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Abstract

In 2019, the Israel Antiquities Authority, in cooperation with the Municipality of Yavne and funded by the Israel Land Authority, initiated an extensive excavation at the foot of Tel Yavne. The excavation was conducted by two succeeding expeditions: the first, between 2019–2021, was headed by Dr. Elie Haddad, Liat Nadav Ziv and Dr. Jon Seligman, and the second, which began in 2021 and still ongoing, is headed by Pablo Betzer and Dr. Daniel Varga. Excavations at the site uncovered findings from the Chalcolithic period till the days of the British Mandate. The layout of the remains, their nature and intensity, attest to the changing character of the site in various periods, at times when the city had expanded in size or diminished. As expected, the area at the foot of the mound served mainly for industrial activities and burial, with only scant remains of dwellings. Diverse industries were documented at the site, including the production of pottery, glass and wine. Also identified at the site were secondary industries, such as bone- and stone-tool industries, some of which operated throughout several periods. This ‘industrial sequence’ allowed us to examine and reconstruct technological and cultural developments. Special finds retrieved from the excavation include coins and two hoards of gold coins, jewelry, metal objects and shells. This article briefly presents the main findings from the various periods, offering a detailed description of the pottery kilns and focusing on the Byzantine-period industrial area, which played a central part in the Gaza and Ashqelon wine industries in the southern coastal plain. The excavation of the industrial area exposed six complex wineries, a system of streets, warehouses, industrial structures and heaps of debris. In addition, two pottery kilns were uncovered, joining the kilns previously uncovered at the site by Eli Yannai. The pottery industry continued into the Early Islamic period, until the Abbasid period, when the nature of the site changed.

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