Tell es-Safi/Gath Archaeological Project

190 Pages·20.691 MB·English

by  Aren M. Maeir (ed.)

Near Eastern
Archaeology
The American Schools
of Oriental Research
VOLUME 80 • ISSUE 4 • DECEMBER 2017
Join ASOR for the Journey
into a New Century
of Discovery!
FOUNDED IN 1900
Since its inception, ASOR has encouraged research,
especially archaeological, about the history, geography,
languages, literatures, and religions of the societies
of the ancient Near East, the birthplace of Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam and the tap roots of Western
civilization.
Today numerous ASOR-affiliated projects with multi-
disciplinary research interests continue to explore the
civilizations and cultures of the eastern Mediterranean
and the Middle East. The interests of project researchers
span the more than ten-thousand-year history of
cultural development in the Near East, from prehistoric
times to the present.
Membership Categories The Tell es-Sâfi / Gath
. .
Regular: $140 Undergraduate: $24.99 Archaeological
Retired: $120 Graduate: $69.99
Project
Sustaining: $260 Early Career: $89.99
Contributing: $125 Associate: $50.00
Overview
Survey
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
The American Schools of Oriental Research Environmental Studies
P.O. Box 15729
Boston, MA 02215 The Early Bronze Age
Tel. [phone]
The Late Bronze Age
E-mail: [email protected] • www.ASOR.org
This content downloaded from 132.64.28.8 on Sun, 08 Apr 2018 06:31:07 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
From the Guest Editor
I believe that the Tell es-Sâfi/Gath Archaeological Project, just having
Save the Date!
completed its twenty-second season, can be seen as an excellent illustra-
tion of the development—and current state—of Near Eastern and biblical Editor: Thomas Schneider
Managing Editor: Billie Jean Collins
archaeology. The site was one of the first sites to be excavated in the nine-
Artwork: Susanne Wilhelm
teenth century, as part of one of the first regional projects conducted in the Assistant Editor: Julia Hsieh
region: the excavations of five sites in the Shephelah, in 1899, by Bliss and
Class of 2017
Macalister. The aims, objectives, methods of excavation, and standard of
Beth Alpert Nakhai
publication deriving from this early work represents the type of research Marica Cassis
conducted at the time. Subsequent to these excavations, the site was not Michael Harrower
Stephen C. Russell
researched for close to a century, save for limited surface surveys (and illicit
excavations), up until 1996, when the current project commenced. Class of 2018
Since then, the Tell es-Sâfi/Gath Archaeological Project has developed Emily Hammer November 14–17, 2018
Richard S. Hess
into one of the largest excavations in the near east (and perhaps the world).
Jason Ur
More so, we have managed to turn this project into a research endeavor with Tasha Vorderstrasse Denver, Colorado
a distinctive inter- and multidisciplinary character, combining research
Class of 2019
perspectives not only from the humanities, but from the social, earth, bio-
Ömür Harmansah
logical and “hard” sciences, all working in tandem, most often already in Ann-Marie Knoblauch
the field, to produce a substantial body of truly innovative research. Thus, Miriam Müller
K. Lawson Younger
while many of the finds and results deriving from the project are of interest
to “traditional” consumers of the results of archaeological research in the Subscriptions: Annual subscription rates are $40.00 for
region, a large part of the research is innovative and groundbreaking on a individuals and $191.00 for institutions. NEA is also avail-
able as a part of the benefits of some ASOR membership
broad international scale as well, in the questions that have been asked, the
categories. For details, contact ASOR at [phone].
methods used to tackle these questions, and the results deriving from this. Postage for Canadian and other international addresses 2018 Annual Meeting
This issue of NEA, and the one following it (March 2018), are devoted is an additional $32.00 for individuals and an additional
$32.00 for institutions. Payments should be sent to ASOR
to some thirty papers (by some forty authors) that discuss the results of
Member/Subscriber Services, P.O. Box 15729, Boston,
the Tell es-Sâfi/Gath Archaeological Project. While we attempted to bring MA 02215. E-mail: [email protected]. Credit card orders
Denver Marriott Tech Center
together papers that represent a broad spectrum of the research that has can be phoned in, or subscribe online at www.asor.org/
been conducted at the site, clearly, due to the more than two decades of pubs/howtoorder.html. 4900 S. Syracuse Street, Denver, Colorado
