Volume 128 Year 2016 (reports_eng.aspx?
id=124)
Rasm el-‘Arus
Yael Abadi-Reiss 29/03/2016
Final Report
In December 2011–January 2012, a trial excavation was conducted at the site of Rasm el-‘Arus,
near Moshav Amazya (Permit No. A-6371; map ref. 190677–821/605391–511), prior to construction.
The excavation, undertaken on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority and financed by the Ministry
of Housing, was directed by Y. Abadi-Reiss, with the assistance of Y. Al-‘Amor (administration), M.
Kunin and A. Hajian (surveying and drafting), Y. Nagar (physical anthropology), S. Lender, S. Ganor,
S. Talis, A. Faust, G. Lehmann, B. Brandl, I. Milevski, H. Khalaily and O. Marder (consultation), N.
Zak (plans), Y. Kupershmidt and V. Nosikovsky (metallurgical laboratory), J. Bukengolts (pottery
restoration), C. Amit (studio photography), C. Hersch (pottery drawing), M. Smilansky (flint drawing)
and N. Agha-Sa‘id (archaeozoology).
The Rasm el-‘Arus site is located on the southern slope of a low hill, north of Nahal Lachish
(Fig. 1). The construction of a large shed and agricultural activity damaged the surface of
the site in the twentieth century. During inspection prior to development work, walls
constructed of fieldstones and pottery sherds from the Early Bronze Age were identified.
During the excavations (c. 300 sq m; Fig. 2), remains from the Neolithic period, the
Chalcolithic period, the Early Bronze Age and the Iron Age were found. The finds reflect
human activity on the hill during the periods. The surface of the settlement was probably
destroyed by modern activity, or has not yet been exposed and is farther up the hill.
Although not previously excavated, the site was documented in the survey of the Map of
Amazya by Y. Dagan (2006:223, Site 316
(http://www.antiquities.org.il/survey/new/default_en.aspx?pid=4061)), and sparse remains
of buildings, caves, rock-cuttings and orchards were identified along the southern slope of
the hill.
No habitation level was revealed in the excavation, but a stratified accumulation of finds,
which were washed down the slope and re-deposited, was identified. In addition, a level of
underground activity ascribed to the Iron Age was discovered. Remains of six cultures or
periods were identified on the slope—Lodian, Wadi Rabah, Ghassulian, Early Bronze, Iron
II and Byzantine—some of them were identified in the strata, and some among the finds.
Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods. Below the Early Bronze Age surface in some of the
excavation squares (B1, C2, D2, E1, F1), was a level of accumulated pottery and several
flint items, dating to the protohistoric periods. The finds washed down the hill and were re-
deposited. This layer was characterized by loose dark-brown soil. The accumulation (L4a,
L19a; thickness 0.2–0.6 m; Fig. 2: Sections 2–2, 3–3) reached down to bedrock, or to the
natural layer of rendzina with clusters of fieldstones.
Early Bronze Age. Four fieldstone walls (W1–W3, W12) were identified very close to the
surface. Only one course was preserved, and surface activity caused severe damage.
Numerous pottery sherds were discovered near the walls, mainly from the Early Bronze
Age, but also from the Byzantine period, as well as modern remains of agricultural activity.
An accumulation of loose, light-gray soil was identified below the level of the walls. It
contained Early Bronze Age pottery mixed with Byzantine pottery. The pottery decreased
farther down, until another stratum with finds from another period was reached, or the
natural rendzina soil, or bedrock. Bedrock was exposed at varying depth (0.2–1.5 m below
the current ground level) or not at all. In many spots close to the bedrock, a layer of small
fieldstones was revealed, which represented natural accumulation and was not related to
ancient activities at the site. The quantity of finds from the Early Bronze Age gradually
diminished as the excavation went deeper, so that most of the human presence that dates
to this period was at the level of the damaged walls. Changes in the nature of the fill at that
level, just below the surface, were evident. Devoid of any pottery, it was identified as fill of
pits (see for example L7; Fig. 2: Section 3–3).
