This was a very short research season, three weeks; however, we accomplished quite a bit.  We are now already in the process of deciding what will be our research agenda for next summer.  One thing we need is to find a specialist who will be able to do the metallurgical analysis of all the arrowheads, tools, and other metal items we uncovered.  Also important is to find someone who would be able to analyze all the beads we discovered. 

A big question is, would we dare to initiate additional fieldwork.  There are some questions still need answering, but since we haven’t finished all the analyses of materials from previous seasons do we want to add more.  It’s not only money, but time and specialists able, willing, and available to do the work.

As I mentioned some time ago, our work now involves the coordination of different analyses in order to provide a broad picture of what life was like in ancient times.  Today we ventured to the different labs of Tel Aviv University.  We went to retrieve the animal bones we collected during our 2007-2009 field seasons after being analyzed.  The zooarchaologist provided us with identification of animals present and consumed in the 8th century BCE at our site.  We were not surprised to find out that the majority of bones belonged to sheep/goats and a large number of bones were of large cattle (cows/oxen).  The latter suggest that the population at our site was engaged in agricultural pursuits.  This is strengthened by the tools we excavated including plows.

Our second meeting was with experts in petrography who are trying to help us determine the origin of limestone incense altars coming from the same period.  Based on the decoration, we assumed that the altars (see photo in previous entry) originated in South Arabia.  To our surprise we found out that the altars were made of local stone.  This means that the existence of such altars at our site can be attributed to cultural influences.  The local origin of the altars is supported by the fact that one of them was incomplete.  This can only be due to the fact that it was locally manufactured.  No one would import an incomplete object.

One more thing we would like to find out and that is the source of the incense.  The complete altar we have has soot as a result of burning and we would like to have this residue tested to determine its origin.

One of the limitations in archaeology is the laws that govern the treatment of the finds.  Many countries, including Israel (where we presently work), claim ownership of all finds including samples.  This means that every antiquity (in Israel it includes everything older than the mid-18th century CE) belongs to the state.  We can study our finds, but if it is needed to be done by experts outside the country, we need to get a special export permit with time limits determining when the finds have to be returned.

Pottery is one of the most important elements to be studied.  The style and manufacturing techniques help us date the finds.  There are many ways pottery can be studied, but for our purposes it could not have been done here on location in Israel because we could not afford having here a staff of 3-5 people for two years.  For statistical purposes, the pottery sherds had to be counted and weighed; then the vessels had to be reconstructed, drawn to scale and photographed.  Residue samples had to be taken and analyzed.  Most of these activities had to be done in the States so last summer we arranged to ship whole assemblages to the labs of the Cobb Institute of Archaeology at Mississippi State University in Starkville where experts with the help of students have been working since on this project.  Our export permit is for two years with a possibility for extension if necessary.  We also shipped organic samples and samples for C-14 testing.

Since we have several hundreds of objects, we need to study each of them carefully.  One way of doing it is by being on location, holding each object in one’s hand, providing a verbal description, and photographing the object from all possible angles.  Photographs, drawings, and verbal descriptions will be part of the final publication.  Last year we photographed all the objects.  This year we came back to re-photograph some of the objects under better conditions.  This process is still going on because each photograph has to be examined carefully to determine that it is of the best quality.

Limestone Incense Altars

Most people assume that the main goal of archaeology is digging and don’t realize that digging is only the first step in a long process.  The purpose of archaeology is to gain knowledge about the past.  Digging, an exciting activity by itself, produces the raw data that then need to be studied, interpreted, and disseminated.  We have excavated at Tell Halif since 1976 and several volumes of final results have been either published or are at the publisher’s waiting to be published.  We are working on the preparation of several additional volume, but our presence in Israel this summer involves the preparation of materials from our last three seasons (2007-2009) for final publication.

