Two-part stone jewelry molds were intended for casting small and delicate precious metal jewelry.... more Two-part stone jewelry molds were intended for casting small and delicate precious metal jewelry. These include a variety of solid rings, bezels, earrings, pendants, diadems, beads, pins, figurines, and amulets. During the Late Bronze Age in the northern and southern Levant, these molds were not very common yet were used primarily where local craftsmen set up shop at large urban manufacturing centers, often found along the coast. Compilation of the different jewelry designs or ‘negatives’ carved in the molds, enables the creation of a precious metal jewelry typology that may be associated with Syro-Canaanite Levantine craftsmen based on the ‘negative’ designs. Matching the designs with the specific ‘positive’ objects they were meant to produce can show the diffusion of certain jewelry types from their various manufacturing centers. This may also provide a new springboard for research on Late Bronze Age technological sophistication as well as Canaanite iconography and its dissemination in the use of personal adornments.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 49, 2023
A two-storey updraft ceramic kiln of mudbrick and clay, dated by associated ceramic finds to the ... more A two-storey updraft ceramic kiln of mudbrick and clay, dated by associated ceramic finds to the Early Bronze (EB) IB period, and by radiocarbon dating to the end of the 4th millennium BC, has been found adjacent to a large, possibly public structure at Tel Lod. Mineralogical analysis based on Infrared spectroscopy demonstrates that temperatures between 700 and 800 • C were achieved in this installation, and thin sections analysis show that the mudbricks of the walls were intentionally enriched with quartz, a mineral known for its refractory properties. In contrast to open firing or pit kilns known from earlier periods, updraft kilns facilitate better control of the firing process and a more efficient use of fuel, allowing better mass production of durable ceramics of lighter weight that could be more easily transported in larger amounts over longer distances. Proto-Metallic Ware that was found at the site, also associated with the EB IB period, shows variable ranges of temperatures between 500 and 800 • C, indicating that such ceramics could also have been made in this installation. This is one of the earliest examples of this technology in the southern Levant and is observed to coincide with the beginnings of the first urbanization in this region, expressing a growing need for efficient mass production of well-fired ceramics for a market economy.
With more data coming to light every year, the transition between the Late Chalcolithic and the E... more With more data coming to light every year, the transition between the Late Chalcolithic and the Early Bronze I in the Southern Levant continues to arouse interest and debate among scholars. The centuries immediately after the cessation of the Late Chalcolithic (Ghassulian) culture, generally accepted at around 3800/3700 BC, are often regarded as a transitional period, until the appearance of an established EB I cultural entity in the second half of the 4th millennium BC. While earlier studies on the transition from the Late Chalcolithic to the EB I have stressed the discontinuity between these two periods, more recent ones have been able to highlight substantial continuity, largely due to the EB I settlement at Ashqelon and other sites where numerous calibrated radiocarbon dates have demonstrated the presence of a continuous settlement from approximately 3850/3750 BC to the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC (c. 2900 BC). A range of early dates within this sequence (c. 3850/3750–3500/3400 BC) is associated with a material culture that shows clear continuity, with elements from the Late Chalcolithic alongside those of the EB I. At Ashqelon, this material culture, often regarded as transitional Late Chalcolithic / Early Bronze I, appears to herald the beginning of an evolving social structure that should be associated with the Early Bronze Age in the region, pushing back the beginning of the EB I to the beginning of the settlement.
