Tel Rehov
Coordinates | 32°27′26″N 35°29′54″E / 32.457125°N 35.498242°E |
---|---|
History | |
Founded | circa 14th century BC |
Abandoned | circa 7th century BC |
Periods | Bronze Age, Iron Age |
Site notes | |
Excavation dates | 1997 to 2012 |
Archaeologists | Amihai Mazar |
Tel Rehov (
The site is one of several suggested as Rehov (also Rehob), meaning "broad", "wide place",[1]
The oldest apiary discovered anywhere by archaeologists, including man-made beehives and remains of the bees themselves, dating between the mid-10th century BCE and the early 9th century BCE, came to light on the tell. In the nearby ruins of the mainly Byzantine-period successor of Iron Age Rehov, a Jewish town named Rohob or Roōb, archaeologists discovered the longest mosaic inscription found so far in the Land of Israel.
Identification
Tel Rehov does not correspond to the Hebrew Bible places named as Rehov, of which two were in the more westerly allotment of the Tribe of Asher, and one more northerly.[2]
Identification of Tell es-Sarem/Tel Rehov with the ancient
Rehov was one of the largest cities in the region during the Late Bronze Age (1550–1200 BCE) and Iron Age I–IIA (1200–900 BCE).[3] During the Late Bronze Age, while Egypt ruled over Canaan, Rehov was mentioned in at least three sources dated between the 15th–13th century BCE, and again in the list of conquests of Pharaoh Shoshenq I, whose campaign took place around 925 BCE.[3]
History
Bronze Age
Excavations revealed an eight meter wide mud brick fortification wall (with glacis) around the upper mound which the excavators attributed to the Early Bronze III period though no city of that period was found. The site was clearly occupied during the Late Bronze I and Late Bronze II periods, from 15th century BC to 13th century BC. Actual occupation from this period was found only on a small area (Area D) of the lower mound with possible exposure in probes on the upper mound. Some Egyptian material, including a scarab with the inscription "Scribe of (the) house of (the) overseer of sealed items, Amenemhat" indicates the town may have been under Egyptian control like other towns in the region, after the time of Thutmose III.
Iron Age
The site was occupied in the Iron Age I and Iron Age II periods, from 12 century BC to 9th century BC. At that point it was destroyed and burnt which the excavators ascribe to the Assyrians in the mid-800s BC.
In the Levant there is a large Iron Age chronology controversy (similar the even more complicated Chronology of the ancient Near East with which there is some overlap). It is all very tangled with a High Chronology and a Low Chronology and some variants thereof. Given the careful stratigraphy and many radiocarbon dates Tel Rehov has been used to support and deny various chronologies.[6][7][8][9]
Greek pottery
From the 10th century BC and 9th century BC (Strata VI to IV) Greek pottery was found in stratified context. This is a useful result in addressing the chronology problems of the Levant (High vs Low) and of Greek pottery.[10]
"Elisha" ostracon
In 2013, a pot
Inscriptions
In and near Tel Rehov, inscriptions containing references to the family of Nimshi have been found.[11] King Jehu of the northern kingdom of Israel, anointed by a disciple of Elisha, is the son, grandson, or otherwise descendant of a certain Nimshi.[11]
Iron Age beehives
The oldest known archaeological finds relating to beekeeping were discovered at Rehov.[12]
In September 2007 it was reported that 30 intact
In addition to beehives, the remains of bees and bee larvae and pupae were also found. In 2010, using DNA from the remains of bees found at the site, researchers identified the bees as a subspecies, similar to the Anatolian bee, found now only in Turkey. It is possible that the bees' range has changed, but more likely that the inhabitants of Tel Rehov imported bees because they were less aggressive than the local bees and provided a better honey yield (three to eight times higher than Israel's native bees).[15]
Supporting archaeological knowledge include evidence of other imports in Rehov from eastern Mediterranean lands; later Egyptian documentation of transferring bees in large pottery vases or portable beehives; and an
The beehives were dated by carbon-14 radiocarbon dating at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, using organic material (wheat found next to the beehives).
