The situation at Caesarea mirrors that of research throughout the Levantine coast. The archaeology of the early Islamic period is often neglected due to a combination of factors, including a bias in site selection and a predilection for Classical sites. These biases and gaps in the data have led to debates about the nature of settlement and trade along the coastal region and whether they declined following the Islamic conquest in the 7^th century CE. However, over the last several decades, scholars working throughout the region have begun to question the evidence underlying decline narratives and have produced new evidence that creates a more nuanced and dynamic picture of the era.

In part, this reimagining of the Byzantine-Islamic tradition has inspired our research at Caesarea. According to historical sources, Caesarea played an important role during the Islamic conquest and was targeted by the early caliphs and their forces due to the city’s port and its prominent role in Byzantine trade and logistics. Though Caesarea lost its role as capital of the Byzantine province Palaestina Prima after its capture in 640/1 CE, it continued to be inhabited and was tied into the eastern Mediterranean trade networks and the defense of the coast.

As part of the Caesarea Coastal Archaeology Project, our team has been exploring several regions of the ancient city, with a primary focus on those that might have Islamic-era remains. My work has been focused on the area south of the Roman theater, just outside of the park. We chose this area (Area FZ) to get a stratigraphic record of the southernmost end of the city near the Byzantine wall. We were also hoping to find traces of the Byzantine-Islamic fortress that was identified during the mid-20^th century Italian excavation in the defunct theater.

Gaming dice.

Last year, we uncovered structural remains and material culture that attest to a complex history of mixed use for the area. While we cannot discuss everything that we discovered prior to publication and reporting to the Israel Antiquities Authority, the finds this year point to significant Crusader-era use of this section of the city, as well as Byzantine-Islamic transitional layers, and a thick deposit of amphorae and storage jars. Tantalizing finds from earlier periods include six-sided gaming dice, carved bone hair pins, spindle whorls, dozens of coins, and even a horse skeleton—which many of the students were excited to uncover, having taken zooarchaeology courses at their universities.

In addition to searching for evidence of an under-represented portion of Israel’s history, our project is focused on training the next generation of archaeologists. Students had a chance to practice careful excavation methods in the field, tagging and recording artifacts, making section drawings, creating 3D models using photogrammetry, and conducting off-shore underwater surveys—which for many of the students was the highlight of the season. Considering it was hot and humid, it was a luxury to be digging a stone’s throw from the Mediterranean!

It was a great season, and we look forward to returning with our team next year to further explore Caesarea’s lost history.

Veronica Morriss earned a PhD in Islamic Archaeology from the Department of Near Eastern Studies at the University of Chicago. She is a maritime archaeologist, and her research focuses on the development of the Islamic/Byzantine maritime frontier of Syria-Palestine and the cross-cultural interactions that characterized the Eastern Mediterranean and its shores during the Early Islamic Period. She co-manages a digital archaeology company with her husband in Hawaii, and when she is not in the field, she writes fantasy romance novels.

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