Presentation des structures et du mobilier (ceramiques, boucles d'oreilles, instruments cosme... more Presentation des structures et du mobilier (ceramiques, boucles d'oreilles, instruments cosmetiques metalliques) d'une tombe a ciste de la periode perse, mise au jour sur le site du Bronze Ancien I d'Ashkelon Marina (Afridar)
Two-part stone jewelry molds were intended for casting small and delicate precious metal jewelry.... more Two-part stone jewelry molds were intended for casting small and delicate precious metal jewelry. These include a variety of solid rings, bezels, earrings, pendants, diadems, beads, pins, figurines, and amulets. During the Late Bronze Age in the northern and southern Levant, these molds were not very common yet were used primarily where local craftsmen set up shop at large urban manufacturing centers, often found along the coast. Compilation of the different jewelry designs or ‘negatives’ carved in the molds, enables the creation of a precious metal jewelry typology that may be associated with Syro-Canaanite Levantine craftsmen based on the ‘negative’ designs. Matching the designs with the specific ‘positive’ objects they were meant to produce can show the diffusion of certain jewelry types from their various manufacturing centers. This may also provide a new springboard for research on Late Bronze Age technological sophistication as well as Canaanite iconography and its dissemination in the use of personal adornments.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 49, 2023
A two-storey updraft ceramic kiln of mudbrick and clay, dated by associated ceramic finds to the ... more A two-storey updraft ceramic kiln of mudbrick and clay, dated by associated ceramic finds to the Early Bronze (EB) IB period, and by radiocarbon dating to the end of the 4th millennium BC, has been found adjacent to a large, possibly public structure at Tel Lod. Mineralogical analysis based on Infrared spectroscopy demonstrates that temperatures between 700 and 800 • C were achieved in this installation, and thin sections analysis show that the mudbricks of the walls were intentionally enriched with quartz, a mineral known for its refractory properties. In contrast to open firing or pit kilns known from earlier periods, updraft kilns facilitate better control of the firing process and a more efficient use of fuel, allowing better mass production of durable ceramics of lighter weight that could be more easily transported in larger amounts over longer distances. Proto-Metallic Ware that was found at the site, also associated with the EB IB period, shows variable ranges of temperatures between 500 and 800 • C, indicating that such ceramics could also have been made in this installation. This is one of the earliest examples of this technology in the southern Levant and is observed to coincide with the beginnings of the first urbanization in this region, expressing a growing need for efficient mass production of well-fired ceramics for a market economy.
With more data coming to light every year, the transition between the Late Chalcolithic and the E... more With more data coming to light every year, the transition between the Late Chalcolithic and the Early Bronze I in the Southern Levant continues to arouse interest and debate among scholars. The centuries immediately after the cessation of the Late Chalcolithic (Ghassulian) culture, generally accepted at around 3800/3700 BC, are often regarded as a transitional period, until the appearance of an established EB I cultural entity in the second half of the 4th millennium BC. While earlier studies on the transition from the Late Chalcolithic to the EB I have stressed the discontinuity between these two periods, more recent ones have been able to highlight substantial continuity, largely due to the EB I settlement at Ashqelon and other sites where numerous calibrated radiocarbon dates have demonstrated the presence of a continuous settlement from approximately 3850/3750 BC to the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC (c. 2900 BC). A range of early dates within this sequence (c. 3850/3750–3500/3400 BC) is associated with a material culture that shows clear continuity, with elements from the Late Chalcolithic alongside those of the EB I. At Ashqelon, this material culture, often regarded as transitional Late Chalcolithic / Early Bronze I, appears to herald the beginning of an evolving social structure that should be associated with the Early Bronze Age in the region, pushing back the beginning of the EB I to the beginning of the settlement.
Presentation des structures et du mobilier (ceramiques, boucles d'oreilles, instruments cosme... more Presentation des structures et du mobilier (ceramiques, boucles d'oreilles, instruments cosmetiques metalliques) d'une tombe a ciste de la periode perse, mise au jour sur le site du Bronze Ancien I d'Ashkelon Marina (Afridar)
Ashqelon Barne'a the Early Bronze Age Site, Volume II, the Finds (IAA reports 70), is the second... more Ashqelon Barne'a the Early Bronze Age Site, Volume II, the Finds (IAA reports 70), is the second of two volumes comprising the complete and final report of the three excavation seasons at the Early Bronze Age I site of Ashqelon Barne‘a that took place in 2004 and 2005. Volume I (IAA Reports 65) includes an introduction to the excavations, the geographical and geomorphological setting, the stratigraphy, architecture and settlement planning, radiocarbon (14C) dating and an appendix concerning Byzantine remains. Volume II , the finds, is comprised of thirteen chapters and includes a full presentation of the ceramic assemblage, its petrographic analysis, the flint and groundstone assemblages, the metal objects, the bone tool industry, small finds of ceramic and stone, human skeletal remains and mortuary practices, the faunal, fish, mollusc and archaeobotanical remains as well as a full summary and discussion of the excavation and its finds.
