The Archeological Survey of Israel aims to survey the entire area of the State of Israel documenting and mapping all its archaeological sites. Executing the survey was entrusted to the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), as they map, measure, photograph the sites while collecting important information about them. [1]
Since the Middle Ages, travelers visiting the Land of Israel, wrote and published their impressions about it, but they were not of a scientific or systematic nature. [2] During the 19th century, professional research of the Land of Israel began as scientists began visiting and exploring it. Among those researchers we can name Ulrich Jasper Seetzen, Henry Baker Tristram, Victor Gruen, William Francis Lynch, Edward Robinson and others. Their areas of interest were diverse and did not necessarily focus on archaeology, but in their books they also documented sites a fact that still contributes today and is considered as valid sources of information, especially regarding sites that have disappeared over the years. [2]
The first major survey of the Land of Israel was carried out by the PEF Survey of Palestine, a British foundation established in 1865 to survey the Land of Israel. The survey, named "Survey of western Palastine", set out to map all of Land of Israel west of the Jordan River, south of the Litani River in the north to the Beersheba River in the south. The survey began in January 1872. Among the directors of the survey were Claude Conder and Horatio Kitchener. Based on this survey they published in 1880 the map of the Israel Exploration Fund. This map continues to be used by various researchers.[ citation needed ]
During the British Mandate period, almost no archaeological surveys were conducted. The antiquities department of the Mandate government concentrated on archaeological excavations. The Foundation for the Study of the Land of Israel established the British School of Archeology in the Land of Israel and collaborated with the Department of Antiquities, but it also mainly dealt with excavations. The Director of Surveys in the Department of Antiquities was Philip Langstaff Ord Guy, he held this position until 1927. He was then appointed Director of the British School of Archaeology, and in this position conducted a survey of Israeli coastal plain and the Negev. The survey that took place between the years 1936–1939 was never published. With the establishment of the State of Israel, Guy was joined the IAA and served as Director of Excavations and Survey until his death in 1952. [3]
After the establishment of Israel, Shemuel Yeivin, the first director of the antiquities department, suggested to David Ben-Gurion "to conduct an archaeological survey in the area of the State of Israel, so that future generations in the country will know about the history hidden in the land of the new state". After Israel was established, various surveys were conducted throughout the land in different resolutions, but no systematic survey of the entire area was carried out. This was about to change in the following years.[ citation needed ]
One of the pioneers of the Negev survey was Nelson Glueck. He surveyed the area in the late 1940's and 1950's, as well as the area across the Jordan to the east. He identified 1,500 sites, of which 500 were in the Negev, most of which were sites from the Iron Age and the Nabatean period. His assistant was Beno Rothenberg. Rothenberg began in 1959 the Southern Arabah survey which concentrated on the study of the copper industry which led to the development of archaeometallurgy. The survey revealed 194 sites from the Ketura junction southwards, some of which had already been documented before. [4]
David Ben-Gurion's retirement in 1953 to the Negev increased interest in this area. Shemuel Yeivin ordered Emmanuel Anati, who was at the beginning of his career as an archaeologist, to go down to the Negev. The survey he carried out was done without proper equipment, topographical maps except for a map at 1:250000 km. In this survey he discovered Mount Karkom, a place he researched for many years. [5]
Along with the Negev and Arabah survey, additional surveys were conducted in the 1950s. Ya'akov Olami conducted a survey of prehistoric sites in Mount Carmel, and N. Tzuri conducted a survey in the Beit She'an Valley. [3] In 1954, a surveyors' conference was held at Oranim Academic College in Kiryat Tiv'on. During the conference they laid out the outlines for a systematic survey of Israel. The northern region was divided in o 44 districts. The survey in this area was conducted by Yohanan Aharoni, it was done with the help of 47 volunteer surveyors from localities within the surveyed areas. The survey in the northern region was published in his 1956 book entitled "Survey in the Galilee: Israeli Settlements and Their Pottery" which dealt with the settlement of the 12 tribes. The published findings of the survey led to the recognition of its great importance. [3]
In the 1950s Yohanan Aharoni was the pioneer surveyor of the Judean desert. During this period, 4 expeditions surveyed the caves of the Judean desert and ancient buildings, in 1953, 1955, 1956 and 1960 in the area between Ein Gedi and Masada.
