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The American Schools of Oriental Research Near Eastern Archaeology
The American Schools of Oriental Research Near Eastern Archaeology
The American Schools of Oriental Research Near Eastern Archaeology
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Guarding the Border to Jerusalem:
The Iron Age City of Gezer
T
el Gezer is an ideal site to address current research well-sequenced database. This database will clarify current
paradigms. Located on one of the most important issues concerning the history of Gezer and also contribute to
crossroads and mentioned in several historical texts, an understanding of state formation and boundaries in the
Gezer clearly was an important site in the history of ancient northern Shephelah.
Palestine. Although previous excavations have revealed much Site Identification
of Gezer’s history, there are still many questions left unresolved
The ancient city of Gezer is identified as Tell Jezer (Tell Jaz-
that are key to reconstructing the history of ancient Palestine. ari, Tel Gezer). This site, roughly 30 acres in size and situated
The research goal of the project is to investigate state for- at 225 m above sea level, is located on the western flank of the
mation and regional boundaries in the northern Shephelah Shephelah, overlooking the coastal plain of Israel. It is strategi-
by investigating the Iron Age cultural horizon at Tel Gezer. cally located, situated near the junction where the Via Maris
These broad research trends in Iron Age archaeology are meets the trunk road leading to Jerusalem and its vicinity. The
being addressed by current research projects in the Shephelah tell consists of two mounds with a saddle between them. The
(foothills) and southern coastal plain, specifically ethnic and dozen or so inscribed boundary stones found surrounding
political boundaries in the Judean Hills and the Philistine the site verify the identification of the mound as Gezer, which
coastal plain. Tel Gezer is perfectly situated to address the is mentioned in several ancient sources, including the Tell
regional geo-political dynamic between Judah and Philistia el-Amarna letters and, of course, the Old Testament, where,
during the Iron Age. Gezer is a type-site with an excellent among other references, it is listed as one of Solomon’s royal
ceramic corpus from Iron Age horizons that will provide a store cities (1 Kgs 9:15–17).
Kadesh-Barnea
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History of Gezer Excavations
T
he first intensive exploration of Tel Gezer was conducted lard 1986; and Seger, Lance, and Bullard 1988), with two more
by R. A. S. Macalister during the years 1902–1905 and on the small finds and the Middle Bronze Age fortifications of
1907–1909, under the auspices of the Palestine Explora- Field IV in advanced stages of publication. Two additional sea-
tion Fund (PEF). Macalister published the results of these early sons by Dever were conducted in 1984 and 1990.
excavations in three volumes (1912). Macalister excavated nearly The main results of Phase I were (1) redating the city defenses
40 percent of the tel. Unfortunately, the methods of excavation such as Macalister’s “inner wall,” “outer wall,” and the “Macca-
were very primitive, as Macalister dug the site in strips and bean castle”; (2) dating the famous “high place”; (3) clarifying
backfilled each trench. As a result of his excavations, he distin- the Middle and Late Bronze Age domestic levels; and (4) illumi-
guished eight levels of occupation. nating the “Philistine” Iron Age I horizon. The objectives of the
The next excavator at Gezer was Raymond-Charles Weill, Phase II excavations were to investigate the city’s Iron Age and
known for his excavations in Jerusalem before and after World later stratigraphy and to expand investigations of the Middle
War I (1913–1914 and 1923–1924) under the patronage of Bronze Age southern gate in Field IV.
