Dor: Ruler of the Seas

207 Pages·36.756 MB·English

by  Ephraim Stern

This book was published with the support of EPHRAIM STERN
Sonia and Leon Weindling
in memory of their fathers
Samuel Weindling and Abraham Tarna
DOR
RULER OF THE SEAS
NINETEEN YEARS OF EXCAVATIONS AT THE ISRAELITE-PHOENICIAN
HARBOR TOWN ON THE CARMEL COAST
REVISED AND EXPANDED EDITION
ISRAEL EXPLORATION SOCIETY
c,
JERUSALEM 2000
DOR-RULER OF THE SEAS CONTENTS
page
FOREWORD 6
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 7
LIST OF CO LOR PLATES 17
INTRODUCTION 19
CHAPTER I Tel Mevorakh: A Model for the Excavation of Tel Dor 23
CHAPTER II The Excavation of Tel Dor 67
CHAPTER III Tel Dor: An Israelite-Phoenician Harbor Town 85
CHAPTER IV Again a Provincial Capital: Persian Rule and Sidonian
Administration "From Dor and to Jaffa" 149
CHAPTERV Dora, City of Daros the Son of Poseidon the Sea God: A
Phoenician-Greek Palis 201
CHAPTER VI The Roman Period: Dora "The Ruler of the Seas" 261
CHAPTER VII From Large City to Church and Center of Pilgrimage:
ISBN 965-221-042-0
The Byzantine Period 319
© 2000 The Israel Exploration Society
CHAPTER VIII A Family Demesne and a Templar Fortress
All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part in
of the Crusader Period 323
any form ( except by reviewers) without written permission from the publisher.
CHAPTER IX The Search for Napoleon Bonaparte's Lost
This book is an edited, revised and augmented translation of the Hebrew Weaponry off the Coast of Dor, and
Dar-Ruler of the Seas
Marine Archaeological Activity 329
Jerusalem, Israel Exploration Society and Bialik Institute, 1992.
CHAPTERX The Glass Factory: The Museum of Dor Antiquities 333
First English edition: 1994
EPILOGUE 336
Revised and expanded edition: 2000
APPENDIX Daily Life at the Dor Excavations 337
English version: Joseph Shadur, Alan Paris
THE SEVEN YEARS OF PLENTY:
Layout: Avraham Pladot
THE EXCAVATIONS AT TEL DOR, 1993-1999 345
Typeset and printed in Israel by Old City Press, Jerusalem
BIBLIOGRAPHY 390
FOREWORD
List of Illustrations
This book sums up nineteen years of archaeological excavations at Tel
Dor, the site of an important ancient port-city on the Carmel coast of
Israel, by an expedition of the Philip and Muriel Berman Center for Biblical 1. Map of the coastal cities of the eastern Mediterranean
2. Tel Mevorakh: aerial view before excavations
Archaeology at the Hebrew University Institute of Archaeology and the
3. Tel Mevorakh: plan of the mound and its surroundings
Israel Exploration Society. The excavations were carried out under the
4. Shlomo Dahan and the "Shlomobile"
author's direction after a preliminary excavation at nearby Tel Mevorakh.
5. Tel Mevorakh: pottery vessels and a bone stamp from a 10th century B.C.E.
In this extensive undertaking many other institutions also took part as did tomb
numerous excavators, researchers, and ancillary staff. These cannot all be 6. Tel Mevorakh, looking east
listed here; they will be given full credit in the coming chapters. The present 7. Infant burial jar from the Muslim cemetery
8. The two sarcophagi from the mausoleum near Tel Mevorakh
volume is an interim presentation based on known literary sources and
9. Two inscriptions of the Roman Tenth Legion on the aqueduct of Caesarea
the results of the excavations conducted until now.
10. Tel Mevorakh: Persian-period buildings
It is not too early to express my gratitude to the Israel Exploration Society 11. Persian-period pottery in situ
and its director Joseph Aviram for their assistance in publishing the new 12. Megarian bowl; Hellenistic period
and revised English edition of this book. I would like to remember here 13. Basalt mortar; Hellenistic period
14. Tel Mevorakh: view and plan of the casemate wall of the Persian building
two participants in the Tel Dor Project who were dear friends, the late
constructed in Phoenician style
Prof. H. Neil Richardson and Byal Ben-Ari. All the photographs, including
15. Clay figurines; Persian period
those in color, with the exception of those belonging to the Antiquities 16. "Bes vases" from Tel Mevorakh and Dor
Authority and Israel Museum, are by Zeev Radovan. The drawings are by 17. Reconstruction of the administrative building, 10th century B.C.E., at Tel
