A Nazareth archaeology report
Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2020 1:39 am
In 'Atiqot 98 (2020):
The Settlement History of Nazareth in the Iron Age and Early Roman Period (Pp. 25–92)
Yardenna Alexandre
Keywords: Lower Galilee, biblical sources, New Testament, Jesus, First Jewish Revolt, Jewish population, ritual purity, Jewish priestly courses
A small-scale excavation carried out next to the Franciscan Church of the Annunciation compound in Nazareth exposed the remains of three building strata: Stratum III, from Iron IIA–B (tenth–early eighth centuries BCE); Stratum II, from the late Hellenistic to the Early Roman period (late second century BCE–first third of the second century CE); and Stratum I, from the Crusader to Mamluk periods (twelfth–fifteenth centuries CE). The late Hellenistic to Early Roman-period dwelling incorporated a three-level complex of subterranean pits or silos. Within the pits, many potsherds were discarded, perhaps attesting to the Jewish practice of ritual defilement of ceramic vessels that were rendered impure. Similar findings were documented at other Jewish villages of the Early Roman period in Galilee.
Faunal Remains from Nazareth (Pp. 93–102)
Nimrod Marom
Keywords: Lower Galilee, zooarchaeology, age at death, producer economy, consumption waste, butchery waste
The salvage excavations at Nazareth uncovered a faunal assemblage dating from Iron Age II (Stratum III), the late Hellenistic–Early Roman (Stratum II) and Crusader–Mamluk (Stratum I) periods. The assemblage is dominated by sheep and goats, with lower frequencies of cattle. The faunal remains demonstrate tentative evidence for a simple village economy throughout its stratigraphic sequence.
The Settlement History of Nazareth in the Iron Age and Early Roman Period (Pp. 25–92)
Yardenna Alexandre
Keywords: Lower Galilee, biblical sources, New Testament, Jesus, First Jewish Revolt, Jewish population, ritual purity, Jewish priestly courses
A small-scale excavation carried out next to the Franciscan Church of the Annunciation compound in Nazareth exposed the remains of three building strata: Stratum III, from Iron IIA–B (tenth–early eighth centuries BCE); Stratum II, from the late Hellenistic to the Early Roman period (late second century BCE–first third of the second century CE); and Stratum I, from the Crusader to Mamluk periods (twelfth–fifteenth centuries CE). The late Hellenistic to Early Roman-period dwelling incorporated a three-level complex of subterranean pits or silos. Within the pits, many potsherds were discarded, perhaps attesting to the Jewish practice of ritual defilement of ceramic vessels that were rendered impure. Similar findings were documented at other Jewish villages of the Early Roman period in Galilee.
Faunal Remains from Nazareth (Pp. 93–102)
Nimrod Marom
Keywords: Lower Galilee, zooarchaeology, age at death, producer economy, consumption waste, butchery waste
The salvage excavations at Nazareth uncovered a faunal assemblage dating from Iron Age II (Stratum III), the late Hellenistic–Early Roman (Stratum II) and Crusader–Mamluk (Stratum I) periods. The assemblage is dominated by sheep and goats, with lower frequencies of cattle. The faunal remains demonstrate tentative evidence for a simple village economy throughout its stratigraphic sequence.