Baron Rothschild. In 1914 and again in 1924, Weill excavated The current Tel Gezer Excavation project is a long-term proj-
lands around Tel Gezer that had been acquired by Baron Roth- ect directed by Dr. Steven M. Ortiz of Southwestern Baptist
schild. Not much was reported on these excavations until a Theological Seminary and Dr. Samuel Wolff of the Israel Antiq-
recent publication by Aren Maeir (2004). In 1934, renewed uities Authority. The excavation is sponsored by the Tandy
excavations were conducted under the direction of Alan Rowe Institute for Archaeology at Southwestern Baptist Theological
under the auspices of the Palestine Exploration Society. This Seminary and receives financial support from a consortium of
excavation was terminated after a short season. Only prelimi- institutions: Ashland Theological Seminary, Clear Creek Bible
nary reports were produced, but the data from the excavation College, Marian Eakins Archaeological Museum, Lancaster
is available at the offices of the Palestine Exploration Fund and Bible College, Lycoming College, Midwestern Baptist Theologi-
the Israel Antiquities Authority. cal Seminary, St. Mary’s University College, and New Orleans
The American Gezer Project began in 1964 under the aus- Baptist Theological Seminary. The excavations are carried out
pices of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion within the Tel Gezer National Park and benefit from the coop-
and the Harvard Semitic Museum, with Nelson Glueck and eration of the National Parks Authority. The excavation proj-
Ernest Wright as advisors. William G. Dever led the Phase I ect also receives support from Kibbutz Gezer and the Karmei
excavations (1964–1971) of the HUC-Harvard excavations. Yosef Community Association. The project is affiliated with the
Phase II was led by Joe D. Seger (1972–1974). These excava- American Schools of Oriental Research. The project consists of
tions distinguished twenty-one stratigraphic levels from the a field school where an average of sixty to ninety students and
Late Chalcolithic to the Roman period. Currently, five large staff participate each season. To date, students and staff have
final report volumes have been produced (Dever, Lance, and come from the United States, Denmark, Canada, Korea, India,
Wright 1970; Dever 1974; Gitin 1990; Dever, Lance, and Bul- Palestinian Territories, and Israel.
The Iron Age II strata, Strata VIII–V, were excavated in firmed the dating and identification of the six-chambered gate.
Fields III and II (fortifications) and in Fields VI and VII Results of excavations are based on the work by John Holladay
(domestic structures). The major stratum of the Iron II is (1990) of the Phase I HUC excavations and the 1984 excava-
Stratum VI (early–mid-eighth century). Most notable are the tions by Dever (1984, 1990). These results are only available in
excavations of Field VII, where a large domestic quarter was preliminary reports. The gate was well-built according to the
excavated (Gitin 1990). Other strata were either not excavated built-up method as defined by Ussishkin (1990), in which the
or were identified as ephemeral phases, such as stratum VII foundations are built first and then filled, creating a podium
(ninth century b.c.e.) or stratum V of the late eighth–seventh upon which the city gate was built. It was constructed of large
centuries b.c.e. hewn limestone boulders with ashlar masonry at the entrance.
The gate contains six chambers, or guardrooms, facing each
Iron Age Gates and Casemate Wall other, three on each side. The gate has two towers attached to
The archaeology of Solomon at Gezer was made famous its outer face, with a casemate wall constructed with the gate
by Yigael Yadin’s hypothesis that Solomon constructed gates complex. Each chamber contained plastered benches, and a
of similar plan at Megiddo, Hazor, and Gezer (1958), and large stone basin was in the first northern chamber. A plas-
the renewed HUC excavations of the Maccabean Castle con- tered downspout drain was at the rear corner of the gate. A
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Tel Gezer Master Stratigraphic Chart 2006–2011
2 Macalister
ically, while Gezer is well-known for its tenth-century b.c.e. extensive being the tenth century, ninth century, eighth cen-
city, our excavations have revealed only a limited exposure of tury, and Hellenistic. To date we have excavated these eleven
the Solomonic city. There are eleven major strata, the most strata, most corresponding with results of earlier excavations.
E
vidence of Macalister’s deep trenching was found in almost every square worked by the Tandy excavators. It is apparent that
Macalister backfilled areas with a rocky matrix, leaving only the architectural features. This is particularly evident in the
Hellenistic buildings.
The Hellenistic stratum yielded the remains of at least three buildings (Buildings A–C) and a rebuild of the city wall. An exten-
sive architectural plan is achieved when these are joined to those of HUC and Macalister Field VII. No floors or fill layers were
preserved from this stratum; Macalister removed them all, leaving behind only walls and a deep backfill. The Hellenistic pottery
recovered from the Macalister fills, which occur throughout our excavation, has yet to be studied in detail. Nonetheless, datable
finds from our excavations—such as stamped Rhodian amphora handles, a Tyrian lead weight of the Tanit series (Wolff and
Finkielsztejn 2009), and a didrachm of Ptolemy
VI—suggest a Hellenistic occupation from the
end of the third century b.c.e. to 142 b.c.e.