the project and the large amount of research that has been conducted, this Back Issues: Back issues can be ordered by contacting
ASOR at the address listed above.
should be seen solely as a partial representation of the fruits of the proj-
Editor’s Office: All editorial correspondence should be ASOR Group Rate: $149
ect. The large team of scholars that came together to produce these studies
addressed to the NEA editor: Thomas Schneider, e-mail:
is a mirror of the diverse and fantastic collaborative research that is the [email protected]. All articles must follow NEA’s ASOR’s room block is open for reservations. Please check the ASOR Annual Meeting
standard operating procedure in the project. I would like to thank all the instructions for contributors, available at http://asor.org/
wp-content/uploads/2017/03/NEAStyleSheet_1-2016. website for a link to make your reservation online, or call 1-800-266-9432 and request
contributors, both for their ongoing research collaborations and for their
pdf and must be submitted through NEA’s manuscript
contributions to these two NEA issues. management system: www.editorialmanager.com/nea/. the American Schools of Oriental Research group block.
In the current issue there are papers that introduce the project and pro-
Advertising: Correspondence should be addressed to
vide general background studies, followed by papers that deal with the ASOR Publications, P.O. Box 15729, Boston, MA 02215.
Bronze Age remains at the site. In the next issue (March 2018), articles deal- Tel. [phone]. E-mail: [email protected]. Ads for
the sale of antiquities will not be accepted. Permissions
ing with the Iron Age and later periods will be presented.
requests may be made according to the instructions
I hope that you will not only find this collection of studies deriving from provided on ASOR’s web site at http://www.asor.org/
the Tell es-Sâfi/Gath Archaeological project of interest, but that it will serve pubs/permissions.html.
as an indication of the current state, which is quite impressive if I may say, Postmaster: Send address changes to Near Eastern
Archaeology, ASOR Member/Subscriber Services, P.O.
of Near Eastern and biblical archaeology.
Box 15729, Boston, MA 02215. Periodicals class postage
paid at Boston, MA and additional offices.
Aren M. Maeir
Back Cover Image: The baths at Caesarea Maritima by
Ruby1619 (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons;
Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation — December 2017
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3A20140801-
Title: Near Eastern Archaeology. Publication Number 1094-2076. Frequency: Quarterly. Four issues published
IMG_0368.jpg
annually. 2017 subscription price: $191 institutions, $40 individuals. Location of Office of Publication: ASOR, P.O.
Near Eastern Archaeology (ISSN 1094-2076) is published
Box 15729, Boston, MA 02215-2010. Headquarters of publisher: P.O. Box 15729, Boston, MA 02215-2010. Editor:
quarterly (March, June, September, December) by
Thomas Schneider, Department of Classical, Near Eastern & Religious Studies, University of British Columbia,
the American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR),
Buchanan C, 1866 Main Mall, Vancouver V6T 1Z1, Canada. Owner: The American Schools of Oriental Research, P.O. Box 15729, Boston, MA 02215.
P.O. Box 15729, Boston, MA 02215-2010. The purpose, function, and nonprofit status of this organization and
Printed by The Sheridan Press, Hanover, Pennsylvania
the tax-exempt status for Federal income tax purposes have not changed during the preceding 12 months. The Copyright © 2017 by the
average number of copies each issue during the preceding 12 months are: (A) Total number of copies printed: American Schools of Oriental Research
1688; (B) Paid circulation, mail subscriptions: 1194; (C) Total paid circulation: 1518; (D) Free distribution: 8; www.asor.org
(E) Total distribution: 1526; (F) Copies not distributed: 162; (G) Total: 1688. The actual number of copies of
single issue published nearest to filing date: (A) Total number of copies printed: 1625; (B) Paid circulation,
mail subscriptions: 1153; (C) Total paid circulation: 1470; (D) Free distribution: 8; (E) Total distribution: 1478;
(F) Copies not distributed: 147; (G) Total: 1625. I certify that the statements made by me above are correct and
complete.
This content downloaded from 132.64.28.8 on Sun, 08 Apr 2018 06:31:07 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
VOLUME 80 • ISSUE 4 • DECEMBER 2017
The Tell es-Sâfi / Gath
. .
Archaeological Project
The Tell es-Sâfi / Gath The Ancient Environment
 
