Tel Shekmona reveals its secrets:
The best-preserved residential building from the period of the Kingdom of Israel was revealed a second time during excavations by the University of Haifa in Tel-Shakmona.
In addition to many findings from the settlement period and the Kingdom of Israel (about 3000 years ago), the site also revealed remains of a city from the Persian period (about 2400 years ago) and of a Byzantine town ("only" about 1300 years ago). The site is planned to become an open archaeological garden for the residents' well-being
A residential building from the period of the Kingdom of Israel
An extraordinary archaeological-detective achievement in the first excavation season of the University of Haifa in Tel-Shakmona: a residential building from the period of the Kingdom of Israel, which was first excavated about 40 years ago and, following the abandonment of the place, was buried under piles of soil and debris, has been uncovered a second time. Much to the surprise of the researchers, the building remains at a high level of preservation and is actually the best preserved building from the period of the Kingdom of Israel that exists today. "We saw the building in the old photos and we regretted that a find that was preserved in such a rare way disappeared due to neglect. We were not at all sure that we would be able to find it again, but the fact that we found it in such a high level of preservation is almost a miracle," stated Dr. Shay Bar and Dr. Dr. Michael Isenberg from the Zinman Institute of Archeology at the University of Haifa who is in charge of the excavation.
Remains of a settlement that existed there
Tel-Shakmona, on the southern coast of Haifa, located in the Nature and Parks Authority's Shekmona Nature Reserve and National Park, was excavated in the 70s by the late Yosef Elgabish on behalf of the Municipality of Haifa and the remains of a settlement that existed there since the Late Bronze Age (16th century BC) were discovered approximately) until the Muslim conquest (seventh century AD). However, in the last decades, the mound suffered from damage to the antiquities, construction waste was piled on top of the remains and off-road vehicles plowed the site.
About six months ago, the researchers of the University of Haifa began a renewed excavation, financed by the Hecht Foundation, as part of the transformation of the place into an open archaeological garden in cooperation with the Haifa Municipality, and now the first excavation season is ending and with it fascinating findings.
As mentioned, in the old photos of the excavation from the 70s, we can see a residential model from the eighth-ninth centuries BC, which is the period of the Kingdom of Israel, called the "House of Four Areas". This is the most common model for a residential building from this period, which was characterized by a functional division of four living spaces: three of them lengthwise and one across, however buildings of this type that have been uncovered to date have been in a low level of preservation. After detective work based on the photos, the researchers assessed where they should look for the building and luck, as mentioned, turned their face twice: the building was not only found but remains at a high level of preservation. According to Dr. Barr and Dr. Isenberg, the find is a rare opportunity to explore and get to know the day-to-day life during the days of the Kingdom of Israel and they hope that they will be able to include it after its preservation as part of the planned open archaeological garden at the site.
Another rare find found in the area belonging to the Israeli period (11th to 8th centuries BC - the settlement period and the Kingdom of Israel) is a personal seal with letters in ancient Hebrew or Phoenician script. Finding a seal with letters from the 9th-10th centuries BC is extremely rare and the researchers hope that by deciphering the writing they will get an answer to one of the basic questions - was the settlement Israeli or Phoenician.
Additional finds from this period testify to a branch of trade with our neighbors to the Middle East: many finds on the spot are imports from Cyprus and the Lebanese coast and arrived in fine and beautiful vessels made of high-quality ceramics. Another unusual find that was discovered is the remains of oval paint on fragments of large jars. According to the researchers, this is probably a rare case of the preservation of the crimson color on the pottery, and the fact that hundreds of crimson shells were discovered in the excavation reinforces this assumption.
As part of the first season of excavations, a longitudinal section was excavated on the eastern side of the mound, which has already revealed remains of Byzantine villas (fourth-seventh centuries AD) built in steps on the slope. In the villas, several mosaic floors and warehouses were uncovered that were destroyed during a severe destruction that left behind dozens of intact vessels. Coins, ornaments, medallions, weapons and many glassware were also found, testifying to the wealth of the local residents. Under the remains of the Byzantine period, the researchers uncovered a building from the Persian period (fourth century BC) in which they discovered an oven, many weaving loom weights made of pottery and many storage jars, which are evidence of a city from the Persian period that existed here. In another excavation area in the mound, the remains of three phases of a settlement from the 11th to the 8th centuries BC were excavated. It seems that at the beginning of the period there was a relatively poor settlement in the place which gradually developed and in the first millennium BC became a prosperous city surrounded by a wall.
During the excavation, the residents of the nearby neighborhoods took part in the archaeological activity. In addition, the excavators conducted a tour and a unique experience in the process of processing the findings for groups of children with special needs.