Two ephemeral post–Iron Age phases were
found, datable to the periods following the Iron
II destruction. The lowest of these consisted
of scattered architectural remains, including a
silo and patches of a surface on which a stump-
base lamp sat. The silo (preserved ca. 2 m high),
which cut into the four-room house, contained
pottery vessels and a zoomorphic vessel dating
to the late eighth–seventh centuries b.c.e. (Stra-
tum 5). The latest phase featured extensive pit-
ting and at least three dog burials, which should
probably be associated with fifteen dog burials
discovered in Field VII.
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Fortification System also provide a cross-section of
the fortification systems (both
The fortification system was
the inner and outer walls) and
designed around the ancient
their relation to the public and
topography. Today most of
domestic quarters. While the
the topography is difficult to
sondage from the line of the
discern due to the many hills
casemate city wall to the base
and dumps of Macalister’s
of the tel was a labor-intensive
excavations, as well as the
process, it was key to defin-
Hellenistic occupation. The
ing the original topography
site consists of two hills with
of the site as well as the obsta-
a saddle in between. During
cles for the Iron Age build-
the Middle Bronze Age, both
ers. Two fortification systems
hills were occupied, with the
were found in this field, part
main southern entrance to
of the Middle Bronze Age gla-
the site from the south of the
cis (see the “Middle Bronze II
western hill (MB Gate System
Rampart and Glacis” sidebar)
in Field IV of the HUC exca-
as well as a complex Iron Age
vations). During the Iron Age,
fortification system consisting
the entrance continued to the
of several subsurface compo-
south but shifted to guard the
nents.
low point of the site, when a
gate system was built into the
The Six-Chambered Gate
saddle as the engineers built
up the saddle with a podium The results of the HUC
(see discussion above). excavations of the six-cham-
bered gate are published only
Iron Age Fortifications in preliminary articles. As
The Iron Age gate complex stated earlier, the six-cham-
Figure 6. Aerial photograph of gate and casemate wall (east at top). bered gate was constructed
has been completely exca-
Sky View Photography for the Tel Gezer Expedition.
vated, so it is not possible to in the tenth century with the
reexcavate the gate to address built-up technique. This gate
the debate over its dating. The Figure 7. Middle Bronze Age stone glacis. Samuel Wolff for the Tel sits in the center of the sad-
only options for reexamin- Gezer Expedition. dle at the lowest point of the
ing the dating is to open up tel (also the weakest point to
the lower gate complex or to defend). The HUC excavation
excavate to the east or west of team noted this topographical
the gate. The 1984 excavations feature but postulated that the
already excavated probes in gate was inserted into a breach
each of these areas. Based on in the “outer wall.” The gate is
the initial results and the goal contemporary with the case-
to unite the domestic quar- mate wall, and no earlier wall
ter and the public buildings, line was found in the current
our project decided to open a Tandy excavations. Thus it is
large area west of the gate. The clear, based on the new exca-
first season of excavations in vation data, that there is no
2006 concentrated on the line “gap” in an earlier wall system
of the city wall. Since the city but that the gate and casemate
wall is connected to the gate, were designed as an integrated
various occupational levels fortification system (Dever et
built up against the wall would provide a history of the uses of al. 1971; Holladay 1990). Holladay noted that the early fill was
the gate complex. Field W was opened up in 2007 (originally a continuation of late Philistine wares (e.g., streaky red slip)
Field B and Field A-sondage) with the goal of obtaining a that he dated to the early tenth century b.c.e. This phenom-
complete stratigraphic picture from the Hellenistic occupa- enon was also found in the fill of a casemate (Dever’s Casemate
tion to the Middle Bronze Age. In addition, this field would 12) as well as in the fill among the retaining walls (see below).
T
he Middle Bronze Age fortification system is well- on a slightly different line and seemingly not as a casemate. The
known, especially on the western hill, where the outer casemate wall disappears at this point—there is no clear
Hebrew Union College excavations have revealed a end or corner. The broken western end of the outer casemate
major tower and gate system. Middle Bronze Age fortifica- rests directly on top of an architectural feature that served as a
tions have been found throughout the tell; they were also retention system (see below) that should be understood as the
found in Field W of the Tandy excavations. construction phase of the foundations of the casemate system.