Iron Age. Beneath the Early Bronze Age and the protohistoric levels, in the ancient
accumulated strata, were remains of underground activities which were ascribed to the Iron
Age. Two circular granaries were dug in the eastern part of the excavation area, and lined
with stone walls. One of the granaries (L5; diam. c. 2.5 m, depth c. 1.9 m, wall width c. 0.6
m; Fig. 3) was constructed of large fieldstones, not dressed. Eight–nine irregular courses
survived. The floor of the granary was the bedrock, which was slightly hewn to make it
level (Fig. 4). The wall of the granary is built of one–three rows of stones. In the north and
east it was founded directly on the bedrock, and in the south and west it cut into the natural
soil. The granary was filled with loose soil, large collapsed stones and ancient remains,
particularly Iron Age pottery, as well as flint and a piece of shell. About 0.7 m to the
southwest, a second granary (L16; diam. c. 3.5 m, depth c. 1.4 m; Fig. 5) was exposed. Its
wall was built of a single row of medium-size fieldstones, not dressed, and set on top of
each other. Seventeen courses survived. The floor of the granary is made of fieldstones
similar to those of the wall, which were arranged to form a level surface. The wall of the
granary was not perpendicular to the floor, but tilted slightly outward. The granary was filled
with loose soil and collapsed stones that were larger than those used to construct its wall.
Iron Age pottery and flint were found in it.
Three concentrations of funerary offerings and human bones were discovered slightly west
of the granaries. The first was discovered in a pit grave (L8; length 1.7 m) with rounded
edges, which was hewn in the bedrock. The pit was dug next to the Early Bronze Age Wall
12, dismantling its southern part and cutting through the Neolithic levels. The head of the
deceased was in the southwest, and the feet were in the northeast. Semicircular rock-
cuttings were made in the bedrock at either end of the grave. In the center of the pit,
erosion washed away most of the skeleton, and destroyed all evidence regarding the
structure of the tomb. A large jar with a juglet inside it was found near the head of the
deceased, and next to it a bronze bowl and a flint blade (Fig. 6). The second offering (L20)
was uncovered 4 m to the south, beneath collapsed stones, and it included a jar, similar to
the previous one, with a juglet and a bronze bowl inside it (Fig. 7); no grave was identified.
The third offering (L17) was exposed 2 m to the southeast, next to the outer wall of
Granary 16 and as part of the items that were washed down the hillside. It included a jar,
similar to the previous ones, and next to it the base of a juglet (Fig. 14:3), a pinched lamp
(Fig. 14:9) and a goblet (Fig. 13:17).
Pottery. The earliest pottery is from the Pottery Neolithic period, and belongs to the Lodian
culture (Jericho IX). It includes bowls (Fig. 8:1–4), a basin with a handle (Fig. 8:5), jars
(Fig. 8:6, 7), knobbed lug handles (Fig. 8:8–10) and a typical decoration of the Lodian
culture (Fig. 8:11). These finds are characterized by a red slip and a red zigzag decoration,
and their raw material has no parallel (Gopher and Blockman 2004).
Pottery from the Pottery Neolithic period, typical of the Wadi Rabah culture, was also
identified, and include bowls (Fig. 9:1–15), jars (Fig. 9:16), loop handles (Fig. 9:17–20) and
a spindle-whorl (Fig. 9:21), which may not be from this period. The finds are typologically
and technologically similar to finds from sites that were identified with the Wadi Rabah
culture (Kaplan 1958, 1969; Gopher and Orrele 1991).
The pottery of the Chalcolithic Ghassulian culture includes bowls (Fig. 10:2–8), a basin
(Fig. 10:9), holemouth jars (Fig. 10:10–12), jars (Fig. 10:13, 14), flat bases (Fig. 10:15, 16)
and a lug handle with two grooves (Fig. 10:17). Such vessels are known from
contemporary sites in the Negev (Lovell 2001; Commenge-Pellerin 2006).
The pottery from the Early Bronze Age included bowls (Fig 11:1–5), holemouth jars (Fig.
11:6, 7), jars (Fig. 11:8–12) and thickened flat bases (Fig. 11:13, 14), similar to the vessels
that were discovered at the Amazya site, on an adjacent hill beyond Nahal Lachish (Varga
and Israel 2014 (http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/Report_Detail_Eng.aspx?
id=8487&mag_id=121) and pers. comm.).
Only one Late Bronze Age artifact was found—an elliptical seal-bead decorated on both
sides (Fig. 12; dated by B. Brandl). The phenomenon of special items such as seal beads,
which remained in usefor a long period of time, is known from similar Iron-Age finds, such
as the 150 years old scarabs that were discovered in an Iron Age stratum at Khirbat
Qeiyafa (Garfinkel, Ganor and Hasel 2012:121).
