Historical Archaeology at Qadas Village

The ruins of the village of Qadas represent the final stage of occupation on the ancient mound of Tel Qedesh, which dates back some 6,000 years. Perched for several centuries atop the ancient mound, the Shi’a Muslim (Metawali) village was ruled by the Ottomans until 1917, coming briefly under French-Lebanese control after WW I before being ceded to British Mandate Palestine. As a result of the 1948 war, the village was abandoned and its houses destroyed. Excavations of the village of Qadas began in 2016 and 2017 seasons, and a detailed project aimed at exploring its history and lifeways in recent centuries began in 2019, in collaboration with a team of archaeologists and anthropologists that include Gideon Sulimani, Dr. Ramez Eid, Dr. Raz Kletter, Dr. Liora Kolska-Horwitz, and Prof. Rafi Greenberg.

Historical and contemporary archeology deals with the investigation of the recent historical past. This field has developed following the realization that archival historical research does not provide a comprehensive understanding of the technological, economic, social and cultural aspects of recent and contemporary times. In the case of centuries-old Palestinian villages, historical research has tended to focus on sources that represent external points of view – those of the government, of landowners, or of the occasional traveler/explorer ‒ while the villages and their inhabitants remain "mute". The contribution of archaeological and anthropological research is needed in order to help counter this imbalance.

Over the past three centuries, the village of Qadas and the entire region have undergone major upheavals: the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire, European colonialism, processes of modernization and globalization (including the introduction of trains, steamers, telegraph lines, and international trade), evolution of national identities, and the establishment of the State of Israel, with the accompanying depopulation of villages like Qadas.

The Qadas historical excavation will use state-of-the-art methods of excavation and analysis, combined with extensive archival research, oral histories of villagers and of people from the surrounding areas, maps and other architectural and geographical representations, to provide a comprehensive and balanced picture of the history of the village and of its fate after 1948. We hope to discover how a relatively small farming community fared during an era of frequent and far-reaching change and how archaeology can serve to re-insert the village into local memory after its destruction.

Contacts:

Uri Davidovich: +972-54-6604676, uri.davidovich@mail.huji.ac.il

Ramez Eid: +972-54-3118824, ramezeid@yahoo.com,

Gideon Sulimani: +972-50-9359980, gideonslmn@gmail.com