Khirbet el-Mastarah

31°57′41″N 35°24′32″E / 31.961393°N 35.408925°E / 31.961393; 35.408925Altitude7 – −3 m (23 – −10 ft)TypeComplex oval compoundLength70-100mArea2.5 acresHistoryFoundedIron Age IPeriodsIron Age I and IICulturesIsraelite[1]Site notesDiscoveredApril 2004Excavation dates5-29 June 2017ArchaeologistsAdam Zertal, David Ben-Shlomo, Ralph K. HawkinsConditionRuinsWebsitehttps://www.jvep.org/khirbetel-mastarah

Khirbet el-Mastarah is an archaeological site that includes the largest of the complex oval compound type habitation sites located in the middle Jordan Valley in the West Bank.[2]

Location

Khirbet el-Masratah is located 8 km (5.0 mi) north of Jericho and 2 km (1.2 mi) west of Ain Aujah in Wadi Auja on a small hill hidden by three larger hills. These surrounding hills cause the 1.0-hectare (2.5-acre) site to be hidden from view.[3]

Excavation history

Oval compound at Khirbet el-Mastarah

The site was discovered and surveyed in April 2004 by Adam Zertal during the course of the Manasseh Hill Country Survey.[4]

An excavation directed by David Ben-Shlomo and Ralph K. Hawkins took place in June 2017.[5] During the course of the excavation a number of large and small rounded and oval enclosures of single-course limestone rubble walls were discovered, all of them almost entirely empty of finds.[6]

Significance

The site's hidden location most probably indicates the presence of a new population migrating to the central hill country from the east during Iron I, avoiding contact with the native population.[2] On this basis the excavation directors believe the site is possibly an early Israelite site, constructed during the early stages of the Israelite Settlement.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Ben-Shlomo & Hawkins 2018, p. 46.
  2. ^ a b Ben-Shlomo & Hawkins 2017, p. 54.
  3. ^ Ben-Shlomo & Hawkins 2017, p. 51-52.
  4. ^ Zertal 2012, pp. 323–326.
  5. ^ Ben-Shlomo & Hawkins 2017, p. 49.
  6. ^ Ben-Shlomo & Hawkins 2017, p. 55.

Bibliography

  • Ben-Shlomo, David; Hawkins, Ralph K. (2017). "Excavations at Khirbet el Mastarah, the Jordan Valley, 2017". Judea and Samaria Studies. 26 (2). Ariel University Publishing. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  • Ben-Shlomo, David; Hawkins (July–August 2018). "Khirbet el-Mastarah: An Early Israelite Settlement?". Biblical Archaeology Review. 9 (5).
  • Zertal, Adam (2012). The Manasseh Hill Country Survey, Vol. V: The Middle Jordan Valley (from Wadi Fasael to Wadi 'Aujah) (in Hebrew). University of Haifa.

External links

  • Jordan Valley Excavation Project - Khirbet el-Mastarah
  • Biblical Archaeology Society - Khirbet el-Mastarah Dig information
  • Haaretz article: Is This Where the Israelites Camped on Their Way to Canaan 3,200 Years Ago?(subscription required)
  • v
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Sites of the Israelite settlement
Sites involved in the 13th–11th century BCE archaeological phenomenon of the Israelite Settlement
New settlements at previously unoccupied sites in late 13th/early 12th centuries
New settlements at long deserted sites in 12th/11th centuries
Destroyed in late 13th/early 12th centuriesNot destroyed in late 13th/early 12th centuries