably reflect increased socio-cultural links to the northern Levant and Mesopotamia during this period, while four beads from later contexts represent long-term curation of valuable ornaments.

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Pp. 16-27: “Tell It Like It Is: Discoveries from a New Survey of the Northern Jordanian Plateau,” by Marta Lorenzon, Antti Lahelma, Maher Tarboush, Elisabeth Holmqvist, Dries Daems, Saimi Kautonen, Joanna Töyräänvuori, Stefan L. Smith, Benjamín Cutillas-Victoria, Maija Holappa, Hussein Al-Sababha, and Ahmed Al-Shorman

This article presents the results of a joint Finnish-Jordanian survey project that focuses on investigating the interrelations of the imperial heartlands and the Levantine region in the Late Bronze and Iron Ages. We used historical satellite images to identify potential sites on the northern Jordanian plateau, after which they were systematically investigated by archaeological survey. Of the sites discovered, the fortified site of Tell al-Assara stands out owing to its prominent location, as indicated by a visibility analysis, and its massive enceinte wall made of ashlars. One of the pottery sherds found at the site bears an inscription in Aramaic. Although Tell al-Assara is remarkably well preserved, many of the sites discovered were already badly damaged by looting and urban development. These alarming developments can only be countered by closely involving local communities in fieldwork projects working in the region.

Pp. 28-45: “The West Semitic Alphabet in the Early Iron Age: A New Hypothesis,” by Benjamin Sass and Israel Finkelstein

In the hypothesis presented by the authors, stratified, nonmonumental inscriptions and their radiometric datings take center stage for the first time. It is in the living script of these texts rather than in the artificial alphabet of monuments that the evolution of the alphabet in Iron IIA can be studied properly. A key take-home lesson of the work is the significant ninth-century transformations of the alphabet from precursive Proto-Canaanite to supraregional cursive, thence to the well-known regional variants. Under the Omrides, the alphabet in Israel is attested minimally. No Omride texts were recognized at Samaria, nor Baashide texts at Tirzah. The newly founded West Semitic kingdoms since ca. 900 BCE will have constituted the cradle of the cursive, while papyrus or parchment and ink were the cursive’s likeliest vehicle. Alphabetic inscriptions on monuments, including Byblos, all cursive-inspired, will only have emerged in the last third of the ninth century.

Pp. 46-57: “In the Footsteps of Albright: The Renewed Excavations at Tell Beit Mirsim,” by Igor Kreimerman, Itamar Weissbein, Pnina Torn Broers, and Ofer Naveh

Tell Beit Mirsim in the Judean Shephelah was excavated by William F. Albright and Melvin G. Kyle in the 1920s and 1930s. These excavations established the relative chronology for the entire southern Levant because of good preservation conditions, facilitated by the multiple destruction layers at the site, and thanks to Albright’s familiarity with pottery. Ninety years later, the excavations have been renewed with the aim of investigating the economy and social structure of the kingdom of Judah. The first season of renewed excavations by the Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has unearthed the remains of Iron Age IIB domestic structures, one of which belongs to the four-room-house type, and an olive oil press. The excellent preservation of the remains enables the reconstruction of activity areas and suggests that Tell Beit Mirsim could be the perfect lab for exploring the economy of the kingdom of Judah.

Pp. 58-63: “In Situ Implementation of Imaging Techniques Reveals Key Motifs in the Early Byzantine Wall Painting of Christ’s Baptism at Shivta, Israel,” by Ravit Linn, Emma Maayan-Fanar, and Yotam Tepper

Following the rediscovery of the Early Byzantine wall painting of Christ’s baptism in the northern church of Shivta in southern Israel, the painting was investigated with different imaging techniques in order to clarify the scene and to find additional painted motifs and hidden colors and patterns. Besides high-quality photography from close distance on a scaffolding at 3.5 m height, thus at the level of the painting, Near IR photography (NIR), UV wavelengths microscopy, and Visible Induced Luminescence (VIL) imaging were all conducted in order to collect new information on the painting. The combination of several imaging techniques provided new and surprising details on elements of the painting, especially revealing blue color around the head and shoulders of Christ, most probably reminiscent of the River Jordan where the baptism took place.

Pp. 64-73: “The Finder, Not the Find: Presenting Educational Archaeology,” by Achia Kohn-Tavor

Educational excavation projects focus primarily on the pedagogic values embedded in the archaeological work, while archaeology per se is their secondary goal; therefore, they differ from community archaeology, which mostly incorporates education and community into archaeological projects and objectives. This article articulates this difference and then presents educational archaeology in detail, explaining how it is implemented. To illuminate educational archaeology further, two projects headed by the author are presented, encompassing school students, and domestic and international tourism. Educational archaeology encompasses a variety of benefits that are rather efficiently delivered: social and personal development of the individual, building community and a sense of belonging, and widening one’s scope of knowledge. The call to make archaeology accessible to the broad public is greatly facilitated here, and therefore educational archaeology projects should occupy a larger space among place-based, value-oriented projects.

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Table of Contents for Near Eastern Archaeology 86.1 (March 2023)

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