Ziv Atar, Vered Rosen and Sara Halbreich. The maps were prepared by Mevorakh
18. Three-stepped stone from roof railing of a building or the city wall of the
Ilan Sharon, John Berg and Carta Publishers ofJerusalem. I am indebted
Israelite period
to the following individuals and institutions for allowing me to use their
19. Red-Burnished ware; 10th century B.C.E.
drawings and photographs: The Israel Antiquities Authority, Israel
20. Tel Mevorakh: view and reconstruction of the Late Bronze Age
Museum, the late Nahman Avigad, Yaacov Meshorer, Ehud Galili, Shelley sanctuary
Wachsman, Gaby Larom, Avner Raban and Kurt Raveh. 21. Finds from the bamah of the sanctuary; 14th century B.C.E.: bronze snake; a
pair of faience cylinder-seals and their imprints; a pair of bronze cymbals,
A Hebrew edition of this book was first published by the Israel Exploration
bead necklace with bronze pendant having a star in the center, slaughtering
Society and the Bialik Institute in 1992. This was followed by the first
knife and weapons; glass pendants and alabaster bowl
English edition, published in 1994 by the Israel Exploration Society, which
22. Pottery vases from the sanctuary; 15th century B.C.E.: chalices, goblets,
incorporated some of the new material found up to that time. A chapter bowls, juglets
entitled: The Seven Years of Plenty (pp. 345-389) has been added to the 23. View and reconstruction of the corner of the Middle Bronze Age fortress at
Tel Mevorakh with two infant burials in jars in Rooms 315 and 335
present revised and expanded English edition, covering the seven
24. Basalt utensils, Middle Bronze Age: a pair of pestles, grindstones
particularly fruitful seasons of excavation conducted at Tel Dor from 199 3
25. Stamp impressions of Egyptian scarabs from Tel Mevorakh: seal ofThutmose
to 1999. III and Hyksos seals
26. Section of brick wall of the original Egyptian fort; Middle Bronze Age IIA
Ephraim Stern 27. Nile River clam shell found at Tel Mevorakh
7
28. Schema of section through the strata of settlement at Tel Mevorakh, from the 58. Drawing and photos of the faience lion-shaped seal bearing the name of
Persian period to the Middle Bronze Age IIA Thutmose III found in the foundation of the four-chambered gate
29. Tel Dor: flags over Area Band and the Stewart flag over Area F (opposite) 59. View of the stone foundation of the southwestern chamber of the
30. Tel Dor: aerial view, looking east four-chambered gate showing the strong, massive construction and the tops
31. Expedition directors (left to right): the author (E. Stern), H. Goldfried, D. of the 10th-century-B.C.E. walls
Christensen, D. Stronach 60. Section of the floor of the four-chambered gate showing traces of destruction
32. The late Neil Richardson with H. Goldfried and burning-probably during the Assyrian conquest (733 B.C.E.)
33. A. Stewart and I. Sharon 61. Seal impression of Jezebel
34. Volunteers at the excavation 62. Seal impression of Oniyahu son of Meirab
35. Tel Dor: plan of the excavation areas 63. Seal impression of Sadoq son of Mikha
36. Tel Dor: aerial view at the end of the 1989 excavation season, looking 64. Impression of the reverse of the Sadoq seal: (belonging to Ze)kharyo priest of
northw est Dor
3 7. Tel Dor: four photos of the excavations in the temple in the 1920s under the 65. Figurines of men in Phoenician style and harp player; Iron Age
British Mandatory Antiquities Department, with the director, J. Garstang and 66. Clay plaques with representation of Astarte and clay head of Astarte
the High Commissioner for Palestine, Sir Herbert Samuel 67. Clay mold for Astarte figurines found in the excavations; modern figurine
38. The Jolly Roger over the Berkeley contingent cast in the ancient mold
39. Area B1: the destruction layer covering the city of the Sea Peoples with wall 68. Ivory handle in the form of a lioness
of square bricks 69. Fragment of ivory handle in the form of a female head in Phoenician style
40. Tel Dor: section and photo of city wall in Stratum XII of the Sikil city with from the lid of a pyxis, and some ivory carvings
the massive stone foundation and the earthen embankment 70. Photo and drawing of a seal made from the tip of an antler showing a pair of
41. Photo and drawing of the giant clay pithos from Stratum XII deer on mountain tops; Iron Age
42. Pottery jars and pilgrim flask from Stratum XII 71. Stone relief of a Phoenician noble; Iron Age
43. General view of Excavation Area B1: lane and structure of the 10th century 72. The stele of Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, leading the kings of Tyre and Egypt
B.C.E. and building remains of the end of the 11th century B.C.E. by their nose rings, ea. 672 B.C.E., from Sinjirli
44. Phoenician Bichrome jug: end of the 11th century B.C.E. 73. Tel Dor: section through the city walls on the eastern slope of the Hellenistic
period down to the 10th century B.C.E., and view of the section
45. Decorated Cypriot pottery of the White Painted and Bichrome I types; end
74. Corner of a salient of the inset-offset wall of the Assyrian period, with corner
of the 11th century B.C.E.
