Season 2024

SCIENTIFIC REPORT ON THE ITALIAN-PALESTINIAN EXPEDITION

TO TELL ES-SULTAN/JERICHO (2024), PALESTINE

XX Campaign - 2024

Lorenzo Nigro - «La Sapienza» University of Rome 

1. INTRODUCTION

The XX season of archaeological exploration at Tell es-Sultan/Jericho, Palestine, conducted by «La Sapienza» University of Rome in collaboration with the Palestinian Department of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage (MoTA - DACH), was carried out in two distinct phases, in May and September 2024. This was necessitated by the challenging political circumstances in the field yet benefitted from the invaluable collaboration of local partners.

The campaign was generously funded by «La Sapienza» project “Grandi Scavi d’Ateneo” and additionally co-financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI). The fieldwork was conducted in fruitful cooperation with Palestinian partners, involving MoTA - DACH officials, local workers and students and staff from «La Sapienza» University of Rome.

The XX season (2024) continued the significant work of preserving and enhancing the archaeological site, following the important inclusion of Jericho/Tell es-Sultan within the UNESCO World Heritage List on September 17, 2023. Despite logistical difficulties, the campaign prioritised archaeological research, scientific cooperation, and the management and valorisation of the site. Additionally, the project focused on training local specialists, through the activation of local resources and progressive realigning of the project throughout the year.

Central to this season was also the engagement of the community, involving schools and families in the Project through initiatives of Community and Public Archaeology undertaken by Palestinian collaborators.

Excavation, restoration, study and publication activities were also accompanied by training workshops for archaeologists, restorers and tour guides associated with the Jericho Oasis Archaeological Park (JOAP). Dissemination of results was accomplished through various platforms: Academia.edu, Coursera, YouTube, and by updating the Expedition’s website. In particular, a report of the activities undertaken by the Expedition between 2019 and 2023 seasons was published, including significant discoveries, such as the ostracon inscribed in Canaanite with the phrase ‘š w’št, “the man and the woman” (Nigro 2024; Puech 2024).

2. OBJECTIVES & RESULTS

The main objectives of the XX season (2024) were as follows:

• Area A-E: prosecution of the excavation of the Middle Bronze Age Cyclopean Wall (W4; 1650-1550 BC), and further exposure of the Curvilinear Stone Structure (CSS), identified as the retaining wall of the second Middle Bronze Age embankment. These activities included securing and regularising unstable sections, organised by local MoTA officials, and the restoration of Tower A1;

• Area B: restoration and protection of the Main Inner Wall and Gate L.1600 (Early Bronze Age III, 2700-2350 BC).

• Trench I: clearance and removal of debris; exploration of the layers obstructing the south-western side of the Neolithic Tower; detailed mapping of the tower for conservation purposes; and excavation and stabilisation of the Middle Bronze Age Rampart.

• Trench II: protection of the Aceramic Neolithic B strata.

• Area F: preservation of the Early Bronze Age II strata in the dwelling quarter, particularly near the northern wall;

•  Area G: prosecution of the exploration of the Iron I Building (1200-1000 B.C.) and of the Late Bronze Age Middle Building (1500-1200 B.C.), as well as the Middle Bronze Age Palaces (Palace of the Shepherds Kings, Hyksos Palace) and restoration of Palace G (Early Bronze Age III). Systematic sampling for botanical and zoological studies, as well as radiocarbon dating from targeted soundings with securely stratified palace contexts.

3. TRAINIG INITIATIVES

The campaign included workshops (also online) aimed to train Palestinian archaeologists, restorers and tour guides, on specific restoration techniques, as well as cataloguing, study, protection and dissemination activities.

4. PUBLIC & COMMUNITY ARCHAEOLOGY

During the XX season (2024), outreach activities were carried out also online in collaboration with Jericho’s schools and universities, with the Jericho Oasis Archaeological Park ( http://www.lasapienzatojericho.it/JOAP/ ) as the main focus. Guided tours and internships allowed older students to visit the ongoing excavations and restoration activities.