The surveys were conducted by volunteers from the kibbutz movement, sometimes at high personal risk. One of the caves was the Cave of Letters, the findings were discovered by Yigael Yadin. in 1961 Pessah Bar-Adon discovered the Nahal Mishmar hoard was discovered. [6]
In 1962, the Archeology Council promoted the subject for archaeological survey. The goal was to establish an orderly body that would specialize in archaeological surveys and work alongside the "Antiquities Division".[ citation needed ]
In 1964, the "Association for the Archaeological Survey of Israel" was established by various archaeologists and its first director was Dr. Ze'ev Yevin. Its purpose was to systematically produce scientific surveys. The founding conference of the association was held in Haifa on July 19, 1964. At the request of Abba Hushi, the survey association began its operation with a survey in the Haifa area to help with the city outline plan. The mayor at the time, Abba Hushi, supported the association by funding Part of its activities. [7] The chairman of the association was Avraham Biran, who simultaneously served as director of the antiquities department.[ citation needed ]
Establishing the association led to many organized survey teams that would work systematically according to 1:20,000 maps. The systematic survey led to substantial discoveries of many new archaeological sites.[ citation needed ]
Part of the association's activity was the survey abandoned Arab villages after the War of Independence to locate and document buildings with archaeological-historical value. The survey began in 1965 before the Six Day War and continued until 1970. In June 1967, following the Six Day War, an extensive survey began in Judea and Samaria with the aim of creating an updated archaeological site map of the area. The survey was conducted on behalf of the Ministry of Defense. It began in October 1967 and continued during 1968. The sectors heads of the Judea and Samaria survey were:
Yehuda region – Moshe Kochavi [ citation needed ]
The Judean Desert and the Jordan Valley – Pessah Bar-Adon [ citation needed ]
Land of Benjamin and Mount Ephraim – Zecharia Kallai [8]
The land of Ephraim and the Manasseh Hills – Ram Gophna and Yosef Porat.[ citation needed ]
The Golan Heights – Claire Epstein and Shmarya Guttman [ citation needed ]
The survey results were published in 1972 in the book Judea Samaria and the Golan – the archaeological survey of 1968" [9] which was the association's first publication. Due to the large amount of surveys conducted resulted with a large number of surveyors that gained extensive experience, and in following years they themselves became survey leaders in the field of archeology in Israel. As years past by, the number of survey teams increased. In the 1970's, the following survey teams operated: [3]
Ashkelon area – Ariel Berman[ citation needed ]
Jezreel Valley – Avner Raban[ citation needed ]
Issachar Plateau and Beit She'an Valley – Zvi Gal[ citation needed ]
West Samaria – Shim'on Dar[ citation needed ]
Lod area – Ram Gophna[ citation needed ]
North Sinai – Eliezer Oren[ citation needed ]
Judaean Mountains – Amihai Mazar [ citation needed ]
Nahariya and Amka area – Rafael Frenkel[ citation needed ]
Tulkarm – Yehuda Na'eman[ citation needed ]
Lahav area – David Alon[ citation needed ]
Hevel Lakhish – Yehuda Dagan[ citation needed ]
Ein Gedi area – Gideon Hadas[ citation needed ]
Sharon plain – Eitan Ayalon.[ citation needed ]
The peace agreement between Israel and Egypt that was signed in 1979 led to the evacuation of Sinai in 1982. This resulted in the transfer of military forces from Sinai to the Negev. As a result, an emergency survey began in the Negev. One of the most important surveys was the "Ovda Valley Survey". The survey revealed a large concentration of sites on the eastern side of the valley, exactly where the base was intended to be built. Its construction would have ruined 104 sites that were unknown until then. As a result, the plans for the base construction were changed, only one site remained the area of the base and a salvage excavation was done on the site. [10]
In 1984, twenty survey squads were operating simultaneously in the field. By then, about 60 survey maps were completed and over 20,000 new sites were found. In 1985 a workers' committee was established within the association and in 1986 the first labor agreement was signed. [3] During the association's activity there was a problem to publish the completed survey maps. Therefor by the end of its activity 71 maps had been reviewed, but only 8 of them have been published. [3]
In summer of 1988, Amir Drori became the antiquities department manager at the Ministry of Education. [11] He established the Israel Antiquities Authority. On September 1, 1989, the Antiquities Authority Law was approved, [12] defining its areas of operation and responsibility, and on April 1, 1990, the Antiquities Authority was officially founded, subordinate to the Ministry of Education.[ citation needed ]
The Authority's establishment, ended the Association for Archaeological Survey activity. Its surveys responsibilities were transferred to the Authority and many of its employees were taken in. The Israel Antiquities Authority, created a survey excavations and research department, which coordinates survey activities. The association transferred its entire survey archive, an action that did not help to publicate survey maps due to lack of budget. From its establishment until 2014, 13 new maps were reviewed within the authority.[ citation needed ]
The authority was engaged in promoting on its website surveys that have already been conducted. Between the years 1990–1995 under the field manager Alon de Groot, 15 maps were published. In the following years 1995–2002, as Dr. Mordechai Hayman managed the survey field, 10 more maps were published and the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) was introduced. During his time, a "development survey" also began to operate, it was carried out to locate sites in areas intended for development. Over time this method became the main source of funding for archaeological surveys in the Antiquities Authority. Between 2002 and 2010, the survey was managed by Yehuda Dagan. During his period, it was also decided to stop publishing written surveys and to upload all of them to the web, including all surveys that have already been published. In 2011, Ofer Sion was appointed as the head of the survey.[ citation needed ]
Israel's area was divided into squares, each one of 100 square kilometers. The areas designated for development were given higher priority to be surveyed as the aim was to advance surveys and mapping of archeological sites before they were destroyed by development and construction projects. The survey editors worked with 1:20,000 scale maps, designated for a specific survey squad. Surveyors systematically walked through the area and collected information from the field for further processes with additional information collected from various sources.[ citation needed ]
The surveys were later published as books. Each survey included a survey map, a list of sites, the nature of the sites while describing the remains found according to its timeline. Additionally, there is information regarding its place in the landscape, illustrations, photographs, period maps as well as a bibliography. Each book included alphabetic site keys according to site names and an additional key by period. The sites on the map are presented in geographical order from north to south and west to east.[ citation needed ]
The names of the sites are based on various sources, including the names appearing on the PEF map, the names from the days of British rule, as well as the names announced in the "List of Tombstones and Historical Sites" [13]
The map of the Land of Israel was originally divided into 267 squares. The numbers start in the northwest and go in a numeric order of rows east and south. Most of the squares on the coastline also include areas within the sea. Map number 1 is the Achziv map. Map number 267 the southernmost map of Eilat. After the Six Day War, additional squares of the Golan Heights and Judea and Samaria were added. The original system had not changed, and the new squares sized 10x10 km were given sub-numbers. In the Golan Heights, 14 survey maps have been added. In Judea and Samaria, 44 survey maps have been added. In addition, 3 more survey maps have been added: Map 48/1 which includes the sea area opposite Caesarea to the west of Binyamina map numbered 48. The map of Herzliya-west includes the sea area west of the map of Herzliya numbered 69, and map 251/1 the map of Har Ait east in the Arabah. Today the total area of the Israel is divided into 328 squares, as each square being a separate survey map. The northernmost maps are in the Golan Heights: Maps 8/1 Map of Mount Dov, and Map 8/2 Map of Mount Hermon. The most eastern maps are in the Golan Heights: Mount Akash map – 15/2, south of it Mount Peres map – 18/3 and Givat Orha map – 36/3 south of the Mount Peres map. [14]
Around 2006 the Israel Antiquities Authority decided to stop printing survey books and to start uploading all the information to its website, so it will be available for the public. The site was launched in 2009, when Map 49, Map for Regavim, was uploaded to the site. In 2010, map 256, the map of Sayarim valley in the Negev, was published. The site got a big boost in 2011 as during that year many additional maps were uploaded. The main page of the site shows a map of the Land of Israel divided into the survey squares, marked with different colors according to the state of the survey. Clicking on a square will bring up the information related to that survey square. The information appears in two tabs:[ citation needed ]
Clicking on a certain site tab brings up the information about the site in another tab. It includes the name of the site in Hebrew, additional names, field number, coordinates on the New Israel Network and the international network, the historical periods found on site according to the findings in the field, as well as a description of the findings and remains. A bibliographic list referring specifically to the site, photos and maps if any, as well as a small find drawing. Not every site includes all the information according to the specified level of detail. [14]
Clicking on the tab also causes the site to be marked on the survey map with a prominent brown dot, making it easier to find sites on the map. On the right top corner of the site there is a link to a list of all surveyed maps in alphabetic order. The list includes the name, the number of the map and the names of the surveyors. In addition, the website allows to conduct search according to the following parameters: [14]
The maps on the site are marked in different colors according to the completion status of the survey (completion data is correct as of May 3, 2015):
A total of completed surveys are shown on 114 maps, which constitute 34.7% of the total area planned for survey. There are 113 maps available on the website. [14]
Samaria is the Hellenized form of the Hebrew name Shomron, used as a historical and biblical name for the central region of Israel, bordered by Judea to the south and Galilee to the north. The region is known to the Palestinians in Arabic under two names, Samirah, and Mount Nablus.