block bearing cross-shaped mason's mark, possibly removed from the
46. Cypriot cylinder-seal and its impression; Iron Age I, found out of context
47. Sikil pottery from Tel Dor preceding stratum
48. Rhyton fragment with Philistine-style decoration in the form of a lioness 75. Northern room of the two-chambered gate showing the walls of the
from Tel Dor and a similar rhyton from Tel Safit (Philistine Gath) four-chambered gate beneath it
49. Bovine scapula with incised decoration 76. Southern room of the two-chambered gate
50. Tel Dor: map showing changes in the contours of the shore around Dor 77. Tel Dor: aerial view of Area B, looking east
51. Plan of the quay area on the southeast side of Tel Dor 78. Threshold of the two-chambered gate with door-hinge socket in Assyrian
52. Drawing and photo of Cypriot ivory plaque from Tel Dor; end of the 11th style and carved recess for the door's upright bolt
century B.C.E. 79. Table showing the differences in the plans of the Iron Age gates at Hazor,
53. General view of the 10th century B.C.E. building in Area B1 Megiddo and Dor
54. Cypro-Phoenician and Cypriot sherds; 10th century B.C.E. 80. Assyrian seal made of agate, depicting the king of Assyria standing before the
54A. Cult stones found in a 10th century B.C.E. wall in Area G. god Ashur
55. Tel Dor: plan of the four-chambered gate and Israelite city wall; 9th-8th 81. Assyrian cylinder seal and its impression showing the king of Assyria
centuries B.C.E. struggling with two griffins
56. Inner corner of the stone foundation in one of the chambers of the 82. Clay juglet in mixed Assyrian-Phoenician style
four-chambered gate, showing the huge stones 83. Sherds of carinated bowls in Assyrian style
57. Tel Dor: plan of the city gates of Dor with the two-chambered gate above the 84. Judahite one-sheqel stone weight
four-chambered gate 85. Two local seals in Babylonian style: stone seal with three fire altars, and glass
57 A. Decorated Iron Age limestone capital, reused as a basin in the Roman period seal portraying the Phoenician version of the Scorpion King
8 9
86. Ornamented stone perfume bowl
119. White-Ground Athenian lekythos
87. Pottery oil-lamps, two of them with seven wicks; end of Iron Age IA or
120. Fragment of Black-Figured Athenian kylix and Red-Figured owl
beginning of the Persian period
120A. Lower part of a clay rhyton in Achaemenian style
88. Sarcophagus of Eshmun'ezer king of Sidon
121. Two Phoenician ostraca with lists of names; Persian period
89. Phoenician ostracon mentioning Malkn( ... ) steward of Esh[mun]
122. Incised Greek inscription; Persian period
90. Outer, eastern, face of a section of the city wall showing characteristic
123. Photo and drawing of a bone scapula bearing a Cypriot-Syllabic dedicatory
Phoenician construction; 4th century B.C.E.
inscription on one side, and on the other side a Phoenician depiction of a boat
91. Section in Area C of residential complex built in the Phoenician style; Persian
leaving a harbor
period 124. Five seals of the Persian period: two made of faience depictin'g the Persian
92. Tel Dor, fortifications on eastern slope: 3rd-century-B.C.E. Hellenistic wall
king fighting two griffins; one showing him standing in his chariot; one of
and beneath it, the 4th-century-B.C.E. casemate wall built over the Assyrian
hematite depicting a Phoenician-style sphinx; a seal of bronze in the Greek
inset-offset wall, looking east
style depicting a winged warrior fighting two lions
93. Tel Dor: plan of eastern residential quarter; Persian period
125. Clay bulla with seal-impression of a phalanx of Greek hoplites
94. Plan of residential quarter at Olynthus in Greece
126. Athenian silver tetradrachm; 5th century B.C.E.
95. Plan of the Punic city at Monte Sirai in Sardinia
127. Two Sidonian coins from Dor: bronze coin of Straton I, king of Sidon and
96. Section of facade wall of residential structure of the Persian period in Area B
silver obol; mid-4th century B.C.E.
showing Phoenician construction
128. Silver-plated bronze drachma probably minted at Dor; 4th century
97. Section of a monumental wall of the Persian period in Area G
B.C.E.
98. Repository pit of the Persian period in Area B with fragments of figurines
129. Clay loom weights with impression of satyr
inside
130. Bronze and clay loom weights; Persian-Hellenistic periods
99. Oriental-style clay figurines, Persian period: representations of Baal in
131. Spindle whorls of stone and bone
Phoenician style, and of Astarte pregnant or carrying her child
132. Greek and Phoenician amphoras next to a pile of crushed Murex snail shells
99A. Fragments of clay figurines depicting horses
in Area G; Persian period
100. View of repository pit of the Persian period dug into earlier Iron Age wall in
133. Vat at the end of a plastered channel: part of the dyeing installation in Area
Area C
D; the vat was filled with crushed Murex snail shells and there were purple
101. Heads of Greek-style clay figurines; Persian period
stains on the plaster of the channel
102. Clay figurine of the child-god Horns Harpocrates
134. Crushed Murex snail shells from the vat in Area D
103. Figurine of a girl in the Greek style
135. Alabaster bottle for perfume; Persian period
104. Grotesque figurine of a temple prostitute
136. The large, square tower in the Hellenistic city wall in Area A, looking east,
105. "Bird-woman" figurine
showing the pier in the center which supported a spiral staircase
106. Carved bone figurine of a goddess with colored accentuation
137. Area A, looking east: a section of a dwelling house, the city wall, and the
107-8. Fragments of grotesque masks from Dor with similar Punic masks from Sar
built-on tower; and reconstruction of the square tower
dinia
138. Plan of the eastern city-gate with adjacent complex of structures in Area B;
109. Grotesque head for warding off evil spirits Hellenistic period
11 O. Faience amulets and eye-beads depicting Bes and various other Egyptian gods 139. Ballista stones, some of them marked with Greek letters indicating their
from necklaces worn as a protection against the evil-eye weight
111. Photo of all the beads of a faience necklace with head of Bes in the center 140. Pit near the city-gate in Area B which contained about 180 ballista stones of
flanked by three pairs of stylized Horns-eyes to protect wearer against bad vanous sizes
luck 141. Bronze arrowheads; Hellenistic period
112. Faience pendant of nude Bes with feather headdress 142. Lead sling projectiles marked with lightning symbols and inscription
113. Faience head of Silenus who replaced Bes in Oriental apotropaic ritual mentioning Tryphon, the Seleucid ruler who was besieged in Dorin 139/8
114. Colored glass pendants of grotesque heads for warding off evil spirits B.C.E.: top, obverse-"to the victory of Tryphon," left center and bottom
115. Two bronze incense ladles; Persian period reverse-"Dor Year 5 of the Dorians' city taste the sumac;" on one (bottom
116. East-Greek decorated jug right) an anchor is depicted
117. Basket-handled amphoras from the East-Greek islands 143. Tel Dor: plan of the eastern part of the mound in the Hellenistic period
118. Wine amphoras imported to Dor from the East-Greek islands; Persian period
10 11
Right: clay inkwell
144. Tel Dor: reconstruction of the residential area in the eastern part of the
171. Figurine of the god Pan
mound in the Hellenistic period
172. Stone incense altars
145. Tel Dor: aerial photograph of Areas A and C, looking west
173. Fragments of two "measuring cups" made of soft chalky limestone from
146. Tel Dor: aerial photograph of excavation areas A, Band C in the eastern part
Jerusalem
of the city, looking south
174. Amphora containing blacksmith's materials retrieved from the sea-bottom by
147. Right-Tel Dor: photograph of the Hellenistic strata in Area D2 in the
E. Galili and. K. Raveh
southern part of the mound
175. Stone mold for baked goods
14 7 A. Hellenistic strata in Area CO
176. Hellenistic lead weights marked with symbols and inscriptions
148. General view of Excavation Area Dl in the southwestern part of the mound,
177. Silver tetradrachm of Alexander the Great
looking east
178. Hoard of Ptolemaic silver tetradrachms
149. Photographs of the olive-oil pressing installation in Area D2; Hellenistic
179. Hoard of silver tetradrachms of Ptolemy I and Ptolemy II found in a clay
period
juglet
150. Plan of the industrial structure on the seashore in the northwest part of the
180. Bronze coin of Antiochus VII Sidetes (Antioch, 138 B.C.E.), and silver
mound surveyed by A. Raban
tetradrachm of Tryphon (Acco, 139 B.C.E.)
151. Tel Dor: map of the coast and vicinity covered in A. Raban's marine survey
181. Fragment of marble tablet bearing a dedicatory inscription in Greek to the
with the industrial installations on the seacoast north of the mound
emperor Trajan ( 102-117 C.E.) from the facade of a public building
152. Imported vessels from Greece, including fish-plates
182. Coins of the Roman period from the Dor mint featuring portraits of various
153. Drawings and photograph of a two-handled jar stamped at Dor with dates
emperors and depictions of Tyche (the city goddess), a temple facade, and
and names of officials
especially the nautical motif
154. Megarian molded pottery
155. Assemblage of clay vessels from Areas A and C from various phases of the 183. Above: Jewish coins of Alexander Jannaeus, Herodian dynasty, the Great
Revolt; Below: Coins of the Roman procurators
Hellenistic period
184. Vari?us Roman coins from Dor including a rare, early republican Roman
156. Miniature clay vases probably used for pharmaceuticals
specimen
157. Miniature clay juglets stamped with the name of a pharmaceutical "lykion(?)"
185. Tel Dor, plan of the Roman stratum in Excavation Area B2: public buildings
used as a painkiller
on both sides of the street; the plaza in front of the eastern city-gate
158. Assemblage clay oil-lamps; Hellenistic period
186. The main drainage canal in Area B beneath the length of the paved street
159. Three types of Hellenistic oil-iamps from Dor
leading out of the city via the eastern city-gate, as seen from the outside and
160. Wine amphoras from Rhodes, Cnidus and other East-Greek islands
the inside
161. Stamp-impressions on handles of Greek wine amphoras: lily symbol of
187. Plinth of a statue found at the side of the main street leading into the city
Rhodes; "Socrates;" "Agathocles;" "Dionysos of Cnidus"
center from the eastern gate
162. Storeroom of large jars in situ
163. Drawing of earthenware brazier from Samaria; note figured pot supports at 188. Stone plinth of a statue bearing a dedicatory inscription in Greek mentioning
the procurator of Syria in 119-132 C.E.
top
189. Section of a stone-paved Roman road between two public buildings in Area
164. Ornamental pot supports depicting satyrs and other symbols, from
earthenware braziers, three of them stamped with the name of the Greek B2, with underground drainage canal along the middle of the street
190. The Roman street in Area B2 and a part of the garrison's barracks alongside
manufacturer Hekataios
165. Clay figurines of Greek goddesses; Hellenistic period: Tyche with crown of it, with the entrance hall to the barracks courtyard and ruts made by carriage
wheels in the pavement
city walls (left), and body of Aphrodite (above) found in a cave on Mount
191. Public building at the southeast end of the Roman street in Area B2
Carmel opposite Dor; head of Aphrodite (left top and center)
192. The paved Roman road in Area B2 and a section of the monumental facade
166. Clay women's heads of the Hellenistic period
of a public building which had a colonnade and gabled roof
167. Two clay figurines of Erotes
193. Tel Dor: aerial photographs of Areas Dl-2 in the southern part of the
168. Stone foot wearing the winged sandal of Hermes, messenger of the gods
mound, looking north
169. Part of a stone statue from a sculptural group depicting Horus rowing a boat
194. Marble fragments of an opus sectile floor from the Roman buildings
on the Nile
195. Section of colored fresco wall painting from a Roman building in Area D
170. Left: Alabaster pyxis with lid, found with a yellow cosmetic powder inside;
196. Section of stucco wall ornamentation with stylized floral motif
13
12
197. Parts of a s::olored mosaic floor in a Roman building in Area D 228. Drawing of the Greek inscription on one of the church columns
198. Tel Dor: aerial photograph of Excavation Area F in the western part of the indicating that a stone from the Holy Sepukher (Golgotha) in
mound, looking southwest Jerusalem was inserted in the pillar
199. The staircase leading down to the Roman temple at the western part of the 229. Tel Dor: general view of the Byzantine church, looking east
mound uncovered by the Garstang expedition in 1924 230. Two basalt millstones from the Crusader fortress
200. Photograph and plan of the temple staircase rediscovered in Area F, looking 231. Turkish earthenware (tobacco) pipe bowls
north 232. Hoard of Mamluk coins and metal vases of the period retrieved from the
201. Tel Dor: aerial photograph of Area G, looking north seabottom near Dor
202. Tel Dor: aerial photograph of Area E, looking east, with the Roman bath 233. Late 19th century drawing showing part of a Crusader wall still standing at the
203. Two photographs of the hypocaust in the Roman bath in Area E at the time
western part of the mound by the seashore 234. Silver Crusader coins from Dor and Tel Mevorak.h; from the reign of Arnalric,
204. Plan of the excavated section of the theater at Dor King ofJerusalem
205. The three built-up piers at the end of the aqueduct that conveyed water from 235. Draeing of French musket retrieved from the seabottom by K. Raveh and S,
Nal;tal Daliya to Dor, showing the edge of the large water reservoir Wachsman
206. Map of the two aqueducts that supplied water to Dor (after Y. Peleg} 236. Drawing of Turkish cannon captured by Napoleon Bonaparte's army; the gun
207. Large stone mortar from an industrial installation bears the royal monogram ( tughra) of the Turkish sultan Salim III
208. Assemblage of Roman clay vessels for everyday use 237. Drawing of the Spanish mortar and the inscriptions on it (after Raveh and