In Field W, an MBII glacis composed of small boulder- The original length of this casemate system in its first phase
sized stones was uncovered. This feature extends down the from the gate westward cannot be determined with certainty.
slope, beginning about 5 m to the south of the Iron Age The inner wall of the casemate system was breached about
city wall, but well below the Iron Age fortifications. These 30 m west of the gate and subsequently rebuilt, likely more
stones were exposed for a length of 10 m from east to west than once. The extant rebuilds consist of a single wall of one
and likely extend east and west of the current excavation to two rows of large boulders. A burnt yellow mudbrick con-
area. This glacis continues 9 m down slope from its upper struction fill was exposed beneath it; this fill layer also lies
limit to its lowest exposed levels. The glacis slopes at circa underneath nearby Iron II (eighth-century) construction.
15 degrees but is steeper to the east. Near the highest part of Thus, at least this section of the rebuild should be dated to
the glacis and integrated into its steepest portion is a section this phase. Shifts in the inner wall line as well as earlier mate-
of a wall more than 6 m long that extends eastward into the rial observed under the stones in another section of the wall
balk. This wall is preserved to a height of three courses of lead us to surmise that other rebuilds of this wall may well
boulders and cobble-sized stones; its width remains unde- belong to additional Iron II phases between the casemate
termined, as it extends into the northern balk. The function phase and the eighth-century phase. A later rebuild occurred
of this wall is uncertain; it may have stabilized the glacis. in the Hellenistic period.
The stone glacis was founded on a rampart composed
of dike and fill layers of alternating plaster and soil. Only Iron IIA Glacis and Retaining Walls
the uppermost two layers in this sequence were excavated. A large stone glacis was built up against the outer side of the
The southern edge of the top plaster layer in the sequence Iron Age city wall. This glacis extends from the western edge
(15–20 cm thick) meets the top stones of the glacis. The plas- of the excavations almost 15 m eastward and approximately 10
ter extends east–west for at least 15 m, although its traces are m southward, with a 1.3 m drop in slope. At the southern edge
more patchy toward the east, then continues northward from of this glacis, the stones end in an uneven and erratic edge that
the glacis for at least 3 m as a flat plaster “cap” to this fortifi- drops vertically 1.6 m to the level of the MB II glacis below.
cation system. A short wall section built of two courses and This would appear to indicate that the stones of the Iron II
three rows of small unhewn boulders was uncovered above glacis were robbed, either in antiquity or during Macalister’s
this plaster cap. Its function remains enigmatic. A small excavation. The stones of this glacis are smaller than the stones
probe (1 × 1 m) into the sealed locus below the plastered of the MB II glacis.
cap yielded only MB II pottery, thus dating the entire struc- The stones in the northern portion of the Iron II glacis
ture to that period. This type of rampart construction had merge into a system of retaining walls and crib walls that was
already been found at Gezer, although no other excavations exposed for roughly 25 m. The system includes nine crib walls,
had found a stone glacis associated with the dirt rampart. more or less evenly spaced, fronted by low retaining walls to
Perhaps a stone covering was needed at this part of the MB the south. It angled upslope and supported a wall system above
outer fortification, as it was located between the slope of the it. Similar walls were noted in earlier excavations at Gezer con-
western hill and the descent of the central valley—a possible ducted in contemporaneous fills to the east and west of the six-
weak part that was exposed to erosion (Burke 2008, 52–56). chambered gate (see Dever 1986). Several storage-jar stoppers/
plugs were excavated in the deep contemporary construction
backfill within one of the “chambers” created by this system.
Casemate City Wall One of these stoppers bore an Egyptian stamp typical of the
The casemate system extends about 30 m west of the gate. so-called Early Iron Age Mass-Produced Seals (EIAMS) series
Each of the two parallel walls are solidly built of large unhewn dated by some scholars from the twelfth/eleventh to early
boulders each two rows wide, with central chinking stones tenth centuries b.c.e. and by others to the mid-tenth century
and small boulders. Each measures about 1.5 m in width. The b.c.e., thus dating both the upper glacis and retaining wall sys-
casemate rooms (ca. 5.0 × 1.5 m each) were separated from tem to late Iron I or early Iron II. The crib and retaining walls
each other by divider walls (width ca. 1.5 m); all chambers of this unit were built into Iron Age I destruction debris.
