Tell es-Safi / Gath II: Excavations and Studies

The present volume is the second volume in the series of final reports of the Tell es-Safi/Gath Archaeological Project. In the first volume, various studies and reports on and relating to the project were presented, up until the 2010 season. In the current volume an assortment of excavation reports and topical studies of finds are presented. Chapter 2: final report on Horvat Shimon, a small Iron IIB site, located ca. 1 km to the west of Tell es-Safi/Gath. Chapter 3 deals with the excavations at various locations along the Iron IIA (9th century BCE) Aramean siege system. In addition to the elements relating to the siege system itself, other finds that were discovered, primarily in Area C6, are described and discussed. Chapter 4 presents the final publication of a late Iron I/early Iron IIA tomb, excavated in 2006, including studies on the human remains, isotopic analyses on these remains, pottery, radiocarbon dating, faunal analysis, and the jewelry and amulets discovered in the tomb. Chapter 5 is the final report on the stratigraphy and architecture of the excavations in Upper Area F, near the summit of the site. Chapter 6 discusses the Middle Bronze Age at the site. In this chapter, a general survey of the MB on Tell es-Safi/Gath, based on materials found in the surface survey and the excavations in Area F is presented. Chapter 7 is an updated summary and final report on the Late Bronze Age finds from Area E. The report includes a variety of studies on the remains from the LB, including the stone implements, shells, beads, a scarab, the imported pottery, figurines, lithics and the archaeobotanical remains. Chapter 8 presents an analysis of stone weights found in the excavations up until the 2014 season. Chapter 9 presents the relatively small amount of coins found during the project, including surface finds and finds from the excavations.