209. Rim of a day mortar stamped with a greeting Wachsman)
238. Rothschild's glass factory at Dor, southern facade
210. Sumptuous clay rhyton in the form of a human head
239. Part of the exhibition hall of the excavation finds from Tel Dor at the
211. Roman clay oil-lamps from Dor
Archaeological Center in the "Glass House" at Kibbutz Nahsholim
212. Drawings of some of the designs on Roman oil-lamps, including a lamp with
240. Surveying and marking excavation grid squares
Leda and the Swan
241. Clearing and preparation of excavation area
213. Roman-period oil-lamp in the form of a satyr with stuck-out tongue, and
242. The dining tent
lion-skin headdress in a grotesque parody of Heracles
243. Pottery sorting and instruction; from left to right: H.P. Goldfried, E. Stem, I.
214. Three oil-lamps with handles in the form of horses' heads, possibly
Sharon and Ann Copcik
originating from Gerasa Qc rash) in Transjordan
244. Plan of the Excavation Areas, 1999
215. Roman oil-lamps with heads of Medusa
245. Anthropomorphic juglets; left-from Dor; right-from Tel Qasile; note the
216. Bronze basin with three feet in the form of bovine hooves
coffee bean-shaped eyes.
217. Lead weight depicting facade of a gabled temple
246. Area G, the day table
218. Bronze handle depicting the head of a satyr and a clay handle with the head 247. Boerian day model showing women kneading dough at
of Doros communal trough (courtesy of A. Stewart)
219. Bronze nails 248. Above-bone handle of iron knife from Dor; below-similar
220. Glass ring complete knife from Elcron
221. Three Roman seal-stones of carnelian 249. A collar-rimmed jar from Dor
222. Gold ring set with a carnelian seal-stone engraved with representation of Eros 250. Three Egyptian jars from Area G
chasing away a bird on a tree 251. Area D2, a section through the early Iron Age phases
223. Two Janus pendants: one of them apparently of Doros, the son of the sea god 252. Area D2, view from the north: opposite the "Sea Wall" and "Brick
Poseidon Building"; right-the Acropolis wall
224. Chnoubis magic gem, Roman period 253. Area D2, view from the west: on right-the "Sea Wall" and "Brick Building";
225. Bone utensils: spatulas, spoons, buttons, ornamented handles, hairpins, and opposite-Roman wall on top of the "Monumental Building"
dice 254. Area D2, large drainage channel covered with stone slabs
225A. Bone token depicting three towers on obverse. Reverse inscribed "baris" (for 255. Area D2, corner of the "Sea Wall" and wall of the Acropolis, looking south
tress) with number seven in Roman and Greek numerals 256. Area D2, Early Cypriot White Painted 1 and Bucchero wares
226. Plan of the Byzantine church as revealed by Claudine Dauphin 257. Area D2, Early Phoenician red monochrome vases
227. Four Byzantine coins from Dor 258. Area D2, gold amulet depicting a bull's head
259. Area D2, Early Iron Age calf-shaped bronze weight
14 15
260. Plain local and Bichrome Phoenician vessels from "Benny's Building"
a
261. Area D2, the pottery jar containing silver hoard lifted from its place
262. A unit of silver which was once wrapped in a linen sack
263. Two pieces oflinen sack
264. Two identical clay bullae that sealed the linen sacks
265. An "Assyrian" bowl
List of Color Plates
266. An Egyptian green faience amulet depicting Isis and Horns, Persian period
267. Area D2, a plan of the Persian period street and storehouses
268. Left-part of a huge clay mask from Area D2; right-a small clay mask from
Plate I
Area G dating to the Persian period
269. Two Persian period clay figurines of the child-god Harpocrates from areas D2 1. Mycenaean sherds of the 14th-13th century B.C.E.
2.
and Dl Decorated Sikil potsherds of the 12th-11th century B.C.E.
3.
270. A Persian period "Bes Vase" from Area D2 Cypriot_ Bichrome krater of the late 11th century B.C.E.
271. Above-typical Phoenician wall from Area D2; below-a "Punic" wall from 4. Early B1chrome Phoenician jug
5.
public building in Area Dl Red-Burnished delicate "Samaria" bowls of the 8th-7th century B.C.E.
272. A photo and a drawing of a Phoenician gravestone depicting facade of a small 6. Late Geometric Euboean bowls of the late 8th century B.C.E.
shrine. Top decorated with urai
273. Plan of the public building in Area Dl Plate II
274. Area Dl, Persian and Hellenistic public building; looking west towards the 1. Krater in Athenian style, 4th century B.C.E., and a West-Slope krater of the
town's acropolis. 3rd-2nd century B.C.E.