The Iron Age pottery dates to Iron Age IIA, and includes bowls (Fig. 13:1–9), deep bowls
and basins (Fig. 13:10–14), chalices (Fig. 13:15–17), juglets (Fig. 14:1–3), jugs (Fig. 14:4),
cooking jugs (Fig. 14:5, 6), a pot (Fig. 14:7), bases of unidentified vessels (Fig. 14:8), a
lamp (Fig. 14:9) and jars (Fig. 15:1–5). In their typology and the clay which was used to
manufacture them, the jars are similar to those found at Khirbat Qeiyafa, where they were
dated to the beginning of the tenth century BCE (Garfinkel, Ganor and Hasel 2012:114). All
the vessel types are known from Iron Age IIA assemblages, such as Strata IV and V at
nearby Tel Lachish (Zimhoni 2004).
The pottery finds from the Byzantine period were sparse and included mainly body
fragments (not drawn).
Metal Items. Two bronze bowls were part of the funerary offerings in the Iron Age IIA pit
graves. Each was found together with a ceramic jar and jug (above). The bowls are made
of bronze alloy, using the hammering technique. Their diameter is similar, but they differ in
their height, their outline and the thickness of their wall (Fig. 16:1, 2). Their weight is also
different (251.60 and 422.47 g respectively), reflecting the different wall thickness: more
bronze was used to produce the shallow bowl than the hemispheric one. These bowls,
which are not inscribed or otherwise decorated, are a rare find. A bronze bowl in an Iron
Age funerary context was discovered in a tomb at Tel Dover (Rapuano 2001); decorated
bronze bowl was discovered in a, Iron Age tomb at Kefar Veradim (Alexandre 2006). Both
of these vessels were found in northern Israel, a considerable distance from Rasm
el-‘Arus.
Flint. Flint tools were discovered in all strata, and include Canaanean blades (Fig. 17:1–4),
a burin on a Canaanean blade (Fig. 17:5), sickle blades (Fig. 17:6, 7), scrapers (Fig. 17:8),
fan scrapers (Fig 17:9, 10), an ad hoc tool (Fig. 17:11) and pounders (Fig. 18:2). In
addition, nine cores and about eighty pieces of flint debitage were found.
Stone Objects. Pounding and grinding tools made of limestone (Fig. 18:1) and kurkar (not
drawn), and a limestone bowl (Fig. 18:3) were discovered.
The excavation on the slope provides little information about the settlement remains
because these were damaged in the course of earlier work in the area. The settlement may
continue farther up the slope in an area that was not damaged. Nonetheless, the
underground constructions—granaries and graves—were preserved. The settlements
which were destroyed or which are located on the hilltop, are reflected in the finds from a
variety of periods which were washed down the slope and discovered in the excavation,
such as pottery, flint tools, stone items, a seal bead and animal bones. These date to the
Pottery Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods, the Early and Late Bronze Age, the Iron Age and
the Byzantine period. Identifying the repertoires from these six periods greatly enhances
our knowledge of the history of the hill. The identification of the Lodian, Wadi Rabah and
Ghassulian cultures are of special importance, because sites where remains of all three
cultures coincide are rare, and if protohistoric habitation levels will be discovered at Rasm
el-‘Arus, they will constitute a significant contribution in solving chronological problems and
understanding the relationships between these three cultures.
The granaries from the Iron Age IIA represent the agricultural world of the inhabitants on
the hill at the time—the seasonal harvesting, and the storage of grain for local consumption
or trade. Farther excavations may identify the dwellings of the farmers, and will clarity the
chronological relationship between the granaries and the graves, which were too close to
each other to have functioned at one and the same time. The three assemblages of
funerary offerings represent modest and egalitarian burial customs. The combination of a
jar, a juglet and a bowl, and at the same time the inclusion of the rare bronze bowls,
indicate that the paucity of the offerings is not a sign of poverty, but rather a deliberate
choice. The finds from the Iron Age IIA are an important addition to our scant knowledge
regarding the villages and farmhouses scattered in the south of the Judean Shephelah at
this period.
Alexandre Y. 2006. A Canaanite–Early Phoenician Inscribed Bronze Bowl in an Iron Age
IIA-B Burial Cave at Kefar Veradim, Northern Israel. Maarav 13.1:7–41.
Commenge-Pellerin C. 2006. Gilat's Ceramics: Cognitive Dimensions of Pottery
Production. In T.E. Levy ed. Archaeology, Anthropology and Cult: The Sanctuary at Gilat,
Israel. London–Oakville. Pp. 394–506.
