Ḥorbat ‘Illin Taḥtit: A Late Early Bronze Age IA–B Settlement in the Bet Shemesh Region (pp. 1–46)

Authors

Ron Be’eri, Israel Antiquities Authority
Yitzhak Paz, Israel Antiquities Authority
Nuha Agha, Haifa University
Anat Cohen-Weinberger, Israel Antiquities Authority
Ariel Vered, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva

Abstract

The excavation conducted at Ḥorbat ‘Illin Taḥtit (Lower) revealed the fringes of the previously excavated Early Bronze Age settlement at the site. A large residential structure, comprising two adjoining rooms and a large courtyard, was uncovered, as well as another, partially preserved structure, which was separated from it by an alleyway. Almost all the excavation loci contained a mixture of EB IA and EB IB pottery types. A small assemblage of knapped flint artifacts was unearthed; they were well-preserved and homogenous in composition. The small assemblage of faunal remains points to an economy based on sheep, goat and cattle. The findings indicate that the site was first settled during EB IA, followed by a gap in the early phase of EB IB; it reached its zenith in the later phase of EB IB. The article discusses the chronology, geographic distribution, and cultural practices in the Bet Shemesh region during EB I.

Keywords

Judean Shephelah, Early Bronze Age, typology, chronology

Recommended Citation

Be’eri, Ron; Paz, Yitzhak; Agha, Nuha; Cohen-Weinberger, Anat; and Vered, Ariel (2020) "Ḥorbat ‘Illin Taḥtit: A Late Early Bronze Age IA–B Settlement in the Bet Shemesh Region (pp. 1–46)," 'Atiqot: Vol. 101, Article 2.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.70967/2948-040X.1960
Available at: https://publications.iaa.org.il/atiqot/vol101/iss1/2