The Nile DelTA As A ceNTre Of culTurAl iNTerAcTiONs beTweeN uPPer egyPT AND The sOuTherN levANT i... more The Nile DelTA As A ceNTre Of culTurAl iNTerAcTiONs beTweeN uPPer egyPT AND The sOuTherN levANT iN The 4 th milleNNium bc PrOceeDiNgs Of The cONfereNce helD iN The POZNAN ArchAeOlOgicAl museum, POZNAŃ, POlAND, 21-22 JuNe 2013 POZNAŃ ArchAeOlOgicAl museum sTuDies iN AfricAN ArchAeOlOgy vOl. 13 Editor: AgNiesZkA mącZyŃskA Layout and setting: mAcieJ JórDecZkA Cover designer: mAcieJ JórDecZkA
Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean 23/3 Special Studies Volume, 2014
pam editor-in-chief: iwona Zych volume 23/2: Special Studies Beyond Ornamentation. Jewelry as an ... more pam editor-in-chief: iwona Zych volume 23/2: Special Studies Beyond Ornamentation. Jewelry as an Aspect of Material Culture in the Ancient Near East scientific editors: amir golani, Zuzanna Wygnańska all texts peer-reviewed Bibliographic editor: aleksandra Zych language consultation: iwona Zych technical editor: iwona Zych editorial assistance: agnieszka szymczak digital processing: ewa czyżewska image processing and copyediting assistance: ewa czyżewska, szymon maślak, marta momot, marek puszkarski, Urszula Wicenciak original graphic design: Jerzy Kowalski, updated by ewa czyżewska for pcma dtp: ewa czyżewska, assistant Urszula Wicenciak cover: Beads from a mitanni grave at tell arbid, syria (photo J. Wierzbicki)
The modern city of Ashqelon has been undergoing extensive expansion in recent decades. The Barne‘... more The modern city of Ashqelon has been undergoing extensive expansion in recent decades. The Barne‘a neighborhood was constructed on the northern outskirts of Ashqelon during the 1960s. The present excavations were carried out in 2004–2005 prior to the addition of two new neighborhoods, Barne‘a B and C (map ref. 159650–622800/159900–623250). The site is located approximately 350 m east of the modern shoreline and lies on the southeastern slope of a low sandstone (kurkar) ridge that runs northeast–southwest, parallel to the coast. Portions of this ridge were still evident at the time of excavation, but today the entire area has been leveled by modern construction and remnants of the original topography can only be seen to the north, beyond the present-day city limits. Three excavation seasons were conducted at the Early Bronze Age site of Ashqelon Barne‘a during 2004 and 2005, directed by Amir Golani on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority (Permit Nos. A-4177, A-4378, A-4558) and funded by the Ashkelon Economic Company Ltd. This excavation was the first to be undertaken in this vicinity and, as the entire site was destined for destruction due to modern development, it was also the last. The immense quantity of data retrieved from this excavation is an important contribution to the research and understanding of the Early Bronze Age in the southern Levant. This is the first of two volumes that comprise the final report of the three excavation seasons. The present volume focuses primarily on the stratigraphy and architecture. Chapter 1 briefly describes the siteʼs physical characteristics, paleoenvironment and subsistence strategies, previous research at the site, excavation strategy and methodology; Chapter 2 presents the geomorphology of the site and its environs, and a sedimentological analysis of the various strata; Chapter 3 details the siteʼs stratigraphy; Chapter 4 is a synthesis and comprehensive discussion of the stratigraphy, architecture and elements of settlement planning. The results of radiocarbon analyses are briefly summarized in Appendix 1. Very limited architectural remains and other finds of the Byzantine period are presented in Appendix 2. Appendix 3 contains the locus and wall lists. The second volume (AB II) will present and discuss the pottery repertoire (Amir Golani and Svetlana Talis), including a petrographic analysis (Anat Cohen-Weinberger); the flint assemblages (Mae Goder-Goldberger); the groundstone assemblage (Danny Rosenberg); the metal objects (Amir Golani); the worked-bone tools (Gaëlle Le Dosseur); the small finds (Amir Golani); human skeletal remains and mortuary practices (Yossi Nagar); the faunal assemblages (Anuar Zidane and Guy Bar-Oz); the fish remains (Omri Lernau); the mollusks (Inbar Ktalav) and the archaeobotanical remains (Ehud Weiss and Yael Mahler-Slasky). A comprehensive summary of all the data from the Early Bronze Age excavations, incorporating both the architecture and the finds, will appear at the end of AB II.