Archaeological Project: Overview around Tell es-Sâfi / Gath
 
Aren M. Maeir Oren Ackermann, Noam Greenbaum, Hendrik Bruins,
Avner Ayalon, Miryam Bar-Matthews, Dan Cabanes,
Gath of the Philistines in the Bible Liora Kolska Horwitz, Frank H. Neumann,
and on the Ground: The Historical Mechael Osband, Naomi Porat, Ehud Weiss,
Geography of Tell es-Sâfi / Gath and Aren M. Maeir
Yigal Levin
The Early Bronze Age
New Insights on Bliss and
at Tell es-Sâfi / Gath
 
Macalister’s Excavations at
Haskel J. Greenfield, Itzik Shai, and Aren Maeir
Tell es-Sâfi / Gath
 
Rona S. Avissar Lewis and Aren M. Maeir
On the CovTehr:i sA ecroianl tveienwt d oof wupnpleora cditeyd o ff rToelml e s1-3Sâ2fi.6/G4a.2th8,. l8o ooknin Sg uwne,s t0. 8P hAoptorg 2ra0p1h8 b 0y 6G:r3iffi1:n0 A7e UriaTl ICmaging.
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
VOLUME 80 • ISSUE 4 • DECEMBER 2017
Spatial Reconstruction of Selected
Finds from the Early Bronze Age
Neighborhood at Tell es-Sâfi / Gath, Area E
 
Tina L. Greenfield and Andrea Squitieri
Evidence for Administration
and Leisure / Recreation at Early
Bronze Age Tell es-Sâfi / Gath
 
Shira Albaz, Haskel J. Greenfield, Tina L. Greenfield,
and Aren M. Maeir
Ceramic Vessel Production
and Use at Early Bronze Age
Tell es-Sâfi / Gath
 
Jon Ross and David Ben-Shlomo
Archaeological Science in the
Early Bronze Age Levels
Adi Eliyahu-Behar
Animal Food Production
and Consumption in Stratum E5
at Early Bronze Age Tell es-Sâfi / Gath
 
Haskel J. Greenfield, Tina L. Greenfield,
and Annie Brown
Microdebris Analysis from
the Early Bronze Age Levels
at Tell es-Sâfi / Gath
 
Annie Brown and Haskel J. Greenfield
Isotope Analyses of Early Bronze
Age Fauna at Tell es-Sâfi / Gath
 
Elizabeth R. Arnold and Haskel J. Greenfield
Interregional Trade and
Exchange at Early Bronze Age
Tell es-Sâfi / Gath
 
Elizabeth R. Arnold, Jeremy Beller, Adi Eliyahu-Behar,
David Ben-Shlomo, Tina L. Greenfield and Haskel J.
Greenfield
210 NEAR EASTERN ARCHAEOLOGY 80.4 (2017)
This content downloaded from 132.64.28.8 on Sun, 08 Apr 2018 06:31:07 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
VOLUME 80 • ISSUE 4 • DECEMBER 2017
Early Bronze Age Basalt Vessel Late Helladic Imported Pottery
Remains from Tell es-Sâfi / Gath at Tell es-Sâfi / Gath
   
Jeremy Beller Philipp Stockhammer
Building a City Wall: Fragments of Egyptian Writing
An Administrative Perspective from Tell es-Sâfi / Gath
 
Jill Katz Stefan J. Wimmer
Walled Up To Heaven! About
Early and Middle Bronze Age the Authors
Fortifications at Tell es-Sâfi / Gath
 
Jeffrey R. Chadwick, Joe Uziel, Eric L. Welch,
and Aren M. Maeir
The Late Bronze Age
at Tell es-Sâfi / Gath
 
Itzik Shai, Joe Uziel, Jeffrey R. Chadwick,
and Aren M. Maeir
NEAR EASTERN ARCHAEOLOGY 80.4 (2017) 211
This content downloaded from 132.64.28.8 on Sun, 08 Apr 2018 06:31:07 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
The Tell es-Sâfi / Gath Archaeological Project
. .
Overview
Aren M. Maeir
View of the mound of Tell es-Sâfi/Gath.
T he Tell es-Sâ fi/Gath Archaeological Project commenced in 1996 and
is one of the largest and longest continuously running archaeologi-
cal projects in Israel. As the year 2017 marks twenty-two years of
research and excavations, it is an apt opportunity to present an overview
and reflection on the project in general, and various aspects of the research
in particular. The opportunity to do this in two special issues of NEA is
an excellent occasion, as this provides an expertly produced medium, read
by many interested in the field of ancient Near Eastern history, archaeol-
ogy, and culture.1 In this, first article of this special issue, I would like
to provide an overview of the project and its primary accomplishments.
My personal background at Tell es-Sâfi/Gath goes back almost twenty
years prior to the commencement of the project (fig. 1). In the summer of
1978, when serving in the IDF, as part of a land navigation training hike, I
climbed the steep northern slope of the site during the middle of the night,
stumbling over wall and pits, and making my way through thorns and
brambles, to eventually reach the top of the site—and from there I con-
tinued on my planned route. Little did I realize that I would spend such
an extensive part of my professional career on this tell. Almost two de-
cades later, in 1996, as I was finishing my PhD at the Hebrew University, I
looked into the possibility of starting a multiperiod archaeological project
with two colleagues and dear friends, Adrian Boas and Jodi Magness. Very
quickly, the importance and research potential of the site became apparent.
Not only was it clear that this was an extremely large and multi-period site,
the fact that it has been barely studied made it so much more interesting. Figure 1. Map of central Israel with location of Tell es-Sâfi/Gath and
other main sites.
That said, it was clear that the site was a very complex one, and only after
212 NEAR EASTERN ARCHAEOLOGY 80.4 (2017)