Ezra Marcus of the University of Haifa, said the finding was a glimpse of ancient beekeeping seen in Near Eastern texts and ancient art. Religious practice was evidenced by an altar decorated with fertility figurines found alongside the hives.[17][18][19]
Archaeology
The site of Tel Rehov consists of an upper and lower mound with a total area, including mound slopes, of 11 hectares (27 acres). The total area of the mound tops is 7 hectares (17 acres).
The site was inspected by
After full surface surveys and a geophysical study of the lower mound in 1995–1996 modern archaeological excavations were conducted for 11 seasons between 1997 and 2012 under the directorship of
In 2002 a small rescue excavation occurred after ditching damaged several Bronze Age shaft tombs on the fringes of the site. Besides human remains, pottery fragments, ostrich egg-shell fragments, and two complete bronze daggers were found.[29]
Nearby sites
Ancient synagogue
Remains of a mainly
Byzantine era town
During the
Archaeological work at Farwana has also exposed pottery and other finds from the
See also
- Archaeology of Israel
- Cities of the ancient Near East
References
- ISBN 978-0-8264-8571-7. Retrieved 3 October 2010.
- ^ Rehob at Bible Study Tools
- ^ a b c d Mazar, Amihai (1999). "The 1997-1998 Excavations at Tel Rehov: Preliminary Report". Israel Exploration Journal. 49: 1–42. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
- ^ "Section R. The Pentateuch". Roōb (entry No. 766) (PDF). Translated by Wolf, C. Umhau. 1971. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
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ignored (help) - ^ a b R. P. Henricus Marcellius, ed. (1837). "Liber de situ et nominibus locorum hebraicorum, [Letter R:] De pentateucho". Roob. Paris: Bibl. Ecclésiastique. p. 469. Retrieved 15 July 2019 – via "Sainte Bible expliquée et commentée, contenant le texte de la Vulgate", Appendice (1837, digitised 2010).
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ignored (help) - ^ [1] Mazar, Amihai, and Israel Carmi. "Radiocarbon dates from Iron Age strata at Tel Beth Shean and Tel Rehov." Radiocarbon 43.3 (2001): 1333-1342
- ^ Bruins, Hendrik J., Johannes Van der Plicht, and Amihai Mazar. "14C dates from Tel Rehov: Iron-Age chronology, pharaohs, and Hebrew kings." Science 300.5617 (2003): 315-318.
- ^ Finkelstein, Israel, and Eli Piasetzky. "Wrong and right; high and low 14C dates from Tel Rehov and Iron Age chronology." Tel Aviv 30.2 (2003): 283-295
- ^ Bruins, Hendrik J., Amihai Mazar, and Johannes van der Pflicht. The end of the 2nd millennium BCE and the transition from Iron I to Iron IIA: radiocarbon dates of Tel Rehov, Israel. Vol. 37. Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2007
- ^ Coldstream, Nicolas, and Amihai Mazar., "Greek Pottery from Tel Reḥov and Iron Age Chronology.", Israel Exploration Journal, vol. 53, no. 1, 2003, pp. 29–48
- ^ a b c d Noah Wiener, Tel Rehov House Associated with the Biblical Prophet Elisha, Bible and archaeology news, July 23, 2013, Biblical Archaeology Society, accessed 13 July 2019
- ^ "Oldest known archaeological example of beekeeping discovered in Israel". Archived from the original on 2015-11-17. Retrieved 2009-12-29.
- ^ Friedman, Matti (September 4, 2007), "Israeli archaeologists find 3,000-year-old beehives", USA Today, Retrieved 2010-01-04
- ISSN 1094-2076
- ^ PMID 20534519.
- ^ SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH, JUDY (2010-06-24). "Biblical buzz". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
- ^ Friedman, Matti. "Archaeologists Discover Ancient Beehives." Associated Press. 7 September 2007.
- ^ "Hebrew University excavations reveal first Biblical period beehives in 'Land of Milk and Honey'". Beth-Shean Valley Archaeological Project Tel Rehov Excavations. Hebrew University of Jerusalem Institute of Archaeology. September 2, 2007. Archived from the original on 2009-04-19.