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Late Bronze–Iron Age I Occupation
O
ne of the unexpected results of the sondage in Field W was the discovery of several occupational phases of the Late Bronze
Age and Iron Age I. These phases were excavated immediately beneath the city wall and directly above the Middle Bronze
Age glacis. This was unexpected, as the surface levels of the Late Bronze and Iron Age I buildings are above the surfaces
of the Iron Age in Field E. This is easily explained: the levels in Field E are within the low part of the saddle, while this part of the
excavation is upslope on the western hill.
Unfortunately, to date we have only a small exposure, and it is on the
edge of the western slope where part of the southern face of structures
was eroded. We uncovered a square-shaped pillared building measur-
ing 10 × 11 m and dating to the Late Bronze Age. This building was
found beneath the casemate wall and sitting on top of the MB glacis.
This building would have been located on the edge of the western hill
above the saddle to the east and overlooking the wadi/valley to the
south. A destruction debris consisting of dark ash and fired mudbrick
detritus was found nearly a meter in height in some areas. The pottery
associated with this destruction consists of LB II pottery. In other parts
of the excavations we discovered typical Late Bronze Pottery, includ-
ing imports (Cypriote White Slip II Milk Bowls, Mycenaean LHIIIB,
and Cypriote Base-Ring I and II). Above this LB pillared building and
in excavation areas to the north were a series of foundation walls that
are tentatively dated to Iron Age I (1200–1000 b.c.e.). This stratum
was also destroyed. The destruction is tentatively dated to the Iron
Age I solely on the form of the store jars. Speculation on placing these
within historical events would lead to Merneptah’s campaign for the
Late Bronze Age destruction and Pharaoh Siamun for the Iron Age I
destruction campaign.3
Summary no evidence that the fortification system was reused after this
The Iron Age fortification system was first constructed in period, with the possible exception of reuse of walls during
the tenth century b.c.e. (based on the HUC excavation results) the Hellenistic period. The 1984 excavations also investigated
and continued in use, albeit with rebuilds, until the eighth the outer gatehouse and dated its original construction to the
century, when it was destroyed by Tiglath-pileser III. There is tenth century b.c.e.4
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Figure 12. Aerial of Stratum 7 domestic buildings. Sky View Photography for the Tel Figure 13. Stratum 7 destruction in backroom
Gezer Expedition. of Unit B. Note the limestone gaming board to
the right of the plaque. Samuel Wolff for the Tel
Gezer Expedition.
plexes. Only the southern parts of these units were excavated. units. To the east is a unit that contains a central courtyard
It is clear that they continue to the north under the eighth- with a tabun (cooking oven) in the southwest corner. To
century occupation. Each of these units is built up against the the south are two rooms with a tabun also located in the
north face of the casemate wall. While this stratum was identi- eastern room. The western part of Architectural Complex A
fied in the 1984 excavations, the limited excavation exposure is another unit with a central courtyard with a niche in the
did not allow earlier excavations to discern its cultural horizon. north of the courtyard. This courtyard contained beaten-
Three architectural complexes have thus far been defined: earth and stone-pavement surfaces. To the south is a long
Complex C is next to and west of the area of the soldier’s bar- room, or perhaps also two rooms, as in the eastern part of
racks, followed by Complexes B and A as one proceeds west. this complex (an unexcavated Stratum 6 eighth-century wall
Each complex is about 10 x 10 m in area. Each of the com- obscures the plan). Remnants of a beaten-earth surface and a
plexes was constructed by single-row walls averaging about 30 stone pavement were found in this courtyard. Ashdod ware
cm in width. The surfaces are beaten earth, with some cobble as well as a conical weight were also found on this courtyard
and flagstone areas. Not much is known about Architectural surface.
