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This paper discusses a krater recently discovered in a cultic building at Tel Burna in the Shephelah. Of special interest is the krater's relatively well-preserved decoration containing multiple nature scenes related to the so-called tree of life or sacred tree motif. The krater's physical description and archaeological context and the decoration's relationship to relevant comparanda are explored in order to elucidate the significance of its iconography. In light of this discussion, we conclude that the decoration includes an abstract representation of a Canaanite goddess as a 'pubis of life' variation of the 'tree of life' motif on the krater as a votive vessel in the Late Bronze Age cult., 1. INTRODUCTION Tel Burna is located in the Shephelah, a geographical area of the Levant separating the coastal plains to the west and the highlands to the east. The importance [...]

This study investigates the effects that an encounter with a foreign object can have on local traditions. Notions of object agency and object biographies will be utilized to address what happens when people become entangled with new things: the new context can have an impact on the newly introduced object, and those newly introduced objects can similarly impact locals and their traditions. The Late Bronze Age southern Levantine site of Tel Burna will serve as a case study, where a number of imported Cypriot pithoi were found alongside locally produced pithoi. It will be demonstrated that in their new context, the Cypriot pithoi were given new meaning and function. At the same time, the imported pithoi played active roles in the local potters of Tel Burna making pithoi. However, the local pithoi resemble local storage jars, so while the potters mimicked the concept of the Cypriot pithoi, they did so according to local normative forms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The identification of the biblical [phrase omitted] (millo; Millo) in Jerusalem (e.g., 2 Sam 5:9) has long been debated. Considering recent archaeological investigations in the vicinity of the Gihon Spring [...]

The Shephelah, known as the breadbasket of the southern Levant, is one of the more extensively investigated regions of the southern Levant in terms of archaeobotanical research. However, studies dealing with agriculture are scarce in comparison to the archaeobotanical data available. The analysis of the archaeobotanical assemblage in combination with the archaeological remains from Tel Burna will contribute to the investigation of the agriculture of the Shephelah. Several seasons of excavation revealed a cultic complex dating to the Late Bronze Age and an Iron Age II settlement with various agricultural installations such as silos and wine or olive presses. In this paper, we present the agricultural features in conjunction with the systematical archaeobotanical sampling, which enables us to reconstruct the types of crop plants cultivated at the site. Grass pea seeds dominate the assemblage collected from the Late Bronze Age complex, which may point to a connection to the Aegean. The Iron Age assemblage is distinguished by a significantly broad range of crop plants which were cultivated in vicinity of the tell. The archaeological Iron Age remains indicate that the processing of secondary products such as olive oil, wine, or textiles took place within the Iron Age settlement of Tel Burna. This first comprehensive overview describes the character of agricultural production in the Late Bronze Age to Iron Age environmental and geopolitical transformations.

This paper discusses the history of research at Deir el-'ÂAzar (Tel Qiryat Ye'arim), including a discussion of its traditional identification with Kiriath-Jearim and a preliminary report of both the recent archaeological survey and G. Barkay's salvage excavation, which was carried out in the winter of 1995-1996. Significantly, this paper provides the first modern report on the nature of the archaeology of Kiriath-Jearim (Deir el-'Âzar), which includes occupation from the Neolithic period until modern times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four figurines were discovered in Late Bronze Age IIB Tel Burna in the Judean Shephelah. The figurines come from a large public building that probably had a cultic function. These include a rare Revadim-type plaque figurine, a nude female plaque figurine, a Mycenaeanstyle bull figurine, and the head of an equine figurine. Their iconography represents a cross section of Egyptian, Mycenaean, Mesopotamian, and local traditions, illustrating the syncretism of Canaanite religion at the site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]