275. A clay figurine of a boy holding a rabbit. Hellenistic period. 2. East-Greek pottery vases
276. A Hellenistic clay head of a goddess 3. Athenian pottery vessels
277. Area B2, plan of the Roman period street and public structures
278. Suggested reconstruction of the northern Roman temple Plate III
279. Area F, an Early Roman period bronze lamp decorated with conch relief 1. Terra Sigillata pottery
280. Southern end of Area F and the start of the excavation in Area H, looking 2. Hellenistic clay bottles
north east 3. Pottery vases of the West-Slope type
281. Area H,·general plan of the excavations
282. Area H, reconstruction of the Roman structure of Phase 2 Plate IV
283. Roman amphoras from Area D2 1.
Satyr-head ornamentation from Hellenistic pottery braziers
284. Area D2, a general view of the Roman period installations, looking east
2.
Three clay bowls decorated with heads of Pan, and one with the head of Doros
285. Area D 1, a Roman period stone alabastron
286. A Roman period bronze mirror Plate V
287. A Roman period clay head of a woman
Pottery table-ware rhytons
288. Area D2, a Roman period glass cup
in the form of a man's head,
289. Two Roman seal-stones; the one on the right is inscribed with the name of
a dog, and a ram
Icarus
Plate VI
1.
B_ronze plaque depicting a dancing Greek girl; Persian period
2.
Lui:iestone statuette of Cypriot origin depicting the goddess Tyche;
Persian
penod
3. Votive lead plaque of a horseman; Roman period
Plate VII
1. Marble head of Hermes; Hellenistic period
2. Clay head of a god; Persian period
3.
Clay figurine of a goddess of the Persian period
16
17
4. Clay figurine depicting the head of Aphrodite; Hellenistic period
Plate VIII
Pottery oil-lamp assemblages pfthe Hellenistic and Roman periods
INTRODUCTION
Plate IX
1. Cypriot pottery sherds imitating Late Mycenaean Ille vessels, 12th century
B.C.E.
2. Early Euboean (?) vessel, 12th century B.C.E. Why Dor?
3. Decorated Sikil sherds, 12th-llth century B.C.E.
Historical sources, surface surveys, and excavation probes carried out at
4. Imported Greek Euboean sherds, 10th century B.C.E.
the site led to the conclusion that buried within Tel Dor are the remains
5. Early Phoenician monochrome vessels, late llth-early 10th centuries B.C.E.
6. Decorated Cypriot-style beer jug, 11th century B.C.E. of four different civilizations (as opposed to historical periods). From bot
tom to top, these are the Canaanite; that of the Sikil tribe of Sea Peoples;
Plate X of the Phoenicians who inhabited the city from the 11th century B.C.E.
1. Early Phoenician bichrome sherds, late llth-early 10th centuries B.C.E. on, during the Israelite, Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, and a considerable
2. Classical Phoenician bichrome vessels, 10th century B.C.E.
part of the Hellenistic periods; and the Hellenistic-Roman culture.
3. The silver hoard: cleaned samples
New research on each of these civilizations and additional details that
4. The silver hoard: the jug and "bags" of silver
have come to light have made highly significant contributions to what is
5. Silver tokens
known about them. There is, however, particular importance to the study
6. Flat silver plaques
of two of these-that of the Sea Peoples of the Sikil tribe who made Dor
Plate XI their capital for about a hundred years and whose material culture was
1. Mosaic floor of lower Roman house depicting the attributes of Poseidon: pair completely unknown; and the Phoenician one, to which I have devoted
of dolphins and trident; above: a Stratum I wall
many years of study.
2. Gold jewelry of the Roman period
3. A bronze handle in the form of a dog, Hellenistic period
4. Colored wall painting in Stratum II (earlier) Roman building
The Canaanites
Plate XII According to existing evidence, the Canaanites were the original settlers
1. Crusader glazed pottery St. Symeon ware bowl decorated with a mythological
of the site and occupied Tel Dor from the beginning of the 2nd millen
figure, 13th century C.E.
nium B.C.E. They dominated the entire region: Syria, Phoenicia, Pales
2. Crusader glazed pottery juglets, 13th century C.E.
tine, and Transjordan. Canaanite material culture, well-known from
scores of excavations throughout the region, is exceedingly rich and var
ied, especially in its later phase which overlaps the Egyptian conquest of
Palestine (1500-1200 B.C.E.). It was a time of far-flung international
trade which strongly influenced the local cultures. The most prosperous
Canaanite communities seem to have been concentrated in the coastal
towns and in their immediate hinterland-Ugarit, Byblos, Megiddo, and
others. During this long period of Canaanite hegemony Dor was one of
the important harbor towns along the Mediterranean coastline of the
country. The well-preserved state of the site portended good possibilities
of recovering invaluable evidence of all facets of the Canaanite period.