Complex C. Most of it has been disturbed, either in antiquity
by the construction of Administrative Building A of Stratum 6 Stratum 6: Eighth-Century Building Complexes
or by the excavations of Macalister and the several excavation During the eighth century, the city was rebuilt and the char-
probes of the 1984 excavations. It appears that it might be sim- acter of the area west of the gate changed from domestic struc-
ilar to Complex B to the west, in that it contains three rooms in tures to large administrative buildings. Some of the wall lines
the back abutting the casemate wall and a central courtyard to were reused, evidence that the builders were familiar with the
the north of these rooms. earlier layout. This part of the Iron Age city now contained two
Complex B was well-preserved in the western half, with large tripartite buildings and an industrial complex. The 1984
evidence of a ninth-century destruction being found in several excavations noted the administrative nature of the horizon,
units. Three rooms are located in the rear, with a wall divid- but they had only small probes and Macalister’s plans to use
ing these rooms from a courtyard to the north. Inside the for their reconstruction. What was previously called Palace
courtyard were remains of a storage bin with several store jars. 8000 (Dever 1984) is now recognized as two separate build-
Room A of this complex contained several vessels as well as a ings. Most of the features in these squares were exposed on the
gaming board. surface or disturbed by Macalister, and the excavations merely
Complex A consists of two parts separated by a central allowed us to define the foundations of the walls and assist in
north-south wall. It is possible that these are two separate redrawing the plan.
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Figure 16. Plan of four-room house (Gezer 2011, Area West). Gary P. Arbino and J. Rosenberg for the Tel Gezer Expedition.
(without the stamps), typical of Judean sites, and Phoenician tions did not find any structures that date to this later period,
torpedo-shaped storage jars, characteristic of coastal assem- with the exception of a potential Assyrian palace (Reich and
blages, clearly illustrates that Gezer straddled the geopolitical Brandl 1985). This is probable, as Gezer is strategically located
boundaries between these two zones. The ceramic assemblage and its defeat was prominently recorded by Tiglath-pileser
and small glyptic finds date to the eighth century b.c.e. The III. Evidence of this later Iron Age II occupation was found in
destruction is attributed to Tiglath-pileser III’s campaign in Field W.
733 b.c.e. Evidence for a similarly dated destruction was found
in the excavations in nearby Field VII. Conclusion
Remains of a cobbled surface (ca. 6.5 m length and 3 m To date our major results are defining the major shifts in
width exposed) were uncovered to the south of the four-room the city planning throughout the history of the Iron Age II.
house, perhaps representing a portion of a street leading uphill Iron Age Gezer was constructed as a well-designed city with a
from the Iron Age gateway toward the west. On this surface major fortification system that adjusted to the ancient topog-
was a stone weight from an olive-press installation similar to raphy. Inserted within the saddle was a major six-chambered
one found in nearby Field VII. gate with a casemate wall and an outer gate system. Next to the
gate complex was an administrative quarter with public build-
Stratum 5 ings. This building activity probably corresponds to the bibli-
Built into the Assyrian destruction was a large 2 m deep silo cal tradition of Solomon fortifying Gezer, at least to a period
with a complete Iron Age IIB torpedo store jar. Early excava- where Judah was able to expand westward or down the foothills
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NEAR EASTERN ARCHAEOLOGY 75:1 (2012) 17
to the edge of the Notes
coastal plain. After 1. The exceptions are
the destruction of the six-chambered gate
the Stratum 8 (HUC in Field III and the
VIIA), the city was eastern part of Field
still operating but VII. While the final
e x c av at i o n re p o r t s
with a reduced foot-
are not available,
print. The gate was the results are well-
reduced in size to a established in various
four-entryway gate, articles and reports.
the public buildings See Dever 1984, 1990,
went out of use, and 1993a; Holladay 1990.
the quarter became 2. Zeev Herzog (1997,
domestic. This city 217) has proposed that
was also destroyed, the tenth-century city
was nothing more than
most likely by the
a small fortress sur-
Arameans as they rounded by a casemate
passed Gezer on wall.
their way to Gath, 3. While the current
where current exca- Figure 20. Volunteer excavating torpedo storejar (Stratum 5). Photo by Gary P. Arbino. project proposes these
vations by a Bar-Ilan historical correlations,
team have found evi- the HUC excavation
dence of a major campaign by the Arameans against the Phi- project also associated major strata with the Merneptah and Siamun
listine city. Sometime during the eighth century b.c.e., Gezer campaigns, Strata XIV and IX, respectively (Dever et al. 1971; Dever
1986). Although some biblical scholars associate this last campaign
was revived with a new city plan that rebuilt major public
with “Joshua’s conquest,” the biblical text implies only that the king of
buildings (e.g., the tripartite buildings), an industrial complex, Gezer was involved with the campaign, not that the city was ever con-
and a new enlarged four-room house. This expansion should quered (Josh 16:10; Judg 1:29).
be associated with Uzziah’s westward expansion (Ortiz 2009; 4. Dever also postulates that this is the line of the outer wall that origi-
Zukerman and Shai 2006). nally dated to the Late Bronze Age.