This journal was published by the American Schools of Oriental Research and is available on JSTOR at http://www.jstor.org/journal/neareastarch.
You may receive the journal through an ASOR membership or subscription. See http://www.asor.org/membership/individual-memberships/ for more information.
Figure 2. Aerial view of 2017 excavation team in the form of the head of a Sea People’s Warrior (based on the Medinet Habu reliefs) taken next to Area D (lower city).
Photograph by Griffin Aerial Imaging.
the surface survey did it appear that the earlier periods repre- foci—and overall contributions of the project (see, e.g., Maeir
sented were archaeologically accessible (see Uziel and Maeir, and Hitchcock 2017; see the individual articles to appear in the
NEA forthcoming). 2018 spring issue of NEA). As I will expand on below, the exten-
Clear and convincing argumentation by Rainey (1975) for sive excavation and research on a broad range of topics relating
identifying the site was Gath was an important foundation of to the Philistine culture has enabled us to put forward quite a few
our plans. We assumed that, if this identification was correct, innovative interpretations of the origins, development, charac-
the site would contain important finds from the Iron Age (and terization, and political and cultural relations of the Philistines.
especially relating to Philistine Gath) but also to Bronze Age The “Safi Approach”: Over the years, the Tell es-Sâfi/Gath ex-
Gath (for the identification and early written sources, see Levin pedition developed a distinctive approach to the study of the site
in this issue). and its environment, an approach that is emulated by various
Following the first season of surface survey in 1996, the ex- projects. Accordingly, we have aimed at creating and sustaining
cavations commenced in 1997, and have been continuing on an a broad and in-depth inter- and multidisciplinary approach, in-
annual basis (save for 2003) since then. In light of my research corporating a wide range of research perspectives in our work.
interests, the project has focused most of the efforts of research Time and again, new problems, intriguing questions, and im-
on the site on topics relating to the Bronze and Iron Age. How- portant finds have been addressed by a diverse team of experts
ever, we have not neglected research relating to other earlier and in various fields, each contributing to a better understanding of
later periods. Thus, the medieval and modern periods have been the issue at hand and, time and again, with great success. Due to
studied (e.g., Boas 2012; Etkes 2012; Horwitz, Winter, and Maeir this, over the years, scores of scholars and scientists from many
NEA forthcoming), and a broad range of regionally oriented en- fields—ranging from the humanities, social sciences, “hard sci-
vironmental and geographic studies have been conducted cover- ences,” and bio-sciences—have become an integral part of the
ing a broad range of periods (e.g., Ackermann et al., this issue; project, not only in the postexcavation analyses of finds, but as
Olsvig-Whittaker et al. 2015). fully integrated contributors to the field research. These collab-
As will be described throughout both issues, most of our re- orations have resulted in a wide range of studies and publica-
search has dealt with the Early, Middle and Late Bronze Ages, tions, some of which are summarized in some of the articles in
and the Iron Age I and Iron Age II. Among these periods, the these special issues of NEA. Along with this, we have attempted
Iron Age has received a lion’s share of attention, and in par- to combine traditional archaeological field method using rela-
ticular the Philistine cultural remains. By and large, the study tively broad exposure with high-definition excavation. This has
of the Philistine culture at Tell es-Sâfi/Gath is one of the major meant that while, over the years, extensive years were excavated,
NEAR EASTERN ARCHAEOLOGY 80.4 (2017) 213

