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This paper provides a social and geographic account of al-Lajjun (Jenin Sub-district), a prominent Palestinian village during the British Mandate period (1918–1948). It portrays a countryside in renewal, encapsulated in the story of Umm al-Fahm’s expansion and Lajjun’s resettlement. In contrast to existing scholarship, the present work contextualizes the site within the wider diachronic, longue durée, history of the region, and the synchronous, shifting pattern of settlements in Marj ibn ‘Amir (Jezreel Valley), Bilad al-Ruha (Ramot Menashe), and Wadi ‘Ara (Nahal ‘Iron). It focuses on the development of the physical outlines of the (re)new(ed) village, with the development of three “Lajjuns” reflecting its founders’ Hebronite/Khalīlī patterns of settlement. Furthermore, it explores Lajjun’s diversified economy and its metamorphosis from a derelict hamlet into a hub of utilities and transportation infrastructure of regional importance under the British Mandate of Palestine (1920–1948).

During the 16th century CE, the town of al-Lajjun in the Marj ibn ‘Amir (the Jezreel Valley), served as one of Ottoman Palestine’s provincial capitals under the administration of the Turabay Dynasty (1517–1688 CE), and was an important centre on the imperial highway between Damascus and Cairo. However, the town of this period has never been the subject of historical investigation. This paper seeks to bring together, assess and synthesize, rarely accessed Arabic and Ottoman Turkish sources, along with oral histories and an archaeological survey, to provide the first comprehensive historical account of Turabay al-Lajjun and it its ultimate demise in the 19th century CE.

Work at Megiddo in 2018 shed light on Gate 3165 of Stratum VIA (late Iron I) and the six-chambered Gate 2156 of Strata VA-IVB and IVA (late Iron IIA and early Iron IIB). The disputed question of the number of gates which post-date Gate 2156 was only briefly discussed. Continued investigation of the gates’ area in 2022 assembled information for the existence of a four-chambered Gate 500b, described by the University of Chicago excavator as a construction error, which was replaced by the two-chambered Gate 500a. The new data is presented here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Jezreel Valley Regional Project (JVRP) is a long-term multidisciplinary project investigating human activity in the Jezreel Valley through all periods through the modern era. This research incorporates extensive and intensive archaeological survey and excavation at several spatial scales, and utilizes a number of methodological approaches to documentation and spatial analysis. One of the major challenges of this project has been coping with a high volume of data, and integrating cutting-edge technology into our workflow to solve the problems that many archaeologists face. This paper will present an overview of our field-based methods of data acquisition, particularly by means of 3D photogrammetry, remote sensing, and high-precision ground control. When integrated through our data management system and used in GIS applications, these data not only produce plans and imagery far more precise than conventional approaches, but the methods used are incredibly time-efficient, cost-effective, and produce archival digital data. Furthermore, we will report on results of spatial analysis of archaeological activity in the Jezreel Valley in conjunction with digital terrain and hydrological modelling of the landscape. These digital techniques allow us to study human and environmental changes in the landscape like never before.

Tel Megiddo is a major type‐site for the Middle Bronze in the Levant. During this period a new burial custom appeared in which the dead were interred beneath occupied houses. This tradition is well attested in Area K at the site. Area H, near the palatial complex, revealed a monumental masonry‐constructed chamber tomb. This article presents the results of residue analysis conducted on ceramic vessels placed in these tombs as burial offerings. Hundreds of intramural Middle Bronze tombs with ceramic offerings were excavated in the Levant, but this is the first time the content of the vessels is revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geographic information systems (GIS) methods, combined with airborne remote sensing, enable collection of complex spatial datasets across broad regional areas. This article explores the use of GIS techniques for fast collection, processing and analysis of pedestrian survey data. This approach is used at Tell Abu Shusha, a multiperiod site in the Jezreel Valley of northern Israel. Surface survey of this tell and the surrounding region, conducted by the Jezreel Valley Regional Project during 2017, documented extensive visible remains of settlement features as well as the ruins of the Ottoman era village of Abu Shusha. Using this data, the potential for existing spatial analytical techniques to be modified and improved through modern processing capabilities is shown. Kolmogorov–Smirnov nonparametric tests, pure locational (k‐means) and unconstrained clustering methods were applied to the field walking survey data, showing evidence of feature clustering at multiple scales as well as environmental patterning in where features are located. Results demonstrate that these approaches increase the speed and accuracy of pedestrian survey data collection and that the modification of these analytical techniques makes them more robust than before, allowing for the identification of meaningful large‐scale spatial patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The date of the Stratum XV Triple-Temple Complex at Megiddo has been the subject of debate since it was first uncovered by the University of Chicago in the 1930s. Generally, an Early Bronze Age III date became the status quo interpretation, but several problems with this date are apparent. First, there was already significant EB III stratigraphy at the site, consisting of a well-planned palace, elite quarter, and temple complex. The construction of the Triple-Temple complex completely put this EB III palatial phase out of commission. Therefore, if an EB III date for the temples is preferred, this infers that a completely new urban plan was envisioned within that period – a phenomenon not seen elsewhere for EB III palatial centers. Second, it leaves a significant architectural gap at the site during the EB IV/Intermediate Bronze Age, a period for which Megiddo produced a significant amount of material culture. The solution presented itself when the Tel Aviv University Megiddo Expedition discovered a cache of Egyptianized pottery below the temple complex. Originally thought to have come from underlying EB IB strata, ongoing excavation at the site and refinement of the stratigraphy of the cultic area led the present author to conclude that the pottery cache was a foundation deposit associated with the Stratum XV Triple-Temple Complex. The cache, fitting well, typologically, with Egyptian foundation deposits from the late Old Kingdom/First Intermediate Period, supports, in turn, an EB IV/IB date for the construction of the Megiddo Triple-Temple Complex. This paper returns to this issue to properly place the architecture of the Triple-Temple Complex into its Northern Levantine EB IV world as temples in antis and to consider Northern Levantine and Egyptian contacts from the unique perspective of Megiddo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which author discusses articles on topics including focuses on archaeological research in the eastern Mediterranean for decades and examines pottery is an essential tool as many Levantine ceramics were discovered in Egyptian contexts.