El-Ahwat : a fortified site from the early Iron age near Nahal 'Iron, Israel : excavations 1993-2000, final report / / Adam Zertal ; with contributions by Shay Bar ... [et al.].

• Superior document: Culture and history of the ancient Near East ; 24
• Author: Zertal, Adam.
• TeilnehmendeR: Zertal, Adam.
• Year of Publication: 2011
• Language: English
• Series: Culture and history of the ancient Near East ; v. 24.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (508 p.)
• Notes: Description based upon print version of record.
• Other title: Preliminary Material /; Preface /; Introduction /; History of the Excavations, the Staff, and the Methodology /; Stratigraphy, Architecture, and Chronology the Site – General Data /; Plan and Fortifications /; Stratigraphy and Chronology /; Area A — The City Gate (A1), The “Approach” (A2), and the Upper Terrace (A3) /; Area B — A Sounding in the Western City Wall /; Area C1 — The Residential Quarter /; Area C2 /; Area D — The Central Quarter /; Area E1 — A Sounding in the Southern Quarter /; Area F — Soundings in the Fortifications /; Area T — The Outside Tower /; The Finds The Iron Age Pottery /; The Late Pottery /; Nine Scarabs, A Scaraboid, A Cylinder Seal, and A Bifacial Rectangular Plaque from El-Ahwat /; The Beads and Pendants /; An Ivory Caprid-Head from Area A3 /; A Bronze Head from Area A3 /; The Coins /; Economy and Environment The Stone Objects /; The Flint Assemblage /; The Faunal Remains /; A Furnace for The Processing of Iron /; Oil-Producing Installations /; Oil-Press L4348 and Its Implications /; The Ottoman Pipes /; Conclusions Architectural and Archaeological Parallels between El-Ahwat and the Western Mediterranean /; Archaeological and Historical Conclusions /; Bibliography /; List of Loci /
• Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references.
• ISBN: 1283327015; 9786613327017; 9047429893
• Hierarchical level: Monograph
• Statement of Responsibility: Adam Zertal ; with contributions by Shay Bar ... [et al.].

The excavations at el-Ahwat constitute a unique and fascinating archaeological undertaking. The site is the location of a fortified city dated to the early Iron Age (ca. 1220–1150 BCE), hidden in a dense Mediterranean forest in central Israel, near the historic ’Arunah pass. Discovered in 1992 and excavated between 1993 and 2000, the digs revealed an urban “time capsule” erected and inhabited during a short period of time (60–70 years), with no earlier site below or subsequent one above it. This report provides a vivid picture of the site, its buildings, and environmental economy as evinced by the stone artifacts, animal bones, agricultural installations, and iron forge that were uncovered here. The excavators of this site suggest in this work that the settlement was inhabited by the Shardana Sea-Peoples, who arrived in the ancient Near East at the end of the 13th century BCE and settled in northern Canaan. In weighing the physical evidence and the logic of the interpretation presented herein, the reader will be treated to a new and compelling archaeological and historical challenge. “…this final publication of el–Ahwat will hold great value for those studying settlement, architecture, and change in the hill country culture of Iron Age Canaan.” Jeff Emanuel