Because of the great depth of the remains, our excavations have not yet
18 19
INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION 21
20
reached these strata, and even had we been able to do so, we would most The Israelites
probably only have provided additional details of an already well-known
The Israelites, too, ruled over Dor for a long period, apparently from the
and familiar culture. time of David to the destruction of the Israelite kingdom ( 1,000-734
B.C.E.). The city was twice rebuilt to epic proportions by the Israelite
kings Solomon and Ahab, who established flourishing harbor towns
there. Dor was the center of the maritime cooperation between Israel and
The Sikils
the Tyrians and Sidonians. Its history represents an important chapter of
The Sikils, whose place in history occupies an intermediate phase
the First Temple period.
between the early Canaanites and their Phoenician descendants, were the
dominant element at Dor for about a century. Research on the Sikils is
still in its infancy. Egyptian sources, which will be discussed in greater
The Phoenicians
detail below, indicate that Dor was under Sikil control for part of the
Iron Age I (1150-1050 B.C.E.). The Sikils were one of the tribes of the However, our main interest and the most compelling reason for the deci
Sea Peoples; their name may indicate a connection with the island of Sic sion to excavate at Dor was the desire to elucidate the history and the
ily. According to the literary sources, the Sea Peoples who attacked Pales material culture of the Phoenicians. After a brief interlude during which
tine and Egypt at the beginning of the 12th century B.C.E. comprised the Sea Peoples held sway, the Phoenicians can be considered as the direct
several tribes: Philistines, Sherden, Sikils, Shekelesh, Denyen, and descendants of the Canaanites. Of similar ethnic composition and culture,
W eshesh. Three or four of these tribes settled in Palestine: Philistines, it would probably be more accurate to designate them New, or Late
Sikils, and Sherden (from south to north), and perhaps also the Denyen if Canaanites. Indeed, in this period, they even seem to have referred to
we accept Yigael Yadin's suggestion that the tribe of Dan was one of the themselves as Canaanites, or more frequently according to the names of
Sea Peoples which later became Israelite. their principal cities: the people of Tyre, of Sidon, of Byblos, and of
The Bible mentions only the Philistines, the largest and mightiest of Aradus. The name "Phoenician" was given them by the Greeks and was
the tribes of Sea Peoples who settled on the Canaanite coast. Their tribal spread among the European nations by the Greeks and Romans.
name became the generic term for the Sea Peoples as a whole, and their Unfortunately, we lack the two main sources of primary importance
memory lives on to this day in the country's name, Palestine. From the for providing information on the history and culture of this people-the
region along the southern coast to the Y arqon River which they con closest to the Israelites in the biblical period. In contrast to the informa
trolled, the Philistines were the Israelites' main adversaries at the begin tion we have on the early Canaanites, no Phoenician documents have sur
ning of the period of the Monarchy, until they were dealt a decisive blo:" vived, apart from some unimportant and stereotypical votive inscriptions,
by David. There is not a single reference to the Sikils or the Sherden m and some references in Greek sources which are in many cases hostile.
For a variety of reasons, neither of the four main Phoenician cities-Tyre,
the Biblical text.
Our extensive knowledge of Philistine material culture derives from Sidon, Byblos, and Aradus-situated on the eastern Mediterranean coast
scores of excavations of their major cities in Israel and from the detailed have yielded contemporary strata or finds of importance. The few objects
study recently published by Trude and Moshe Dothan. But we were com we do have are mostly chance finds from tombs or excavations in small
pletely in the dark regarding the Sikils who occupied th~ area of towns, such as Tell Sukas on the Syrian coast and Sarepta (biblical
Dor-with the possible exception of a few vessels uncovered m excava Zarephath mentioned in the story of Elijah) on the Lebanese coast, or in
tions at Tel Zeror near Hadera, which have been ascribed to this tribe by middle-sized or small towns in Israel at Akhziv, Akko, Tell Keisan, and
its excavator, Moshe Kochavi. Therefore, even the most fragmentary Tell Abu Hawam. Excavations in Cyprus have also yielded finds ascribed
information would shed some light on these people. Was Sikil culture to the Phoenicians.
identical to that of the Philistines, or did it have its own distinctive char In size and importance Dor was the equal of the four major Phoenician
acter which could in some measure clarify the perplexing problem of the cities; in contrast to them, the outstanding state of preservation of its
origin of the Sea Peoples in general, and of the Sikils in particular? remains afforded a new, invaluable, and unparalleled opportunity to study