The Iron Age Maritime Interface at the South Bay of Tel Dor: results from the 2016 and 2017 excavation seasons

Abstract

The aim of the Tel Dor joint Sea and Land Project is to reassess and expand understanding of the maritime interface of Iron Age Dor. During 2016 and 2017 five features excavated under water provided new data about the development and chronology of this interface. The results support a revised dating and interpretation of previously excavated structures and the identification of several new stone‐built coastal fortification and maritime features, dating to the Early Iron Age. A later phase of construction attributed to the 7th century BCE Assyrian period at Dor was also documented. The outcome of the excavation is the introduction of new aspects of the development of Dor in the Iron Age, including what is likely part of the Iron Age II city's harbour. This may encourage revisiting current views of harbour evolution in the eastern Mediterranean.

Abstracto

La interfase marítima de la Edad de Hierro en la Bahía del Sur de Tel Dor; resultados de las temporadas de excavación en 2016 y 2017

El objetivo del proyecto Tel Dor que abarca mar y tierra es reevaluar y expandir la comprensión de la interfase marítima de Dor durante la Edad de Hierro. Durante 2016 y 2017 se excavaron cinco estructuras sumergidas que ofrecieron nueva información sobre el desarrollo y la cronología de esta interfase. Los resultados proveen soporte para la revisión de la datación y la interpretación de estructuras previamente excavadas y la identificación de varias nuevas fortificaciones costeras construidas en piedra, así como de otras estructuras marítimas que datan de la Edad de Hierro temprana. También se documentó una fase de construcción más tardía atribuida al periodo Asirio de Dor del siglo VII a.C. El resultado de la excavación es la introducción de nuevos aspectos del desarrollo de Dor en la Edad de Hierro e incluye lo que aparentemente formó parte del puerto de la ciudad en la Edad de Hierro II. Este trabajo invita a la revisión de las versiones actuales sobre la evolución de los puertos en el Mediterráneo del este.

Traducción: Ricardo Borrero L

抽象

多珥遗丘南部海湾铁器时代的海洋交界:2016‐2017发掘季成果

多珥遗丘海洋大陆计划的目标是重新评估及拓展对铁器时代多珥海洋交界的认识。2016-2017年水下发掘发现的五项特征提供了有关这一界面发展及年代学上的新数据。这些结果支持对先前发掘的建筑物时代和用途的修订及几座新发掘的铁器时代早期石构沿海防御工事及海洋特征的认定。发掘还证实了多珥建设的晚期相当于公元前7世纪的亚述时代。发掘成果带来了铁器时代多珥发展的新方面, 包括铁器时代II期可能是港口的部分。这-鼓励对东地中海地区港口演变现有观点的重新探讨。

多珥遺丘南部海灣鐵器時代的海洋交界:2016‐2017發掘季成果

多珥遺丘海洋大陸計劃的目標是重新評估及拓展對鐵器時代多珥海洋交界的認識。2016-2017年水下發掘發現的五項特征提供了有關-一界面發展及年代學上的新數據。這些結果支持對先前發掘的建築物時代和用途的修訂及幾座新發掘的鐵器時代早期石構沿海防禦工事及海洋特征的認定。發掘還證實了多珥建設的晚期相當于公元前7世紀的亞述時代。發掘成果帶來-鐵器時代多珥發展的新方面, 包括鐵器時代II期可能是港口的部分。這會鼓勵對東地中海地區港口演變現有觀點的重新探討。

ملخص

Key words:

• Tel Dor
• Levantine harbours
• Iron Age
• Phoenicians
• Assyrian period
• Coastal fortifications

Acknowledgements

This underwater field project for this research was carried out as part of the Tel Dor Joint Land and Sea Project, co‐directed by Ilan Sharon of the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Ayelet Gilboa of the University of Haifa, Assaf Yasur‐Landau of the University of Haifa and Rebecca S. Martin of Boston University. Excavations were conducted by student divers from the Department of Maritime Civilizations at the Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa as well as by volunteer divers, for whose participation we are grateful. Underwater operations were conducted with the help of the maritime workshop of the Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies at the University of Haifa. All work was carried out by kind permission of the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, via excavation permits number G‐73/2016, G‐2/2017, 018/16 and 011/17. We thank Jacob (Koby) Sharvit and Jon Seligman of the IAA, and Tzvika Tzuk of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority for their kind support and cooperation. We thank Kibbutz Nahsholim for their kind support and co‐operation, and are grateful to the Mizgaga Museum of Nautical and Regional Archaeology at Kibbutz Nahsholim for their hospitality and assistance. Support for this project was provided through a grant from the Honor Frost Foundation. The processing of the finds was assisted by ISF 495/18 ‘The Maritime Interface in the Bronze and Iron Ages: An Underwater Study of Tel Dor Anchorages and Harbor Infrastructure’. The land excavations were supported by the Goldhirsh‐Yellin foundation (California) and by the Berman Foundation of Biblical Archaeology.

Notes

1. For chronological terminology and discussion, we refer the reader to Sharon and Gilboa (2013) and Gilboa et al. (2015a: table 1).

2. All elevations are stated with reference to the zero‐elevation point of the local Israeli Transverse Mercator datum, as supplied by the Survey of Israel. We note that the actual mean seal level (MSL) is not equal to the zero‐elevation point, and is dynamic (Shirman, 2004).

3. [Correction added on 3rd September 2019 after first Online publication on 2nd August 2019: An error occurred in the order of authors published. The correct order is Ehud Arkin Shalev, Ayelet Gilboa, and Assaf Yasur‐Landau.]