Abstract
This paper presents, for the first time, an analysis of the early Iron Age IIA occupation at ‘En Ḥaẓeva. A series of radiocarbon measurements from short-lived samples obtained from the site’s earlier occupation levels (Strata VIII–VII) were all dated to the 10th century BCE. It is noteworthy, that Stratum VII occupies the second half of the 10th century BCE exclusively, with its final phase around 900 BCE. Fixing the site’s absolute chronology has far-reaching implications, enabling the placement of the early Iron Age IIA settlement within the broader historical context. Situated c. 20 kilometres from the most significant copper industry centre in the Levant — Khirbet en-Nahas, ‘En Ḥaẓeva enjoyed a strategic location in the transport network of copper through the Negev Highlands and the Beer-Sheba Valley to the Mediterranean seaports. It is claimed that the economic prosperity related to copper production at Khirbet en-Nahas during the early Iron Age IIA was ‘En Ḥaẓeva’s raison d’être.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 370-388 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | Levant |
| Volume | 56 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published Online - 12 Aug 2024 |
Funding
Publication of this paper would not have been possible without the invaluable support of our many colleagues at the IAA, whose assistance and co-operation are much appreciated: Elena Delerson (preparation of the map in Fig. 1), Mendel Kahn (surveying and drafting), Dov Poretzki (final plans), Assaf Peretz (field photography) and Dafna Gazit (studio photography). Thanks are also due to Dr Anat Cohen-Weinberger for providing preliminary results on the petrography of the hand-made pottery and to Dr Nimrod Weiler for his insights into building materials. Sveta Matskevich was responsible for preparing the figure layouts. The Radiocarbon research was supported by the Exilarch Foundation for the Dangoor Research Accelerator Mass Spectrometer (D-REAMS) Laboratory. We thank the Kimmel Center for Archaeological Science and the George Schwartzman Fund for the laboratory and funding support for the material analysis. We also thank Eugenia Mintz and Dr Lior Regev for the laboratory and radiocarbon analysis. Last but not least, we are grateful to Smadar Gabrieli for her meticulous editing of the paper. Publisher Copyright: © Council for British Research in the Levant 2024.
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Archaeology
- History
- Archaeology