- ^ "Tel Rehov Reveals the First Beehives in Ancient Near East." Anthropology.net. 4 September 2007. [2] Archived 2007-09-11 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Albright, W.F., "The Jordan Valley in the Bronze Age.", AASOR 6: 13–74, 1925–1926
- ^ Bergman (Biran), A. and Brandstater (Amiran), R., "Archaeological Trips in the Beth-Shean Valley.", Bulletin of the Jewish Palestine Exploration Society 8: 85–90, 1941
- ^ Zori, N. 1962. An Archaeological Survey of the Beth Shean Valley. Pp. 135–198 in The Beth Shean Valley, The 17th Archaeological Convention. Jerusalem. (Hebrew)
- ^ Mazar, Amihai, and Nava Panitz-Cohen. "TEL REḤOV: A BRONZE AND IRON AGE CITY IN THE BETH-SHEAN VALLEY: VOLUME I: INTRODUCTIONS, SYNTHESIS AND EXCAVATIONS ON THE UPPER MOUND.", Qedem, vol. 59, 2020 ISBN 978-965-92825-2-4
- ^ Mazar, Amihai, and Nava Panitz-Cohen., "TEL REḤOV: A BRONZE AND IRON AGE CITY IN THE BETH-SHEAN VALLEY: VOLUME II: THE LOWER MOUND: AREA C AND THE APIARY.", Qedem, vol. 60, 2020 ISBN 978-965-92825-1-7
- ^ Mazar, Amihai, and Nava Panitz-Cohen., "TEL REḤOV: A BRONZE AND IRON AGE CITY IN THE BETH-SHEAN VALLEY: VOLUME III: THE LOWER MOUND: AREAS D, E, F AND G.", Qedem, vol. 61, 2020 ISBN 978-965-92825-2-4
- ^ Mazar, Amihai, and Nava Panitz-Cohen. “TEL REḤOV: A BRONZE AND IRON AGE CITY IN THE BETH-SHEAN VALLEY: VOLUME IV: POTTERY STUDIES, INSCRIPTIONS AND FIGURATIVE ART.", Qedem, vol. 62, 2020 ISBN 978-965-92825-3-1
- ^ Mazar, Amihai, and Nava Panitz-Cohen., "TEL REḤOV: A BRONZE AND IRON AGE CITY IN THE BETH-SHEAN VALLEY: VOLUME V: VARIOUS OBJECTS AND NATURAL-SCIENCE STUDIES.", Qedem, vol. 63, 2020 ISBN 978-965-92825-4-8
- ^ Mazar, Amihai. “Tel Reẖov.” Hadashot Arkheologiyot: Excavations and Surveys in Israel, vol. 119, 2007.
- ^ Golani, Amir, and Achia Kohn-Tavor., "Tel Reẖov.", Hadashot Arkheologiyot: Excavations and Surveys in Israel, vol. 117, 2005
- ^ a b c Yardenna Alexandre, 2017, Horbat Parva: Final Report, Hadashot Arkheologiyot – Excavations and Surveys in Israel (HA-ESI), volume 129, year 2017, Israel Antiquities Authority, accessed 15 July 2019
- ^ OCLC 745203905.
- ^ The permitted villages of Sebaste in the Rehov Mosaic
- ^ Jewish legal inscription from a synagogue, Israel Museum, Jerusalem. Accessed 15 July 2019.
- ISBN 9789004257726. Accessed 15 July 2019.
External links
- Tel Rehov Excavations - page includes volunteer information, preliminary reports and an image gallery.
- "The Beehives of Tel Rehov" (SourceFlix Productions) - A two-minute video clip concerning the discovery of a beehive industry at Tel Rehov, produced by an independent documentary film group, and includes a brief interview with Dr. Amihai Mazar, director of the Tel Rehov excavations.
- Yoav Vaknin, Ron Shaar, Oded Lipschits, and Erez Ben-Yosef (2022). "Reconstructing biblical military campaigns using geomagnetic field data". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 119 (44). e2209117119. PMID 36279453.)
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