There are six main administrative districts of Israel, known in Hebrew as mekhozot and in Arabic as mintaqah. There are also 15 subdistricts of Israel, known in Hebrew nafot and in Arabic as qadaa. Each subdistrict is further divided into natural regions, which in turn are further divided into council-level divisions: whether they might be cities, municipalities, or regional councils.
Mount Arbel is a mountain in The Lower Galilee near Tiberias in Israel, with high cliffs, views of Mount Hermon and the Golan Heights, a cave-fortress, and ruins of an ancient synagogue. Mount Arbel sits across from Mount Nitai; their cliffs were created as a result of the geological processes leading to the creation of the Jordan Rift Valley.
The Israel Antiquities Authority is an independent Israeli governmental authority responsible for enforcing the 1978 Law of Antiquities. The IAA regulates excavation and conservation, and promotes research. The Director-General is Mr. Eli Escusido, and its offices are housed in the Rockefeller Museum.
The Israel Exploration Society (IES), originally the Jewish Palestine Exploration Society, is a society devoted to historical, geographical and archaeological research of the Land of Israel. The society was founded in 1913 and again in 1920, with the object of studying the history and civilization of the Land of Israel and of disseminating its knowledge.
Mampsis or Memphis, today Mamshit, Kurnub, is a former Nabataean caravan stop and Byzantine city. In the Nabataean period, Mampsis was an important station on the Incense Road, connecting Southern Arabia through Edom, the Arabah and Ma'ale Akrabim, to the Mediterranean ports, as well as to Jerusalem via Beersheba and Hebron. The city covers 10 acres (40,000 m2) and is the smallest but best restored ancient city in the Negev Desert. The once-luxurious houses feature unusual architecture not found in any other Nabataean city.
Hitahdut HaIkarim is a settlement movement for private farmers in Israel.
Sa'ir is a Palestinian town in the Hebron Governorate of the State of Palestine, in the southern West Bank, located 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) northeast of Hebron. Nearby localities include Beit Fajjar and al-Arroub to the north, Beit Ummar to the northwest, Halhul to the west and Beit Einun and ash-Shuyukh to the south. The Dead Sea is just east of Sa'ir's municipal borders. In the 2017 census Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of 20,722.
Kfar Uria is a moshav in central Israel. Located near Beit Shemesh in the Shephelah. It falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Yehuda Regional Council. In 2022 it had a population of 910.
Khirbat Umm Burj was a Palestinian Arab village in the Hebron Subdistrict, sometimes designated in modern maps as Burgin. Its ruins are today located within the borders of Israel. It occupied an extensive site, stretching about 30 dunams on the crest of a hill, rising some 430 metres (1,410 ft) above sea level, and commanding a good prospect of the surrounding region. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War on October 28, 1948, during the third stage of Operation Yo'av under the command of Yigal Allon. The site is located 17 km northwest of Hebron.
The Gaza Jar, Type 2, possibly identical to the Ashkelon Jar (askalônion), was a storage vessel used from the Roman period to the end of the Byzantine period and the beginning of the early Muslim period in the Holy Land. Gaza was a regional trading hub at this time. The jar was made on a potter's wheel and is believed to have been used to store vinum Gazetum, Latin for Gaza wine, a sweet wine greatly prized in Roman times which reached peak production in the early 6th century.
Khirbet Kurkush is an archeological site in the West Bank. It lies between the Israeli settlements of Bruchin and Ariel and near the Palestinian town of Bruqin, in the Salfit Governorate of the State of Palestine.
Metzad Mahmal is the ruins of a stronghold located on the edge of the northern cliff of the Ramon Crater, at the top end of Ma'ale Mahmal and is part of the Incense Route that runs between Petra and Avdat.
Boaz Zissu is an Israeli archaeologist who serves as a professor of classical archaeology in the Martin (Szusz) Department of Land of Israel and Archaeology at Bar-Ilan University since 2004. From 2014 to 2017, he served as the department head. Additionally, he holds the position of chief editor for the Israel Numismatic Journal, a publication dedicated to the study of ancient coins.
Tel Eton is an archaeological site measuring 60 dunams, located in the Telam Valley, near Nahal Adoraim in the southeast of the Judean Lowlands, near Moshav Shekef. The tell's current name comes from the nearby village that was inhabited between the Byzantine period to the Arab period, Kharbat Eyton.
Ramathnia is an abandoned village in the center of the Golan Heights, about 10 kilometers east of Katzrin.
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Assaliyye synagogue is an ancient Jewish village and synagogue located in the western part of the Golan Heights. The ancient village and synagogue are dated to the Rabbinic period, the 6th century. On the ruins of the ancient village in a later period an Arab settlement was built usig the existing debris.