2017 Season

SCIENTIFIC REPORT OF THE ITALIAN-PALESTINIAN EXPEDITION TO TELL ES-SULTAN (2017), PALESTINE

XIII Campaign - 2017

Lorenzo Nigro - Sapienza University of Rome 

1. INTRODUCTION

The thirteenth campaign of archaeological activities in Tell es-Sultan/Jericho, Palestine, conducted by the University of Rome "La Sapienza" and the Department of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage (MOTA - DACH) of the Palestinian National Authority, took place from 08 to 30 June 2017, and was supported by the aforementioned institutions and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI).

The main objectives of the 13th campaign were:

a) the continuation of the archaeological investigations in Areas B, B West, G, P and S (§ 2);

b) the new mapping of the site with the interventions of all expeditions;

c) the continuation of restoration and musealisation works in Building G (§ 3); 

d) the training of Palestinian archaeologists and restorers in all phases of documentation, publication and dissemination of the excavation results (§§ 4-5).

2. ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEYS (AREAS A, B AND B-WEST, and G)

The archaeological survey activities involved four different areas: Area B and B-West, where investigations on the architectural structure of the Ancient Bronze III walls were resumed at the south-western corner of the city (§ 2.1. ); Area G, on the eastern flank of the so-called 'Spring Hill', in which the excavation of the two overlapping Ancient Bronze III ('Palace G') (§ 2.2.) and Middle Bronze II-III ('Hyksos Palace' § 2.3.) palaces has been extended; Area P, on the south-western corner of Spring Hill (§ 2.4.). Five mother-of-pearl shells were discovered during the excavation of Area F, which, after careful analysis, revealed the nature of cosmetic holders. They were found in the use layers of the early urban phase and belong to a species that only grows in the River Nile, confirming their importation from Egypt.

2.1. Area B and B West: the double fortification walls of the Early Bronze Age III (Sultan IIc, 2700-2300 BC)

Studies on the fortifications of the city of Jericho in the period of the first urban flowering of the southern Levant have continued in Areas B and B West, where investigations have focused for several campaigns on a complex section of the double wall of the Sultan IVc period (Early Bronze III, 2700-2300 BC). The architectural structure of the 'Main Inner Wall' and the 'Outer Wall' respectively have been examined in several sections, where it has been possible to examine both walls in the prominence from the stone foundations on two or more superimposed courses, to the elevation marked by the use of large bricks (0.60 x 0.40 m), which over time have taken on a reddish color due to the great final destruction of the Early Bronze IIIB (c. 2350 BC). The 'Main Inner Wall' built on the crest of the tell, along the route of the previous fortification wall from the Early Bronze II period, was characterised by a considerable thickness (3.8-4.2 m) and, therefore, faced major static difficulties that were solved by inserting wooden chains inside it, both transversally (in the upper section) and longitudinally, in the lower section where the gutters helped to absorb and expel moisture from the base of the wall and make the entire structure cohesive. The wall was plastered with several layers of finely crumbled and mixed gypsum and clay, taking on an ivory colour, which must have made it very visible against the verdant backdrop of the Oasis or pink Mount of Temptation. The 'Outer Wall', which was about 2 m lower and about 4 m away from the 'Main Inner Wall', was characterised by a less impeccable construction technique, with bricks that were also irregular and not all of the same colour (even grey or greenish). The thickness was considerably less (1.6-18 m). In the space between the two walls, in the 2017 campaign, the excavation of the blind rooms continued, which served to thicken the entire defence system and housed storerooms and walkways.

2.2. Area G: the Early Bronze Age III 'Palace G' (Sultan IIc 2700-2350 BC)

Work in Area G continued in the 2017 campaign in order to reconstruct the plan and elevation of 'Palace G', in its extensions towards the north-west (upper and middle terrace) and east (southern terrace). The interventions, which also allowed for the recovery of several charred beams that were very useful for radiometric dating, were also aimed at integrating the data obtained by the previous British missions into the overall reconstruction of the architectural structure of the building, as well as the equipment of each room, in terms of fixed and movable furnishings and artefacts still preserved inside at the time of its final destruction. The findings of 2017 made it possible to further specify the structure of the building, its internal organisation and circulation, but also to recognise the functions of each sector. In addition, the most significant finds from each sector were identified, starting with the jars with seal impressions and the vase with a spout configured as a bull's head, passing through the potter's wheel, the mace head and above all the copper dagger, to arrive at the inlaid ivory bull's head, a probable decorative element of the arms of a throne, all of which point to the role of the centre of power played by this imposing building.

