Ramat Raḥel VI

This is part of a three-volume final report of the renewed excavations at Ramat Raḥel by the Tel Aviv–Heidelberg Expedition (2005−2010). It presents the finds from the Babylonian-Persian pit, one of the most dramatic find-spots at Ramat Raḥel. The pit yielded a rich assemblage of pottery vessels and yhwd, lion, and sixth-century “private” stamp impressions, including, for the first time, complete restored stamped jars, jars bearing two handles stamped with different yhwd impressions, and jars bearing both lion and “private” stamp impressions on their bodies. Residue analysis was conducted on many of the vessels excavated from the pit to analyze their contents, yielding surprising results. The finds contribute to our understanding of the pottery of the Babylonian and early Persian periods (6th−5th centuries BCE) and to the study of the development of the stamped-jar administration in the province of Yehud under Babylonian and Persian rule.

Also available from Eisenbrauns: Ramat Raḥel III: Final Publication of Aharoni'’s Excavations at Ramat Raḥel (1954, 1959–1962) by Oded Lipschits, Yuval Gadot, and Liora Freud; and Ramat Raḥel IV: The Renewed Excavations by the Tel Aviv–Heidelberg Expedition (2005–2010): Stratigraphy and Architecture, by Oded Lipschits, Mandred Oeming, and Yuval Gadot.

“This volume gives a remarkably clear overview of historical developments from the 6th to 2nd centuries BCE.”—Lester L. Grabbe, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament

Oded Lipschits is Professor of Jewish History and Director of the Sonia and Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology at Tel Aviv University.

Liora Freud is the pottery expert and a project coordinator at the Sonia and Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology at Tel Aviv University.

Manfred Oeming is Professor of Old Testament Theology at the University of Heidelberg.

Yuval Gadot is Associate Professor and Chair of the Jacob M. Alkow Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures at Tel Aviv University.

Preface

Introduction: The “Riddle of Ramat Raḥel” and the Problem of Identifying the Material Culture of the Babylonian and Early Persian Periods

Oded Lipschits

1. A Short History of the Site and its Excavations

Oded Lipschits, Yuval Gadot and Manfred Oeming

2. The Excavation of the Pit

Oded Lipschits, Yuval Gadot, Liora Freud and Manfred Oeming

3. Stratigraphy

Efrat Bocher, Yuval Godot and Oded Lipschits

4. The Pottery Assemblage

Liora Freud

5. Attic Imports

S. Rebecca Martin

6. Lion Stamp Impressions from the Babylonian Period

Oded Lipschits and Ido Koch

7. “Private” Stamp Impressions from the Babylonian Period

Madadh Richey, David S. Vanderhooft and Oded Lipschits

8. YHWD Stamp Impressions

Oded Lipschits and David S. Vanderhooft

9. Potter’s Marks and Incisions

Liora Freud

10. Organic Content of Persian YHWD-Stamped Storage Jars

Dvory Namdar, Oded Lipschits, Liora Freud and Yuval Gadot

11. Isolation and Characterization of Live Yeast Cells from a Mead Vessel

Tzemach Aouizerat, Itai Gutman, Yuval Gadot, Daniel Gelman, Amir Szitenberg, Elyashiv Drori, Ania Pinkus, Miriam Schoemann, Rachel Kaplan, Shunit Coppenhagen-Glazer, Oded Lipschits, Michael Klutstein and Ronen Hazan

12. The Faunal Remains

Dierdre N. Fulton

13. Synthesis and Summary

Oded Lipschits, Liora Freud, Manfred Oeming and Yuval Gadot

Download a PDF sample chapter here: Introduction