Abstract
This article analyzes two pottery assemblages excavated at the entrance of the City of David Visitor Center in Jerusalem, providing important evidence for the occupation and development of the city during the Late Roman and Byzantine periods. The first assemblage, recovered from above the floors of the Stratum VI building, is a homogeneous domestic collection dominated by serving and food-preparation vessels, including arched-rim basins, bowls/lids and a complete Bet Naṭṭif lamp. These finds date the structure to the third–fourth centuries CE and suggest activities associated with food preparation and communal use rather than storage. The second assemblage, recovered from a Stratum IV garden-soil fill, comprises an eclectic mixture of pottery dating from the Early Roman to the late Byzantine periods. The presence of Fine Byzantine Ware and the absence of Early Islamic material indicate that the fill was deposited during the mid-sixth to early seventh centuries CE. Together, the assemblages contribute valuable data on Jerusalem’s urban development, confirming extensive residential occupation south of the Old City walls during the Late Roman–Byzantine transition.
Keywords
Late Roman period, Byzantine period, pottery assemblages, ceramic analysis, domestic activities, urban development, residential architecture, material culture, stratigraphy, archaeological chronology
Recommended Citation
Sandhaus, D.
2026.
Jerusalem, City of David Visitor Center: The Late Roman and Byzantine Pottery.
Qadum: Journal of Excavation Reports from Israel 2:1–10.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.70967/3078-8528.1081
Available at:
https://publications.iaa.org.il/qadum/vol2/iss1/37
Included in
Archaeological Anthropology Commons, Classical Archaeology and Art History Commons, History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons