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

The XX season (2024) was devoted to the systematic sampling of mudbricks, mortars and plasters for a detailed study on Jericho’s architecture and building techniques, with particular reference to those pertaining to the Neolithic and Bronze Age. These samples are to be analysed at CISTEC of «La Sapienza» University of Rome under the supervision of Prof. Marialaura Santarelli (Dept. of Chemical Material and Environmental Engineering, «La Sapienza»). Further samples were collected for radiocarbon dating and biological analyses (metagenomic and ancient DNA studies), using scanning electron microscope (SEM) at CNIS of «La Sapienza», under the supervision of Prof. Teresa Rinaldi (Dept. of Biology and Biotechnology, «La Sapienza»). Botanical analyses are to be conducted under the supervision of Prof. Laura Sadori (Dept. of Environmental Biology, «La Sapienza»). Dedicated studies will be published in international journals specialised in each field. Finally, the archaeofaunal remains will be studied by the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München & Max-Planck-Harvard Research Centre under the direction of Prof. Philipp W. Stockhammer.

8. BIBLIOGRAPHY/REFERENCES (2021-2024)

 Nigro - Yasine 2024 = L. Nigro, J. Yasine, “Interim report on the excavations at Tell es-Sultan, ancient Jericho (2019-2023): the Bronze and Iron Age cities”: Vicino Oriente XXIX (2024), pp. 47-96.

Puech 2024 = E. Puech, “L’ostracon Cananéen de Tell es-Sultan/Jéricho”: Vicino Oriente XXIX (2024), pp. 97-99.

Nigro 2024 = L. Nigro, “Gerico: risorse, economia e commerci della città del III millennio a.C.”: M. Ramazzotti (ed.), Costeggiando l’Eurasia / Coasting Eurasia. Archeologia del paesaggio e geografia storica tra l’Oceano Indiano e il Mar Mediterraneo. Primo congresso di Archeologia del paesaggio e Geografia storica del Vicino Oriente antico Sapienza Università di Roma, 5-8 Ottobre 2021 (Atlante del Vicino Oriente antico, Opere collettanee 3), Roma 2024, pp. 327-344.

Nigro 2023 = “The plants of Jericho. The earliest cultivars between symbiosis and domestication”: Annali di Botanica 13 (2023), pp. 69-76. [E-ISSN 2239-3129 | ISSN 0365-0812] https://doi.org/10.13133/2239-3129/18125

Nigro 2023 = L. Nigro, “Tell es-Sultan/Jericho in the Late Bronze Age An Overall Reconstruction in the Light of most Recent Research”: H. Von Katja Soennecken - P. Leiverkus - J. Zimni - K. Schmidt (hrsg.), Durch die Zeiten Through the Ages. Festschrift für Dieter Vieweger Aufsätze zu Ehren von Dieter Vieweger, Gütersloh 2023, pp. 599-614.

Nigro 2023 = L. Nigro, “Jericho. From the Neolithic to the Bronze and Iron Ages: The Urban Diversity”: N. Marchetti - F. Cavaliere - E. Cirelli - C. D’Orazio - G. Giacosa - M. Guidetti - E. Mariani (eds.), Proceedings of the 12th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, 06-09 April 2021, Bologna, Volume 2, Harrassowitz Verlag, Wiesbaden 2023, pp. 399-414. [doi: 10.13173/9783447119030.399]

Nigro 2021 = L. Nigro, “The EB IV/Intermediate Bronze Age at Batrawy and Jericho: Post-urban vs. Proto-urban”: J.C. Long - Jr.W.G. Dever(eds.), Transitions, Urbanism, and Collapse in the Bronze Age. Eassys in Honor of Suzanne Richard, Shieffield - Bristol 2021, pp. 293-308 [ISBN 9781781797204].

Nigro, Gallo, Mura, Rinaldi 2021= L. Nigro, E. Gallo, F. Mura, T. Rinaldi, “Teapot or Milkpot? About the content of a small, spouted jar from EB IV (2300-2000 B.C.E.) Tell-es Sultan, ancient Jericho”: Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry 21.1 (2021), pp. 281-290. [doi: 10.5281/zenodo.4575728] https://bit.ly/3ccIiWk