Tell Qasile is an
archaeological
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
site near the
Yarkon River
The Yarkon River, also Yarqon River or Jarkon River ( he, נחל הירקון, ''Nahal HaYarkon'', ar, نهر العوجا, ''Nahr al-Auja''), is a river in central Israel. The source of the Yarkon ("Greenish" in Hebrew) is at Tel Afek (Antip ...
in
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
,
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
. Over 3,000 years old, the site contains the remains of a port city founded by the
Philistines
The Philistines ( he, פְּלִשְׁתִּים, Pəlīštīm; Koine Greek ( LXX): Φυλιστιείμ, romanized: ''Phulistieím'') were an ancient people who lived on the south coast of Canaan from the 12th century BC until 604 BC, whe ...
in the 12th century BC.
Prior to 1948, it was on the village lands of
Al-Shaykh Muwannis, which was depopulated in the
1948 war
The 1948 Palestine war was fought in the territory of what had been, at the start of the war, British-ruled Mandatory Palestine. It is known in Israel as the War of Independence ( he, מלחמת העצמאות, ''Milkhemet Ha'Atzma'ut'') and ...
. While the war was still ongoing, in late 1948, the site was given the first archaeological permit by the newly-declared of state of Israel. Today it is located on the grounds of the
Eretz Israel Museum
The Eretz Israel Museum (also known as Muza) is a historical and archeological museum in the Ramat Aviv neighborhood of Tel Aviv, Israel.
Eretz Israel Museum, established in 1953, has a large display of archaeological, anthropological and his ...
, which was built in 1953.
Prior to these first excavations,
two important ostraca were discovered at the site in 1945-96, by Jacob Kaplan and Robert Hoff.
History
In 1815, after excavating the ruins of ancient
Ashkelon
Ashkelon or Ashqelon (; Hebrew: , , ; Philistine: ), also known as Ascalon (; Ancient Greek: , ; Arabic: , ), is a coastal city in the Southern District of Israel on the Mediterranean coast, south of Tel Aviv, and north of the border wit ...
,
Lady Hester Stanhope
Lady Hester Lucy Stanhope (12 March 1776 – 23 June 1839) was a British aristocrat, adventurer, antiquarian, and one of the most famous travellers of her age. Her archaeological excavation of Ashkelon in 1815 is considered the first t ...
proposed a dig at a site called el-Khurby located 12 miles northeast of Jaffa on the banks of the Awgy River (today the Yarkon River). Stanhope's companion observed that “there were many proofs that this district was once highly populous.”
Benjamin Mazar
Benjamin Mazar ( he, בנימין מזר; born Binyamin Zeev Maisler, June 28, 1906 – September 9, 1995) was a pioneering Israeli historian, recognized as the "dean" of biblical archaeologists. He shared the national passion for the archaeology ...
received the first archaeological exploration permit issued by the state of Israel to excavate there in 1948. He directed subsequent excavation at the site in 1971 to 1974 and again from 1982 to 1990.
[Amihai Mazar, "A Philistine Temple at Tell Qasile", The Biblical Archaeologist, vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 42-48, 1973] The excavations revealed the gradual development of the
Philistine
The Philistines ( he, פְּלִשְׁתִּים, Pəlīštīm; Koine Greek ( LXX): Φυλιστιείμ, romanized: ''Phulistieím'') were an ancient people who lived on the south coast of Canaan from the 12th century BC until 604 BC, when ...
city over 150 years, from its founding (Level XII) to the peak of its growth (Level X) at the end of the 11th century BC.
Archaeological findings
The sacred area of the Philistine city was unearthed to reveal three temples, built one on top of the other. The temples were constructed with walls of sun-dried mud bricks covered with light-colored plaster. Low benches were built along the length of the walls. Many offering and cult vessels were found on the floors, concentrated mainly around the "bamah" and in the storage alcoves of the temples. A residential block was found on the north side of the street, while in the south side workshops and storehouses were unearthed. The houses were built to a standard plan - they were square, with an area of approximately 100 square meters per apartment. Each apartment comprised two rectangular rooms with a courtyard separating them.
Islamic Khan
Excavations in the 1980s revealed a large
courtyard
A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky.
Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary ...
building, dating from the
Abbasid
The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Mutta ...
era.
[Petersen, 2001, p]
291
/ref> The building has been dated by its excavators to a period between the ninth and eleventh century, though both earlier (Umayyad
The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE; , ; ar, ٱلْخِلَافَة ٱلْأُمَوِيَّة, al-Khilāfah al-ʾUmawīyah) was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by the ...
) and later (Crusader) occupations of the site were found.[
The design of the building and its position (at a river crossing point), indicate that it was a ]khan
Khan may refer to:
*Khan (inn), from Persian, a caravanserai or resting-place for a travelling caravan
*Khan (surname), including a list of people with the name
*Khan (title), a royal title for a ruler in Mongol and Turkic languages and used by ...
.[
Only the northern part of the building was excavated, the rest only visible as robber trenches.][robber trench](_blank)
/ref> From the excavated parts, it is estimated that the building was 28 meters square. A paved entrance in the middle of the north wall led to a courtyard, paved with gravel.[ The courtyard had arcades on the east and west sides, supported by ]column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression (physical), compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column i ...
s. In the north-west corner of the courtyard were the remains of a staircase. Several small rooms, lining the courtyard, were exposed.[
]
References
Bibliography
*Ayalon, E., Gilboa, E., and Shacham, T.(1986–1987): "A Public Building of the Early Arab period at Tell Qasile", IPL, 4 (22), pp. 35–52 (Hebrew with English summary on pp. 7–8).
*Amihai Mazar, "Excavations at Tell Qasile: Part I. The Philistine sanctuary: architecture and cult objects (Qedem)", Institute of Archaeology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 1980
*Amihai Mazar, "Excavations at Tell Qasile: Part Two: The Philistine Sanctuary: Various Finds, the Pottery, Conclusions, Appendixes", Institute of Archaeology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 1985
* Mazar, A. (1988–1989): "Tel Qasila - 1986-1987", ESI 7-8, p. 147-148.
*
External links
Link to the site of Prof. Amihai Mazar, regarding Tell Qasile
by Yaacov Shavit, Haaretz
Tell Qasile Final Report
by Etan Ayalon and Semadar Harpazi Ofer, 7/6/2004, ''Hadashot Arkheologiyot – Excavations and Surveys in Israel'', #116
Tell Qasile Final Report
by Etan Ayalon, 23/7/2007, ''Hadashot Arkheologiyot – Excavations and Surveys in Israel'', #119
Tell Qasile Final Report
by Alexander Glick, 13/1/2008, ''Hadashot Arkheologiyot – Excavations and Surveys in Israel'', #120
Tell Qasile Final Report
by Etan Ayalon and Nitza Bashkin-Yosef, 29/5/2008, ''Hadashot Arkheologiyot – Excavations and Surveys in Israel'', #120
Tell Qasile (West) Final Report
by Alexander Glick, 14/2/2009, ''Hadashot Arkheologiyot – Excavations and Surveys in Israel'', #121
Tell Qasile (West) Final Report
by Alexander Glick, 13/10/2009, ''Hadashot Arkheologiyot – Excavations and Surveys in Israel'', #121
Tell Qasile (West) Final Report
by Alexander Glick, 28/12/2009, ''Hadashot Arkheologiyot – Excavations and Surveys in Israel'', #121
{{DEFAULTSORT:Qasile
Populated places established in the 2nd millennium BC
Archaeological sites in Israel
Philistines
Former populated places in Southwest Asia