With the help of a grant from the Emory University Research Committee (URC) we completed, or are making progress on, the following analyses:

1.  Sea shells: showing us  that Tell Halif had shells coming all the way from the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean, and bodies of sweet waters in Syria/Lebanon;

2.  Carbon 14: Some of the samples go back to the 10th/9th century BCE;

3.  Animal bones: the locals in the 8th century BCE had access to sheep/goats and cattle;

4.  Organic samples: not yet completed (now being done in Missouri);

5.  Pottery analysis and reconstruction: in progress (now being done in Mississippi);

6.  Storage jar residue analysis: in progress (Weizmann Institute, Israel);

7.  Cooking pot residue analysis: in progress (now being done in Pennsylvania);

8.  Limestone incense altars place of origin: in progress (now being done at Tel Aviv University);

These are only some of the things that are taking place and that I try to coordinate so at the end we can have as a complete a picture as possible of daily life.

In the next blog I will be discussing what we are doing here besides eating hummus and falafel;

Oded Borowski

Limestone incense altars

Tell Halif: Summer 2011

The excavations at Tell Halif (Israel) have entered a very crucial stage, preparation for publication of the excavated materials.  Most people don’t realize that the easiest part of an archaeological project is the actual excavation.  However, without publishing the finds, the whole exercise is a waste of time and money.  During the last three field seasons (2007-2009) we have uncovered hundreds of objects and samples of material culture.  To analyze them and make sense out of all these finds we need to engage specialists and there is a lot of materials for Ph.D. dissertations.

Last summer we spent a month going over all the field notes and catalogs to make sure that there were no mistakes in recording the information.  Indeed, we found discrepancies as it might occur when working in the heat and dust and when training students in the art of keeping the records.  This work led to the preparation of updated season reports copies of which were deposited with the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), the W.F. Albright Institute for Archaeological Research (AIAR), and the Cobb Institute of Archaeology at Mississippi State University.  The AIAR, a supporting institution located in Jerusalem, is where scholars come to conduct library research and where most American archaeological projects operating in Israel keep a copy of their records for this purpose.  The Cobb Institute has been the center of operations for our project in previous phases and therefore is a repository of all records.  The Cobb Institute continues to support our efforts in many ways.

In addition to the work described above, we invested much effort in clearing several of the excavated areas of the saltbush that invaded and took over.  We continued this task this summer as well since we want visitors to be able to see some of the architecture uncovered at the site.  Besides, the root action of the saltbush destroys what has been uncovered.

This summer (2011) we concentrated on two major tasks: re-photographing all objects using better equipment and under better conditions; securing permission from the IAA and shipping by boat pottery from selected areas for study and reconstruction.  We sent to the Cobb Institute four large crates  (884 kgs.) with pottery sherds collected from the floors of several houses that were destroyed most likely in 701 BCE by the Assyrian army under King Sennacherib.  The pottery needs to go physical and statistical analysis; the vessels will be reconstructed, drawn and photographed.  Samples for residue analysis by the Weizmann Institute were taken from some of the jars while further residue analysis will be conducted on cooking pots to determine what was their content.

At this point, several analyses have been completed.  The study of marine shells shows that our site had connections – commercial and others – with the Mediterranean, Red Sea, Indian Ocean, and Syria/Lebanon.  We concluded the analysis of all flint tools and debitage; the grindstones were examined and a final report is expected soon as well as a report about the animal bones collected from all excavated areas.  Organic samples will be soon analyzed to determine what types of plants were available to the occupants of the site.  We also collected many samples for C-14 analysis that will provide us with some chronometric dates.

Our site has yielded a tremendous amount of evidence related to textile production in the 8^th century BCE and the study of this material is ongoing and we hope to learn from this what types of textiles were produced at the site.

One study that is the topic of a Ph.D. dissertation involves the many cult objects discovered during our work.  Many of them date to the 8^th century BCE, when the site was under the control of the Kingdom of Judah, and can inform us of certain practices not all of which were approved by the Bible.

All in all, our work is progressing very nicely and we hope to be able to return to the field in the coming summers to clarify some points which still need clarification.