Uploads
Papers by Amir Golani
set up shop at large urban manufacturing centers, often found along the coast. Compilation of the different jewelry designs or ‘negatives’ carved in the molds, enables the creation of a precious metal jewelry typology that may be associated with Syro-Canaanite Levantine craftsmen based on the ‘negative’ designs. Matching the designs with the specific ‘positive’ objects they were meant to produce can show the diffusion of certain jewelry types from their various manufacturing centers. This may also provide a new springboard for research on Late Bronze Age technological sophistication as well as Canaanite iconography and its dissemination in the use of personal adornments.
after the cessation of the Late Chalcolithic (Ghassulian) culture, generally accepted at around 3800/3700 BC, are often regarded as a transitional period, until the appearance of an established EB I cultural entity in the
second half of the 4th millennium BC. While earlier studies on the transition from the Late Chalcolithic to the EB I have stressed the discontinuity between these two periods, more recent ones have been able to highlight substantial continuity, largely due to the EB I settlement at Ashqelon and other sites where numerous calibrated radiocarbon dates have demonstrated the presence of a continuous settlement from approximately 3850/3750 BC to the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC (c. 2900 BC). A range of early dates within this sequence (c. 3850/3750–3500/3400 BC) is associated with a material culture that shows clear continuity, with elements from the Late Chalcolithic alongside those of the EB I.
At Ashqelon, this material culture, often regarded as transitional Late Chalcolithic / Early Bronze I, appears to herald the beginning of an evolving social structure that should be associated with the Early Bronze
Age in the region, pushing back the beginning of the EB I to the beginning of the settlement.
set up shop at large urban manufacturing centers, often found along the coast. Compilation of the different jewelry designs or ‘negatives’ carved in the molds, enables the creation of a precious metal jewelry typology that may be associated with Syro-Canaanite Levantine craftsmen based on the ‘negative’ designs. Matching the designs with the specific ‘positive’ objects they were meant to produce can show the diffusion of certain jewelry types from their various manufacturing centers. This may also provide a new springboard for research on Late Bronze Age technological sophistication as well as Canaanite iconography and its dissemination in the use of personal adornments.
after the cessation of the Late Chalcolithic (Ghassulian) culture, generally accepted at around 3800/3700 BC, are often regarded as a transitional period, until the appearance of an established EB I cultural entity in the
second half of the 4th millennium BC. While earlier studies on the transition from the Late Chalcolithic to the EB I have stressed the discontinuity between these two periods, more recent ones have been able to highlight substantial continuity, largely due to the EB I settlement at Ashqelon and other sites where numerous calibrated radiocarbon dates have demonstrated the presence of a continuous settlement from approximately 3850/3750 BC to the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC (c. 2900 BC). A range of early dates within this sequence (c. 3850/3750–3500/3400 BC) is associated with a material culture that shows clear continuity, with elements from the Late Chalcolithic alongside those of the EB I.
At Ashqelon, this material culture, often regarded as transitional Late Chalcolithic / Early Bronze I, appears to herald the beginning of an evolving social structure that should be associated with the Early Bronze
Age in the region, pushing back the beginning of the EB I to the beginning of the settlement.
Three excavation seasons were conducted at the Early Bronze Age site of Ashqelon Barne‘a during 2004 and 2005, directed by Amir Golani on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority (Permit Nos. A-4177, A-4378, A-4558) and funded by the Ashkelon Economic Company Ltd. This excavation was the first to be undertaken in this vicinity and, as the entire site was destined for destruction due to modern development, it was also the last. The immense quantity of data retrieved from this excavation is an important contribution to the research and understanding of the Early Bronze Age in the southern Levant.
This is the first of two volumes that comprise the final report of the three excavation seasons. The present volume focuses primarily on the stratigraphy and architecture.
Chapter 1 briefly describes the siteʼs physical characteristics, paleoenvironment and subsistence strategies, previous research at the site, excavation strategy and methodology; Chapter 2 presents the geomorphology of the site and its environs, and a sedimentological analysis of the various strata; Chapter 3 details the siteʼs stratigraphy; Chapter 4 is a synthesis and comprehensive discussion of the stratigraphy, architecture and elements of settlement planning. The results of radiocarbon analyses are briefly summarized in Appendix 1. Very limited architectural remains and other finds of the Byzantine period are presented in Appendix 2. Appendix 3 contains the locus and wall lists.
The second volume (AB II) will present and discuss the pottery repertoire (Amir Golani and Svetlana Talis), including a petrographic analysis (Anat Cohen-Weinberger); the flint assemblages (Mae Goder-Goldberger); the groundstone assemblage (Danny Rosenberg); the metal objects (Amir Golani); the worked-bone tools (Gaëlle Le Dosseur); the small finds (Amir Golani); human skeletal remains and mortuary practices (Yossi Nagar); the faunal assemblages (Anuar Zidane and Guy Bar-Oz); the fish remains (Omri Lernau); the mollusks (Inbar Ktalav) and the archaeobotanical remains (Ehud Weiss and Yael Mahler-Slasky). A comprehensive summary of all the data from the Early Bronze Age excavations, incorporating both the architecture and the finds, will appear at the end of AB II.