Murabba‘at Cave II is situated in the cliffy area on the northern bank of Naḥal Darga, about 2 km... more Murabba‘at Cave II is situated in the cliffy area on the northern bank of Naḥal Darga, about 2 km west of the Dead Sea. It is a complex cave formed by the dissolution of Shivṭa-Formation limestone below the water table. Its total length is approximately 90 m and it has three levels. Previous excavations have shown the cave to be one of the richest in the Judean Desert in terms of finds from various periods. Among the many finds was an ancient wooden box containing a Ptolemaic coin-hoard from the reign of Ptolemy VI, which was discovered in a crevice near a shaft leading down to the interior cavities. This article presents and discusses the hoard, a typical emergency hoard, with all its components, while considering its geographical-historical context. Several possible historical events may have led to the hoard’s deposition, mainly the Sixth Syrian War and the Maccabean Revolt.
Tel Aviv (Monograph Series of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University 42), 2022
A wooden coffin (IAA No. 1978/10) made of Cedrus lobani and containing crushed bones was found in... more A wooden coffin (IAA No. 1978/10) made of Cedrus lobani and containing crushed bones was found in the southern room of a square stone tomb structure from the Late Hellenistic period was discovered on the prominent point of the southern edge of the earthen rampart at Yotvata, next to the steep cliff. The tomb consisted of two burial rooms, both of which appear to have been looted before excavation. The coffin was studied from typological and technological aspects. the coffin is well made, apparently constructed by a skilled and experienced craftsman who made efficient use of a single cedar tree trunk and used high-quality joints using the correct tools.
Tel Aviv Monograph Series of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University 42, 2022
Two wooden items were discovered in Yotvata in casemate rooms (Rooms 31 and 16) from the Iron Ag... more Two wooden items were discovered in Yotvata in casemate rooms (Rooms 31 and 16) from the Iron Age I. The wood from which they were manufactured was identified as Haloxylon persicum (saxaul), which forms a special type of forest common to the sand dunes of the Arabah Valley. The use of local trees for making various objects has been seen in other sites in the Negev and the Arabah.
E : Richard H. Wilkinson, University of Arizona AE : Robert Schon, University of Arizona ... Daph... more E : Richard H. Wilkinson, University of Arizona AE : Robert Schon, University of Arizona ... Daphna Ben-Tor The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel Manfred Bietak University of Vienna, Austria Linda Hulin ... Salima Ikram American University in Cairo, Egypt Nanno Marinatos University of ...
Two Pivots of the 7th Century BCE from Thebes, Egypt, and the Begining of Woodturning, 2022
A group of metal objects was unearthed by Flinders M.W. Petrie at the end of the 19th century in ... more A group of metal objects was unearthed by Flinders M.W. Petrie at the end of the 19th century in Thebes (Luxor, Egypt). Petrie dated these items to the Assyrian occupation of Egypt, in the first half of the 7th century BCE. The present paper suggests identifying two of these items as pivots of a lathe. This identification leans on both the study of the shape of the objects and analysis of use-wear traces on the active tips of the items. The results of this study, in conjunction with the dating of objects formed by turning on a lathe, allow us to date the beginning of woodturning to the late 8th–early 7th centuries BCE and to address the first stages of this practice.
Twenty-one wooden artifacts and artifact fragments were found among the Colt collection from Shiv... more Twenty-one wooden artifacts and artifact fragments were found among the Colt collection from Shivta. While only a few of the objects were complete, and others were broken or in a very poor state of preservation, we were nonetheless able to interpret their functions. Each object was studied along genus) of the tree used based on its wood anatomy; and characterization of the technology used in its production.
Significant amounts of wood materials have been uncovered in archaeological sites from the Roman ... more Significant amounts of wood materials have been uncovered in archaeological sites from the Roman Period in the Land of Israel. This work deals with wooden items that could be determined to be manufactured objects, or had traces of working on them. The catalogue of this study contains 532 objects, most of which were discovered in the Judaean Desert, the Negev or the Arava regions, where preservation conditions are better than in other areas of the Land of Israel. It is most likely that the same repertoire of items was used in other areas of the country, but did not survive.