This see-saw effect of contraction and expansion of the 5. In an earlier preliminary report, Ortiz, Wolff, and Arbino (2011)
borders throughout Judah’s history is also discerned by other indicated that a pottery kiln was associated with this building. After
excavation projects currently in the field (e.g., Beth Shem- investigations in the 2011 season and restudy of Macalister’s report
esh, Khirbet Qeiyafa, Tell es-Safi). After the last Iron Age city (1912), it is now known to be from a later period, probably the Hel-
lenistic.
was destroyed by Tiglath-pileser III, Gezer never regained its
prominence, although perhaps an Assyrian administrative References
building was built on the top of the western hill (Reich and
Bunimovitz, S. 1983. Glaçis 100014 and Gezer’s Late Bronze Age
Brandl 1985).
Fortifications. Tel Aviv 10:61–70.
While the excavations are still in their initial stages and the
Burke, A. A. 2008. “Walled Up to Heaven”: The Evolution of Middle
results are tentative, some conclusions can be drawn from Bronze Age Fortification Strategies in the Levant. Studies in the
the data—particularly the unfolding Iron Age city plan. It Archaeology and History of the Levant 4. Winona Lake, Ind.:
is apparent that the ancient Iron Age city was well-planned, Eisenbrauns.
consisting of three major distinct areas: (1) domestic quarters, Dever, W. G. 1974. Gezer II: Report of the 1967–70 Seasons in Fields I
(2) public buildings associated with the gate complex and and II. Jerusalem: Nelson Glueck School of Biblical Archaeology.
auxiliary guardrooms, and (3) a fortification system. We have ———. 1984. Gezer Revisited: New Excavations of the Solomonic and
also determined that there are multiple architectural phases Assyrian Period Defences. Biblical Archaeologist 47:206–18.
associated with the gate complex. While these were known in ———. 1986. Late Bronze Age and Solomonic Defenses at Gezer: New
the Hebrew Union College excavations, the renewed excava- Evidence. Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research
tions should provide a more detailed analysis of the history of 262:9–34.
the Iron Age city. Gezer’s fortifications and city wall line define ———. 1990. Of Myths and Methods. Bulletin of the American Schools of
the city as an oval-shaped city plan. Although the text in 1 Kgs Oriental Research 277–278:121–30.
9:16 implies that Gezer, along with Hazor and Megiddo, was ———. 1992. Gezer. Pp. 998–1003 in vol. 2 of The Anchor Bible
Dictionary, ed. D. N. Freedman. New York: Doubleday.
an administrative city, it was probably a secondary administra-
———. 1993a. Further Evidence on the Date of the Outer Wall at Gezer.
tive center during the mid-tenth century b.c.e.
Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 289:33–54.
———. 1993b. Gezer. Pp. 496–506 in vol. 2 of The New Encyclopedia
Steven Ortiz is Associate Samuel Wolff received his Ph.D. from the Department of
Professor of Archaeology Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, University of
and Biblical Backgrounds Chicago, in 1986. He is currently a Senior Field Archae-
and director of the Tandy ologist and Archivist at
Ins t itute for A rch a e ol - the Israel Antiquities
ogy at Southwestern Bap- Authority as well as a
tist Theological Seminary. a Senior Fellow at the
He received his Ph.D. in Albright Institute of
Near Eastern Archaeology Archaeological Research
from the University of Ari- ( Je r u s a l e m ) . He h a s
zona. He has been involved excavated at Carthage,
in fieldwork for the past Motya (Sicily), and at
twenty-five years in Israel. several sites in Israel,
He has been a senior staff the most prominent of
member at Miqne-Ekron, which are Tel Ashkelon,
Ketef Hinnom, Tel Zeitah, Lachish, and Tel el-Hamma. Tel Megadim, ‘En Hagit,
He is co-author (with Sy Gitin and Trude Dothan) of the and Tel Hamid.
forthcoming excavation report in the Tel Miqne-Ekron
Series, Excavations 1994–1996, Fields IVNE/NW and VSE/
SW: The Iron Age II, Late Philistine Temple Complex.
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