This journal was published by the American Schools of Oriental Research and is available on JSTOR at http://www.jstor.org/journal/neareastarch.
You may receive the journal through an ASOR membership or subscription. See http://www.asor.org/membership/individual-memberships/ for more information.
Figure 3. Group picture of the 2017 excavation team. Photograph by Griffin Aerial Imaging.
this was conducted at a measured pace, enabling, when needed, students and junior staff who participated in the excavations de-
the use of microarchaeological methodologies, which time and veloped into seasoned excavators themselves. Moreover, quite a
again have had successful results (see Maeir 2015, in press). few of these former staff members and students have gone on to
Another important focus of the project is public outreach. We become project leaders themselves, and to hold important aca-
have made extensive efforts to enable access to and foster knowl- demic and research positions in institutions in Israel and abroad.
edge of the finds of our excavations and the results of our re- It is quite an honor that the Tell es-Sâfi/Gath played a role in
search. This is aimed not only at reaching our professional peers their professional development.
(via the many scientific publications that have appeared), but is Archaeological Exploration: Although the site was visited
carried out with a strong focus on the interested lay public. Our by explorers from the mid-nineteenth century c.e. and onwards
outreach includes our popular website/blog (gath.wordpress. (Maeir 2012b), prior to the present excavations at the site the
com), which provides regular updates on project-related activi- only significant exploration was by Bliss and Macalister in 1899
ties throughout the year, during the excavation, and as well as (see Avissar Lewis and Maeir this issue). In the 1950s and 1960s,
during the off-season. At any given day of the year there are hun- the late Moshe Dayan conducted illegal excavations at the site
dreds of “hits” on the site—and thousands during the excavation as well.
season. All told in the last few years, close to 650,000 people have
visited the website. In addition, public lectures around the world,
YouTube videos, and participation in various TV documenta- Moshe Dayan at Tell es-Sâfi/Gath
ries, as well as numerous print and digital media appearances, The late Moshe Dayan, one of the founding fathers of
have all produced a substantial public profile for the project. the modern state of Israel, was a well-known military and
This leads to perhaps the most important part of the project: political leader. In addition to this, he was an avid col-
the team members (figs. 2 and 3)! Over the years, several thou- lector of antiquities, many of which, unfortunately, were
sand participants have taken part in the excavations: professional obtained through illicit and illegal excavations, which he
archaeologists and other scholars, scientists and researchers, and conducted at many sites (Kletter 2003). A large collec-
volunteers and students, from all corners of the earth. Without tion of finds from the Dayan Collection, currently stored
the hard work, dedication, motivation, interest, and good will of in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem (Ornan 1986), derive
all these talented people, the project would never have taken off from illicit excavations that he conducted at Tell es-Sâfi/
and continued for so long. The fact that every year, we manage Gath. This is mentioned by Dayan in several of his books
to attract a large group of people from all over the world, and (e.g., Dayan 1978), and confirmed by information from
many of them are returnees, and time and again it is one of the local inhabitants of the region, who were interviewed at
largest teams excavating in Israel (and probably, anywhere in the the beginning of the project and recalled Dayan digging
world), is proof of the success of our project—on the scientific, at various locations on site. Indeed, evidence of the pits
public and most importantly, on a personal level. I cannot but that Dayan dug can still be seen on site to this very day.
stress how important this is—and how grateful I am to the fan- The finds stored in the Israel Museum include primarily
tastic team members from all the seasons.2 It should be added pottery vessels that are similar to the remains of the late
that a major focus of the Tell es-Sâfi/Gath Archaeological Project ninth century b.c.e. destruction level at the site.
was as a teaching excavation. Due to this, over the years, many
214 NEAR EASTERN ARCHAEOLOGY 80.4 (2017)

This journal was published by the American Schools of Oriental Research and is available on JSTOR at http://www.jstor.org/journal/neareastarch.
You may receive the journal through an ASOR membership or subscription. See http://www.asor.org/membership/individual-memberships/ for more information.
Figure 4. Plan of Tell es-Sâfi/Gath with location of the various excavation areas.
NEAR EASTERN ARCHAEOLOGY 80.4 (2017) 215