Dagan Y. 2006. Map of Amazya (109)1: The Northern Sector (Archaeological Survey of
Israel). Jerusalem.
Garfinkel Y., Ganor S. and Hasel M. 2012. Footsteps of King David in the Valley of Elah.
Tel Aviv (Hebrew).
Gopher A. and Blockman N. 2004. Excavations at Lod (Nevé Yaraq) and the Lodian
Culture of the Pottery Neolithic Period. ‘Atiqot 47:1–50.
Gopher A. and Orrelle E. 1991. Preliminary Report on Excavations of Nahal Zehora II—
Seasons of 1990 and 1991. Mitekufat Haeven, Journal of the Israel Prehistoric Society
24:169–172.
Kaplan J. 1958. Excavations at Wadi Rabah. IEJ 8:149–160.
Kaplan J. 1969. ‘Ein el-Jarba: Chalcolithic Remains in the Jezreel Valley. Tel Aviv–Jaffa
(Hebrew).
Lovell J.L. 2001. The Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic Periods in the Southern Levant: New
Data from the Site of Teleilat Ghassul, Jordan. (BAR Int. S. 974). Oxford.
Rapuano Y. 2001. Tel Dover. HA-ESI 113:19*–21*.
Varga D. and Israel I. 2014. Amazya. HA-ESI 126 (http://www.hadashot-
esi.org.il/Report_Detail_Eng.aspx?id=8487&mag_id=121).
Zimhoni O. 2004. The Pottery of Levels V and IV and Its Archaeological and Chronological
Implications. In D. Ussishkin. The Renewed Archaeological Excavations at Lachish (1973–
1994) IV (Tel Aviv University Institute of Archaeology Monograph Series 22). Tel Aviv. Pp.
1643–1788.
1. Location map. (Images//6371-1.jpg)
2. Plan and sections. (Images//6371-2.jpg)
3. Two granaries, looking west. (Images//6371-3.jpg)
4. Granary 5, looking north. (Images//6371-4.jpg)
5. Granary 16, view from above. (Images//6371-5.jpg)
6. A jug from Pit Grave 8, looking west. (Images//6371-6.jpg)
7. A jar, a jug and a bronze bowl, looking west. (Images//6371-7.jpg)
8. Pottery of the Lodian culture. (Images//6371-8a.jpg)
9. Wadi Rabah pottery. (Images//6371-9a.jpg)
10. Pottery vessels from the Chalcolithic period. (Images//6371-10a.jpg)
11. Pottery from the Early Bronze Age. (Images//6371-11a.jpg)
12. Decorated bead. (Images//6371-12a.jpg)
13. Pottery from the Iron Age IIa. (Images//6371-13a.jpg)
14. Pottery from the Iron Age IIa. (Images//6371-14a.jpg)
15. Pottery from the Iron Age IIa. (Images//6371-15.jpg)
16. Bronze bowls, Iron Age IIa. (Images//6371-16.jpg)
17. Flint artifacts. (Images//6371-17.jpg)
18. Stone artifacts. (Images//6371-18.jpg)
1. Location map.
(Images//6371-1.jpg)
2. Plan and sections.
(Images//6371-2.jpg)
3. Two granaries, looking west.
(Images//6371-3.jpg)
4. Granary 5, looking north.
(Images//6371-4.jpg)
5. Granary 16, view from above.
(Images//6371-5.jpg)
6. A jug from Pit Grave 8, looking west.
(Images//6371-6.jpg)
7. A jar, a jug and a bronze bowl, looking west.
(Images//6371-7.jpg)
8. Pottery of the Lodian culture.
(Images//6371-8a.jpg)
9. Wadi Rabah pottery.
(Images//6371-9a.jpg)
10. Pottery vessels from the Chalcolithic period.
(Images//6371-10a.jpg)
11. Pottery from the Early Bronze Age.
(Images//6371-11a.jpg)
12. Decorated bead.
(Images//6371-12a.jpg)
13. Pottery from the Iron Age IIa.
(Images//6371-13a.jpg)
14. Pottery from the Iron Age IIa.
(Images//6371-14a.jpg)
15. Pottery from the Iron Age IIa.
(Images//6371-15.jpg)
16. Bronze bowls, Iron Age IIa.
(Images//6371-16.jpg)
17. Flint artifacts.
(Images//6371-17.jpg)
18. Stone artifacts.
(Images//6371-18.jpg)
Built teti-tu (http://www.tetitu.co.il) Websites, texts and photos © Israel Antiquities Authority
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