2.3. Area G: the Middle Bronze Age II-III 'Hyksos Palace' (Sultan IVb-c 1800-1550 BC)

Beginning in the 2014 campaign and continuing in subsequent ones until 2017, archaeological research activities on Spring Hill have also involved the remains - poorly preserved, but still clearly recognisable - of the architectural structures of the Middle Bronze Age palace, named 'Hyksos Palace' by John Garstang in the 1930s, who systematically excavated a secondary wing (temporally and spatially) of it, calling it 'palace storerooms'. The remains brought to light along the upper western side of Area G were pertinent to some of the walls of the rooms of the central sector of the Palace, while further east, wall W.637 represents the foundation of the eastern perimeter wall of the central body, in the northernmost extension of which a gateway was identified that opened onto the paved road that descended directly to the spring. In the light of the newly identified structures, including snout W.1224 and its continuation towards the east, it was also possible to link the remains excavated by Sapienza and John Garstang's first British mission with those unearthed by the second British mission directed by Kathleen M. Kenyon in squares HII and HIII, thus identifying an ancillary building, adjacent to the palace and probably intended to house stables for the horses and donkeys of couriers and caravans, a very short distance from the spring, which lies immediately below. The new planimetric data have thus made it possible to produce a reconstruction of the palace of the lords of Jericho-Ruha in the Middle Bronze Age.

2.4. Area P: the Middle Bronze Age II-III Temple P (Sultan IVb-c 1800-1550 BC)

In the 2017 campaign, work resumed in Area P, on the south-western summit of Spring Hill, where the remains of a sub-foundation had been identified in 2012, the layout of which had led, together with the orientation of the structure, to the identification of what was considered to be one of the city's major Middle Bronze Age temples. The excavation also made it possible to recognise the oldest building from the Early Bronze Age III. Temple P reproduces a sacred typology known throughout the Levant, that of the so-called Migdol Temple or tower temple, with a longitudinal development, with a single cella bordered by thick, high walls. The building was located at the highest point of the city and faced east, which suggests that it was dedicated to Baal. This deity in Jericho was traditionally connected to lunar aspects, a cult considered to have originated in the Levant culture of the Bronze Age. The work in 2017 made it possible to re-examine the dimensions of the temple, which must have been about 15.75 m long on the major east-west axis (the main eastern elevation, where two towers should have jutted out according to known parallels, was lost due to later cuts and erosion) and about 11.1 m on the minor north-south axis. The cell inside was about 6.3 m wide, with walls 2.36 m thick. Reconstructing a niche that housed the divine simulacrum or one of its aniconic symbols seemed more difficult, although some of the blocks brought to light allowed for the reconstruction of a shallow doorway about 2.4 m wide.

3. RESTORATION AND TOURIST ENHANCEMENT OF TELL ES-SULTAN

Restoration works in the thirteenth campaign (2017) concerned Area A, where the restoration of Tower A1 continued with the application of protective layers of mud bricks, and Area G, where work continued on the structures of Palace G, focusing on the terracing walls and the transverse structures of the middle terrace. The work also involved updating the tour itinerary with the creation of explanatory panels, which were updated and equipped with QR codes for access through internet-connected devices. Sections of the mud brick walls were also sampled in preparation for the future restoration of Area B, in which Building B1 was plastered.

4. TRAINING AND VALORISATION 

Despite the difficulties of the context and the more general ones in the Near East, also during the thirteenth campaign (2017) of archaeological activities in Jericho the Sapienza Mission, supported by MAECI, carried out training activities for local staff, in collaboration with both MOTA-DACH and the Municipality of Jericho. In particular, the participation of Palestinian archaeologists and students was encouraged both in the individual excavation and prospecting activities, and in the necessary and consequent documentation and finally publication of the results. Local students were also accompanied in activities carried out on other sites in the Territories, where the urgent intervention of archaeologists was needed for the protection of the threatened heritage, as in the case of the necropolis of Khalet al-Jam'a near Bethlehem, or in the Jericho Oasis itself, in particular the Chalcolithic site of Tell el-Mafjar. Similarly, MOTA staff were trained in archaeological heritage management, through the use of GIS, and in tourism enhancement, through the implementation of online information provided to visitors through the mission's official websites.

5. SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, OUTREACH AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE TERRITORIES

The 13th campaign (2017) therefore served to further deepen and disseminate the scientific results achieved at Tell es-Sultan, both in the international context of archaeological research (very important, from this point of view, was the Mission's participation, with an entire session dedicated at the international conference organised by the American School of Oriental Research in Boston in November 2017), as well as in the local context, with activities that have involved the community of the city of Ariha on several levels, from the installation of explanatory panels to the dissemination of brochures to courses and lectures held in collaboration with the Municipality. The outreach activities, also through the web, have made increasingly evident the importance of protecting and enhancing the extraordinary archaeological heritage of the Oasis of Jericho, which Italy is making more and more visible and usable with a constant commitment that is articulated on several levels in the field of research and in that of protection, training, management and fruition. This is a crucial point in a context, such as that of the Palestinian Territories, where economic resources and cultural initiatives risk being squeezed by the most urgent needs of the population.

THE MISSION PARTICIPATED IN THE ITALY-PALESTINE BILATERAL MEETING that took place on 9 November at the Farnesina, with a speech on the Pilot Project by Prof. Lorenzo Nigro.