This journal was published by the American Schools of Oriental Research and is available on JSTOR at http://www.jstor.org/journal/neareastarch.
You may receive the journal through an ASOR membership or subscription. See http://www.asor.org/membership/individual-memberships/ for more information.
Overview of the Cultural History
Period\Stratum Area A Area C6 Area D Area E Area F Area G Area J Area K Area P Area T
of the Site
Mandate/Ottoman A1 D1 E1 F1; F2 G1 J1 K1 P1
The results of the survey and excava-
Mamluk F3
tion on the site have found remains dating
Crusader F4
from the late protohistoric through mod-
ern periods, more or less spanning the en- Early Islamic
tire cultural sequence of these periods. A
Byzantine C6-1
very small quantity of finds, mainly from
the survey, but also residual finds from the Roman F5
various excavation areas, indicate some Hellenistic
activity at the site during the late prehis-
Persian F6
toric and protohistoric periods (fig. 5). But
it is during the Early Bronze Age (EB) that Iron IIC
evidence of activity at the site becomes
Iron IIB A2 F7; F8 P2
significant. As discussed in several of the
contributions in this issue, evidence of a Iron IIA A3 C6-2a/b D2; D3 E2 F9 J2 K2
large, fortified city of the Early Bronze III Iron I/II A4 D4 F10 T1
is found throughout the entire upper city.
Iron IB A5 D5 E3 F11 P3
Hints to earlier, EB I and EB II levels have
been discovered as well, but have not been Iron IA A6 C6-3 F12
excavated.
LB II A7 E4 F13 P4
The size and impressive remains of the
LB I F14
EB III is one of the important results of
the project, as it demonstrates that during MB II F15
this period there was a large fortified pol-
MB I
ity, with evidence of interregional connec-
tions, just to the west of Tel Yamouth. The EB IV C6-4
latter is usually is seen as the primus inter EB III E5; E6; E7 F16; F17 G2? J3 P5; P6
pares of the city states in southern Canaan
EB II E8?
in the late EB (e.g., Miroschedji 2006).
Following the end of the Early Bronze EB I
Age city, there is only minimal occupation
during the EB IV. Here and there nonstrat-
Figure 5. Comparative stratigraphic table of the excavations areas at Tell es-Sâfi/Gath.
ified sherds are found in the excavations,
and a tomb from this period was found to
the east of the tell, in Area C6). Follow- during the el-Amarna period (fourteenth century b.c.e.), when the site and its kings
ing the eclipse of urban culture during the are mentioned several times in the Amarna Letters (Levin, this issue). Finds from the
EB IV, when there is a renewal of urban LB include abundant local material culture, as well as two short Egyptian inscriptions
culture at many sites in Canaan, Tell es- (Wimmer, this issue) and imported Cypriot and Aegean pottery (the latter, inter alia,
Sâfi/Gath is slow to revive. In fact, there is demonstrates the various stages of the LB on this site; Stockhammer, this issue). Strati-
relatively little evidence for settlement ac- graphic evidence of the early LB was found only in Area F, while stratified contexts
tivity in the first half of the urban Middle with late LB finds were found in Area A, Area E (including a large so-called Patrician
Bronze (MB I). During the MB II there is House), Area F, and Area P, and LB finds from fills in Area D can also be noted (see
clear stratigraphic and architectural evi- Shai et al. 2011; Shai et al., this issue; Dagan, Enukhina, and Maeir, NEA forthcoming).
dence of settlement on the site, including Unfortunately, despite the fact that the LB is a period from which there is, relatively
fortifications (see Chadwick et al., this is- speaking, a large amount of documentary evidence, the archaeological data from our
sue), but only in and around the summit excavations are not that rich in comparison, for example, to the EB and the Iron Ag:
of the upper city. In other parts of the site perhaps the LB remains lie beneath the extensive Iron Age remains in many areas of the
there are virtually no finds. upper tell that have not been fully excavated.
With the Late Bronze Age, Gath moves The transition between the LB and early Iron Age is a time of substantial change
into a renewed developmental path, be- throughout the entire eastern Mediterranean. Among other features, the appearance of
coming one of the major sites in the re- the Philistine culture is related to this transition (e.g., Yasur-Landau 2010; Maeir and
gion. Remains from the excavations and Hitchcock 2017; Hitchcock and Maeir, NEA forthcoming). Material evidence of the
the surface survey indicate intense activity early Philistine culture appears at Tell es-Sâfi/Gath as well at this time.
throughout the Late Bronze Age, including
216 NEAR EASTERN ARCHAEOLOGY 80.4 (2017)

This journal was published by the American Schools of Oriental Research and is available on JSTOR at http://www.jstor.org/journal/neareastarch.
You may receive the journal through an ASOR membership or subscription. See http://www.asor.org/membership/individual-memberships/ for more information.