Murabba‘at Cave II is situated in the cliffy area on the northern bank of Naḥal Darga, about 2 km... more Murabba‘at Cave II is situated in the cliffy area on the northern bank of Naḥal Darga, about 2 km west of the Dead Sea. It is a complex cave formed by the dissolution of Shivṭa-Formation limestone below the water table. Its total length is approximately 90 m and it has three levels. Previous excavations have shown the cave to be one of the richest in the Judean Desert in terms of finds from various periods. Among the many finds was an ancient wooden box containing a Ptolemaic coin-hoard from the reign of Ptolemy VI, which was discovered in a crevice near a shaft leading down to the interior cavities. This article presents and discusses the hoard, a typical emergency hoard, with all its components, while considering its geographical-historical context. Several possible historical events may have led to the hoard’s deposition, mainly the Sixth Syrian War and the Maccabean Revolt.
Tel Aviv (Monograph Series of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University 42), 2022
A wooden coffin (IAA No. 1978/10) made of Cedrus lobani and containing crushed bones was found in... more A wooden coffin (IAA No. 1978/10) made of Cedrus lobani and containing crushed bones was found in the southern room of a square stone tomb structure from the Late Hellenistic period was discovered on the prominent point of the southern edge of the earthen rampart at Yotvata, next to the steep cliff. The tomb consisted of two burial rooms, both of which appear to have been looted before excavation. The coffin was studied from typological and technological aspects. the coffin is well made, apparently constructed by a skilled and experienced craftsman who made efficient use of a single cedar tree trunk and used high-quality joints using the correct tools.
Tel Aviv Monograph Series of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University 42, 2022
Two wooden items were discovered in Yotvata in casemate rooms (Rooms 31 and 16) from the Iron Ag... more Two wooden items were discovered in Yotvata in casemate rooms (Rooms 31 and 16) from the Iron Age I. The wood from which they were manufactured was identified as Haloxylon persicum (saxaul), which forms a special type of forest common to the sand dunes of the Arabah Valley. The use of local trees for making various objects has been seen in other sites in the Negev and the Arabah.
E : Richard H. Wilkinson, University of Arizona AE : Robert Schon, University of Arizona ... Daph... more E : Richard H. Wilkinson, University of Arizona AE : Robert Schon, University of Arizona ... Daphna Ben-Tor The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel Manfred Bietak University of Vienna, Austria Linda Hulin ... Salima Ikram American University in Cairo, Egypt Nanno Marinatos University of ...
Two Pivots of the 7th Century BCE from Thebes, Egypt, and the Begining of Woodturning, 2022
A group of metal objects was unearthed by Flinders M.W. Petrie at the end of the 19th century in ... more A group of metal objects was unearthed by Flinders M.W. Petrie at the end of the 19th century in Thebes (Luxor, Egypt). Petrie dated these items to the Assyrian occupation of Egypt, in the first half of the 7th century BCE. The present paper suggests identifying two of these items as pivots of a lathe. This identification leans on both the study of the shape of the objects and analysis of use-wear traces on the active tips of the items. The results of this study, in conjunction with the dating of objects formed by turning on a lathe, allow us to date the beginning of woodturning to the late 8th–early 7th centuries BCE and to address the first stages of this practice.
Twenty-one wooden artifacts and artifact fragments were found among the Colt collection from Shiv... more Twenty-one wooden artifacts and artifact fragments were found among the Colt collection from Shivta. While only a few of the objects were complete, and others were broken or in a very poor state of preservation, we were nonetheless able to interpret their functions. Each object was studied along genus) of the tree used based on its wood anatomy; and characterization of the technology used in its production.
Significant amounts of wood materials have been uncovered in archaeological sites from the Roman ... more Significant amounts of wood materials have been uncovered in archaeological sites from the Roman Period in the Land of Israel. This work deals with wooden items that could be determined to be manufactured objects, or had traces of working on them. The catalogue of this study contains 532 objects, most of which were discovered in the Judaean Desert, the Negev or the Arava regions, where preservation conditions are better than in other areas of the Land of Israel. It is most likely that the same repertoire of items was used in other areas of the country, but did not survive.
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Papers by Yigal Sitry
The use of local trees for making various objects has been seen in other sites in the Negev and the Arabah.
The use of local trees for making various objects has been seen in other sites in the Negev and the Arabah.