Yavne-Yam

Coordinates: 31°55′22″N 34°41′36″E / 31.92278°N 34.69333°E / 31.92278; 34.69333
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the Jamnia in Galilee, see Jamnith.
Yavne-Yam
יבנה-ים (Hebrew), Minet Rubin (Arabic)[1]
Tel Yavneh-Yam
Yavne-Yam is located in Israel
Yavne-Yam
Shown within Israel
LocationMediterranean shore, near Palmachim
RegionGan Raveh Regional Council
Coordinates31°55′22″N 34°41′36″E / 31.92278°N 34.69333°E / 31.92278; 34.69333
TypeTell
Part ofSettlement
History
MaterialStone
Abandoned12th century
PeriodsMiddle Bronze Age[1] to Early Islamic Period
Site notes
Excavation dates1967-1969
1992-present
ArchaeologistsJacob Kaplan
Moshe Fischer
Conditionruins
Public accessYes

Yavne-Yam (

Southern Coastal Plain, about 15 km south of Tel Aviv. Built on eolianite[3] hills next to a small promontory forming the sole anchorage able to provide shelter to seagoing vessels between Jaffa and the Sinai,[4] Yavne-Yam is notable for its role as the port of ancient Yavne. Excavations carried out by Tel Aviv University since 1992 have revealed continuous habitation from the second millennium BCE up to the Middle Ages; the famous Yavne-Yam ostracon
is named after the site.

History

Bronze and Iron Ages

Surveys and excavations undertaken at Yavne-Yam during the 1950s and 1960s have revealed the existence of a large fortified site, consisting of a square enclosure with freestanding ramparts and marked by fortified gates, dating from the Middle and Late

Judean control, and was populated by Israelites, Canaanites, Phoenicians and perhaps even Greeks.[5]

Hellenistic Port

Inscription documenting correspondence between Antiochus V and Yavne-Yam's Sidonian community

The material culture uncovered at the site suggests that under

Macedonian conquest and subsequent Ptolemaic and Seleucid control.[5]

It was this Hellenization which eventually led to the Seleucid-Jewish conflict of the 2nd century BCE. What begun as tensions between hellenized and observant Jews, in 166 BCE erupted into an open revolt against the Seleucid Empire. Cities that had been thoroughly hellenized, such as Yavne (Iamnia) and Yavne-Yam, suffered the brunt of the

Hasmonean state in the late 2nd century BCE, during the rule of John Hyrcanus or Alexander Jannaeus.[8]

Roman, Byzantine and Islamic

Jewish independence in Judea came to an end in the 1st century CE and the region gradually came under

Georgian Orthodox saint.[2]

Following the

Al-Muqaddasi and Muhammad al-Idrisi.[8] It became a Ribat, a fortified coastal lookout point where prisoner exchanges with the Byzantines were carried out, and a citadel, still partially visible today, was built on its southern promontory. The transformation of the town into a military outpost led to the departure of the non-Muslim population.[11]

For reasons unknown, the site was abandoned in the 12th century.

medieval maps such as Abraham Ortelius' 1584 map, where it appears as Jamnia Iudeorum Portus (Jamnia, the Jewish harbor).[2]

Excavations

Surveyed and explored during the 1950s and 1960s, Yavne-Yam was first excavated between 1967 and 1969 by Tel Aviv district archaeologist Jacob Kaplan. Concentrating on the perimeter fortifications, Kaplan unearthed a number of superimposed gates dating from the Middle and Late Bronze Ages.[12] Excavations by Tel Aviv University resumed in 1992, under the direction of Prof. Moshe Fischer. These are still ongoing and are centered on the coast, bay and promontory.[5] In 2007, a 6th-century Byzantine villa featuring a mosaic floor depicting trees and fruit baskets was uncovered at the site.[13] Excavations on the promontory in 2011 revealed a Roman-style bathhouse within the 9th century Early Islamic period fortifications. The use of Roman technology at such a late date was previously unknown. The bathhouse is also the only known example of a bathhouse in an Islamic fortress.[14]

Since 1980 underwater surveys have also been taking place in the harbor. These have revealed shipwrecks, anchors and fishing devices, all suggestive of intense maritime activity from the Bronze Age to modern times.

Tel-Aviv University's Institute of Archaeology conducted archaeological research at the site.[16]

Prominent finds from Yavne-Yam and its vicinity are on display at Beit-Miriam, the museum of nearby Kibbutz Palmachim.

See also

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 0-8264-1316-1
    .
  2. ^ a b c "Yavneh-Yam - History". Yavneh-Yam Project. Retrieved 2016-01-24.
  3. ^ "Yavneh-Yam - Geography". Yavneh-Yam Project. Retrieved 2009-10-12.
  4. ^ a b c "Underwater Archaeology - Yavneh-Yam Anchorage". Israel Antiquities Authority. Retrieved 2009-10-12.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Yavneh-Yam - Excavations". Yavneh-Yam Project. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
  6. ^ Stieglitz R. 1974. Ugaritic Mhd – the harbor of Yabne-Yam? Journal of the American Oriental Society 94, pp. 137-138.
  7. ^ a b Archeology in Israel - Yavne Yam
  8. ^ a b c d "Yavneh-Yam - History". Yavneh-Yam Project. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
  9. ^ 2 Maccabees 12:9
  10. ^ 1 Maccabees 5:58-59
  11. ^ Itamar Taxel. "Yavneh-Yam in the transition from the Byzantine Period to the Islamic Period" (in Hebrew). Israel Antiquities Authority. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
  12. ^ Seevers, B. Four-Chamber Gates In The Ancient Near East From The Middle Bronze Through The Iron Ages
  13. Ha'aretz
    . Retrieved 2009-10-17.
  14. ^ O’Sullivan, Arieh (September 14, 2011). "Islamic era Don Juan built Roman-style bathhouse". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
  15. ^ "Rare 2,500 Year Old Marble Discus that was meant to Protect Ancient Ships from the Evil Eye was Found in the Sea by a Lifeguard and Turned Over to the Israel Antiquities Authority (7/13/2008)". Israel Antiquities Authority. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
  16. ^ Israel Antiquities Authority, Excavators and Excavations Permit for Year 2008, Survey Permit # G-65

External links

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