In a few days we’ll be going back home to Atlanta and other places such as Waco (TX) and London (England).  Some of us who came for shorter periods are already gone.  The season was quite successful.  We examined all the objects uncovered in the last three field seasons and corrected mistakes in recorded information.  We delivered all the animal bones and sea shells to their respective specialists for analysis.  We failed to make arrangements for the export of all our pottery to the US for analysis and restoration (stringent rules of the Israel Antiquities Authority), but are making arrangements for carrying out these activities here on site.  We grouped all objects according to categories so it would be easier for experts to locate them for future research.  Most impressive are the jewelry objects and objects related to cult.

Our work on the tell itself involved the clearing of some 8th century BCE structures that became overgrown with salt bush and bringing them back to light, and repairing the fences around them to, hopefully, protect them from intruding humans and herds of sheep and goats.

Some of our results can be seen below.

1. Area under cover of salt bush.

2. In the process of clearing.

3. A beautiful 8th century BCE pillared house is coming back to light.

Some of the beautiful jewelry

1. Gold earring.

2. Eighth century BCE limestone cosmetic palette.

3. Beads made of multi-colored stone.

4. A group of carnelian beads.

As I mentioned in a previous communication in this site, we are busily working on the materials we excavated in the last three field seasons (2007-2009). The goal of every archaeological project is the publication of results so the scholarly and lay public will be informed of the discoveries. This process is very long because it involves the work of specialists in areas such as pottery analysis, zooarchaeology (analysis of animal bones), archaeobotany (analysis of organic remains), metallurgy, geology, and more. Some specialists examine remains that are specific to a particular site; at Tell Halif we have the remains of a lively textile industry and they need to be examined to determine the type of textiles produced. Halif’s geographical location made it a center for commercial activities and these can be determined by the examination of sea shells that originated in a variety of geographical sources as well as beads and an assortment of tools that were brought to the site from distant locations.
This summer we are examining all the finds and comparing the information on the tags accompanying the objects with what was entered in the record books during the field working seasons. And we find that there are discrepancies that need correction. This needs to be done before the objects go for analysis by the specialists, and it’s quite tedious.
Since at the end of each season the finds were stored separately, we have now the opportunity to see each group of finds in its totality. If I mentioned beads, now we can see the whole bead collection we assembled in three years and we will try to find their source.
One things that happens to archaeological sites after the work is over is that if they do not become tourist attractions, they become overgrown with weeds. Our site has become overgrown with salt bush, a hardy plants that is native to the Dead Sea region and was introduced to our region for cattle grazing. This plant is doing so well that at some places it looks like a little tree. One of our chores this summer is to clear as much of the salt bush as possible in some of the areas we had previously excavated.

Above an example of an area covered with salt bush. Below is one house dated to the end of the 8th century BCE that was uncovered in 1992-1993, covered with salt bush, and now being exposed again.

It is very exciting to re-discover the house we excavated almost 20 years ago.

This summer, we will be busy studying the materials we excavated in the last three field seasons.  We have accumulated a large number of objects, pottery, and information.  The pottery needs to be reconstructed, drawn, and the pupose for each vessel needs to be determined.  The objects have to be grouped by categories and some, such as the metal objects, need to be conserved.

Animal bones, sea shells, and organic samples all need to be identified and studied by specialists, as well as all the stone tools that include grindstones, mortars, and pestles.  When all the information is in, we hope to be able to reconstruct the type of daily activities that took place in the units we uncovered.  This includes the extensive textile production that took place at the site during the 8th century BCE as well as cultic activities that were carried out in the home and work place.

We’ll try to report as often as possible, especially when we have news to report.  Check this site often; you never know what you might find.

Tell Halif: Field V, Pottery on house floor.

Tell Halif: Field V, Domestic units and workshops

Excavations at Tell Halif during Summer 2009 continued to uncover remains from the end of the 8th century BCE, when the city – possibly biblical Rimmon – was destroyed by the Assyrian king Sennacherib in 701 BCE in response to the revolt of King Hezekiah of Judah. Among the remains discovered this summer are substantial elements of the fortification system; a pillared house with a large assemblage of storage jars and other ceramic vessels; a kitchen that included an oven, grinding implements, and ceramic vessels used for food preparation, cooking and serving.

Check back in the summer of 2010 to follow this season’s progress on the Tell Halif iSite blog!