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Archaeological Pictures
Area A
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| The flattened bed-rock and sealed the rock-cut tombs |
The flattened bed-rock and sealed the rock-cut tombs |
The flattened bed-rock and sealed the rock-cut tombs |
Byzantine wall |
Rock cut installations |
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| End of week tour in Area A |
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Area B
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| Military trench dating to 1948 |
Rock-cut tombs |
Rock-cut tombs |
Stone quarry dating to the Iron Age |
The sloping natural rock surface |
Area B2
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| Area B2, looking to the north west |
The dressed stones and the foundation trench of the Persian period expansion of the edifice, looking south west |
The dressed stones and the foundation trench of the Persian period expansion of the edifice, looking east |
The dressed stones and the foundation trench of the Persian period expansion of the edifice, looking south |
The foundation trench and in it dressed stones and a plastered channel of the Persian period expansion of the edifice, looking west |
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| Stone and earth fill above the walls of the Persian period expansion of the edifice, looking south |
Stone and earth fill above the walls of the Persian period expansion of the edifice, looking south |
Beginning of excavation into the foundation and later a robber trench of the walls, Persian period expansion |
Excavation into the foundation and later a robber trench of the walls of the Persian period expansion, looking east |
The floors of the Persian period structure built above the bedrock: looking south |
Area C1
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| The cover of the underground tunnel and pool 4 (to the right) |
The cover of the underground tunnel and the flattened rock surface |
The cover of the underground tunnel and pool 2 (behind) |
Inside the underground tunnel |
A stone covered drain leading to the tunnel |
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| Inside pool 1 |
Inside pool 2 |
Pool 2 |
The end of a hard working day |
Area C from above |
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| Swimming in pool 2 |
General view of area C1 |
Preservation work inside the underground tunnel |
More tunnel and pools |
Lime kiln |
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| Inside a second underground tunnel |
Aerial picture of area C1 at the end of the season |
General picture of area at the end of the season, looking south |
The rock-cut tunnel D-E, looking north |
Pottery on the floor, area C1 south |
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| The garden soil above the white flat bedrock |
Area C1 south, looking east |
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Area C2
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| Emptying the lead coffin |
The Lead coffin |
A lead coffin inside a rock-cut tomb |
A rock-cut tomb |
The closing western wall of the Iron Age fortress |
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| Aerial picture of the area at the end of 2007 season |
Inside a second temple ritual bath |
Iron Age wall after clean-up, looking north |
Cleaning the Iron Age wall |
New square to the north |
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| A tree-like pattern on the plaster of the Jewish ritual bath |
General picture of area, view from the east |
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Area C4
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| Area C4 at the start of the excavations, looking to the south east |
The foundation trench and the later robber trench of the walls of the Persian period expansion as it was first revealed, looking east |
The foundation trench and the later robber trench of the walls of the Persian period expansion, looking south |
The rock cut cliff and the foundation of a supporting wall built later against the cliff, looking north east |
The rock cut cliff and the foundation of a supporting wall built later against the cliff. Note the robber trench of the wall seen in the opposite section, looking east |
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| The garden soil, flattened bedrock and robber trench of a wall, looking south |
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Area D1
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| The Plastered Vat when first revealed |
Area D at the start of the excavations |
Stone pavement in court |
Walls dating to the Abbasid period |
Stone pavement inside a room |
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| Work in area D1 |
Stone wall and lower room, Abbasid period |
The plastered vat while being excavated |
Aerial view of area D1 |
The plastered flat after removal of fill |
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| Two troughs in Abbasid lower room |
Stone floor from the Abbasid period |
Stone pavement in court |
General picture of are at the end of season, looking south |
Walls of Abbasid 'courtyard building', looking south |
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| Western wall of Abbasid 'courtyard building' |
Cut in the floor of the palace courtyard |
Walls of Abbasid 'courtyard building', looking south |
Open area, north-east of Abbasid 'courtyard building' |
General picture of the area at the end of season, looking to the north west |
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| Walls and installations below the floors of the Abbasid 'courtyard building' |
A round pit/ installation cut into the rock and the 'backdoor entrance' into a rock-cut Mikveh (ritual bath) |
Walls dating to the Hellenistic period under the courtyard of the 'courtyard building' |
A round crushing basin in secondary use inside the southern hall of the 'Abbasid courtyard building' |
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Area D2
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| General overview of area D2 |
A Byzantine Store Jar |
The Iron Age Fortification wall |
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Area D3
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| The white floor of the Iron Age inner court |
Overview of Area D3 and a Byzantine building |
Foundation trench of Iron Age wall |
The white floor of the Iron Age inner court |
A Byzantine cistern cutting Iron Age wall |
Area D4
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| Mosaic floor restored by Aharoni in 1954 |
The wine press floor and the screw-press installation |
The church looking west |
The bench at the west of the church |
General picture of the church, looking east |
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| The vat of the winepress |
A bronze chain for lamp as it was found |
The paved floor of the passageway south of the church |
Stone collapse of the northern wall of the church |
Walls dating to the Iron and Hellenistic periods under the floors of the Byzantine church |
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| Walls dating to the Iron and Hellenistic periods below the Church entrance (narthex) |
General picture of the area at the end of the dig, looking west |
General picture of the area at the end of the dig, looking north east |
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Area D5
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| Area D5, looking to the east |
The Iron Age 'outer courtyard' and a cut below it |
A wall dating to the Hellenistic period and pottery in its foundation trench |
A cut into the military trench to the east of the area |
Walls dating to the Byzantine period built above the white floor of the Iron Age 'courtyard' |
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| General picture of the area at the close of the excavations, looking east |
Excavations under the Byzantine monastery, looking west |
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Area D6
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| General pictures of the area at the close of the excavations, looking north |
A wall dating to the Iron Age, looking east |
The southern casemate walls and floors after re-clean |
Pottery dating to the Iron Age under the floor of the casemate room |
Entrance into a rock-cut ritual bath |
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| Byzantine walls and an opening to a cistern |
Inside a cistern, note the plaster on the wall |
Area D6 people at the end of the dig |
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Collumbarium
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| The columbarium as discovered during the 2006 survey |
Survey inside the columbarium, 2006 |
A second entrance to the columbarium discovered in 2007 |
Sounding into the columbarium 2007 |
A built partition wall inside the columbarium 2008 |
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| The central chamber and a built supporting pillar at the end of the 2008 season |
Cells in the central chamber, end of 2008 season |
Cells in one of the side chambers, end of 2008 season |
The central chamber and door leading to the southern side chamber, end of 2008 season |
General picture of the columbarium at the end of the 2008 season |
Finds from the Site
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| Byzantine Oil Lamp |
Drawing of a figure (King?) seated (on his thrown?) on a pottery vessel |
Window Balustrades from the Royal Palace of Ramat Rahel |
Bone Jewelry found inside a lead coffin |
Gold Jewelry found inside a lead coffin |
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| Yahad seal impression found during the renewed excavations |
lmlk seal impression |
Seal impression on a jar handle "yh" from Hellenistic period |
A bronze chain found in the Byzantine church |
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