Rescue Excavations at Ashqelon, Afridar - Area M

Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins 134, 2018

Tell el-Fār a (South) in southwest Israel is well known from the excavations by FLINDERS PETRIE in 1928. Between 1998, the site was reinvestigated by a team of Ben-Gurion University directed by GUNNAR LEHMANN. The renewed excavations exposed evidence dating from the Middle Bronze Age through the Roman Period. Of particular importance are the fortifications and the ceramics of the Iron Age published here. The evidence from the renewed excavations allows a new evaluation of the site and the northwestern Negev in the context of recent archaeological research in southern Israel. 110 Gunnar Lehmann, Revital Golding-Meir, Bat-Ami Neumeier-Potashnik, Hermann M. Niemann southeast of Gaza and 30 kilometers west of Beer-Sheba on a loess cliff above the banks of the Wādī Ġ azze /Wādī eš-Šellāle /Naḣ al B e śōr (map reference: New Israel Grid 1507.5770).

Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan 55, 2011

Tel Aviv, 2000

The Italian-Russian archaeological joint mission at Abu Erteila (Sudan) was originally created in 2008, after an international agreement approved by NCAM (National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums of Sudan). The team is actually supported by ISMEO (International Association for Mediterranean and Oriental Studies) , by Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs and by IOS-RAS (Russian Accademy of Sciences – Institute of Oriental Studies). The mission, whose co-directors are Eugenio Fantusati (ISMEO) and Eleonora Kormysheva (IOS-RAS), is working every year seamless on the field starting from 2009. Abu Erteila is an archaeological site placed north east of Shendi in the Wadi el-Hawad, 9 km from Meroe’s royal necropolis and less than 5 km from the eastern bank of the Nile at Kabushiya. The ground structure primarily consists of sand, gravel and sediments of yellowish sandstone. The territory is flat with the exception of two northern koms, low debris hills oriented east- west and north-south respectively. They represent the main object of the investigations. According to the available data, Abu Erteila was continuously inhabited for centuries from Meroitic to Christian periods. Following the indications given by Ground Penetrating Radar and test trenches, the excavations performed on Kom I from 2009 to 2013 revealed a Meroitic palace built from mud and red bricks and including actually nineteen rooms. In two of them, placed in correspondence of the north-eastern corner, a cooking area was found containing eight pots in situ. Five intrusive burials were dug in the area during the Christian era. The 14C analyses performed in Rome on some charcoals coming from the kitchens and on the human bones suggest that such building was constructed during the I century CE and that the burials can be referred to the XII century CE. In the course of the last two campaigns the mission saved its attention on kom II. The area yielded remains of a Meroitic temple built by co-regents Natakamani and Amanitore (1st century BCE – 1st century CE). Its unusual plan comprises a naos surrounded on three sides by an ambulatory, in addition to lateral chapels and a later large southern annex. Differently-typed goods have given the dating of the complex, among them columns, little statuary, necklace’s grains, a copper ring and a beautiful cavetto-corniche. Certainly the main indications of the eight campaign (November-December 2015) here presented are linked to an approximately square cross-section stand, brought to light inside the naos, close to an altar still in situ. Each side of the stand bears the incised figure of female personages supporting the sky and vertical lines of Egyptian hieroglyphic texts showing cartouches of Natakamani, Amanitore and crown prince Sorkror. A dedication to the royal couple appears as well on the eastern face of the altar. Other Christian burials were found in the area, confirming the re-use of Abu Erteila as funerary area during the very late period of its lifecycle.